Question regarding Garda vetting / verification for citizenship application.

[citi12]

Hello,

I would like some advice please. I am an EU citizen who has been living in Ireland for about a year and a half. One day I hope to apply for Irish citizenship.

I have a question about how many days I can remain outside of Ireland.

I see the website mentioning something about one year’s continuous residence in the last year but up to 70 days absence is allowed and 30 days in exceptional circumstances. But this is only for the last year before applying.

I had read earlier that the four years prior to the last year could have 6 weeks outside Ireland. However, I cannot find this anymore. (Maybe I'm not looking in the right place.)

I had first arrived in Ireland in 2022. So, I don’t plan to count that year as I did not have all the required documentary evidence. If all goes well, I plan to apply as follow:

Year 1 - 01 Jan 2023 to 31 Dec 2023 (6 weeks absence) (So 7 days X 6 weeks = 42 days outside Ireland)
Year 2 - 01 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024 (6 weeks absence) (So 7 days X 6 weeks = 42 days outside Ireland)
Year 3 - 01 Jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025 (6 weeks absence) (So 7 days X 6 weeks = 42 days outside Ireland)
Year 4 - 01 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 (6 weeks absence) (So 7 days X 6 weeks = 42 days outside Ireland)
Year 5 - 01 Jan 2027 to 31 Dec 2027 (70 days absence + 30 days exceptional = 100 days outside Ireland)

Is this calculation of days away from Ireland for the years above correct? Or am I missing something?

I really appreciate any advice.

Thank you.

[Vadrar]

You can have 70 days out in any year and count it as continuous residence (ie count 365 days towards total required.) Once you exceed the 70 days grace you lose the entire allowance and need to make up all absent days, not just those exceeding 70.

The six weeks allowance has been replaced by the 70 days, ignore anyone referring to 6 weeks.

Day of departure and return count as being in Ireland.

Also the 30 days exceptional - it isn’t granted as often as people seem to assume. People seem to assume that eg any medical or work absence is accepted when it isn’t.

[citi12]

Hello,

I would like some advice please. I am an EU citizen who has been living in Ireland for about a year and a half. One day I hope to apply for Irish citizenship.

I have never had any issues with the police / law/ civil or criminal matters anywhere in the world.

I have lived in two other countries prior to moving to Ireland. Both those countries were non-EU countries. (I got my citizenship through descent – through a parent).

The first country (Country A) was when I was a child (upto age 9). I don’t have any address details for it. Maybe I could get a street name from Google maps. There would be no record of me otherwise. My school records don’t have my home address. Just a P.O. box address for where my father worked.

The second country (Country B) where I lived in was where I spent most of my life. I have clear police vetting / verification records in this country. I have a copy of one done before I came to Ireland in 2022. Thereafter, I came to Ireland.

In all three countries I have never had any issues with the police / law/ civil or criminal matters whatsoever.

Assuming the requirements are still the same in the future, my questions are:

1. Do I need to upload police vetting / verification documents from the countries where I have lived? Or just addresses need to be mentioned in the Garda vetting form / link?

2. Do I need to try and get in touch with the authorities in country A and get police verification / vetting records saying that I don’t have any criminal record? I doubt they will have any record in Country A as it was a very long time ago. I left around 9 years of age.

3. I would not have a door or house number for Country A. I could check Google maps for a street name. Is this an issue?

4. Do I need to try and get the latest police verification / vetting records from country B at the time of application for Irish citizenship? I already have one dated 2022.

I really appreciate any advice or clarification anyone can shed.

Thank you.

[citi12]

Hi Vadrar,

Thank you for your quick response.

So if I understand correctly the following chart is correct?

Year 1 - 01 Jan 2023 to 31 Dec 2023 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)
Year 2 - 01 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)
Year 3 - 01 Jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)
Year 4 - 01 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)
Year 5 - 01 Jan 2027 to 31 Dec 2027 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)

Thanks again in advance.

[Vadrar]

You’ll need to supply all addresses from birth for evetting and you’ll be expected to do whatever research is needed to find those details. You should supply the foreign addresses in whatever is the local standard.

Generally, the recent approach suggests you only need to get a foreign police clearance if you have spent more than 6 months outside of ROI within the years you are submitting for residency. But that may change by the time you apply as it is some time away. In any case, you’ll be contacted with whatever request they may want and you’ll need to wait until they make it. Proactively provided police checks seem to be dismissed, so just wait and see if they ask.

[citi12]

sorry typo

[Vadrar]

Hi Vadrar,

Thank you for your quick response.

So if I understand correctly the following chart is correct?

Year 1 - 01 Jan 2023 to 31 Dec 2023 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)
Year 2 - 01 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)
Year 3 - 01 Jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)
Year 4 - 01 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)
Year 5 - 01 Jan 2027 to 31 Dec 2027 (max 70 days allowed outside Ireland)

Thanks again in advance.

Yes, if you apply on 31 Dec 2027. Your 365 periods are counted backwards from the day you submit.

[citi12]

Dear Vadrar,

Thank you for the quick replies for both the questions. I had my browser opened and made a mess of things and posted both questions together.

Sorry about that.

But thank you for your replies. I really appreciate it.

Thank you once again.

[Vadrar]

Dear Vadrar,

Thank you for the quick replies for both the questions. I had my browser opened and made a mess of things and posted both questions together.

Sorry about that.

But thank you for your replies. I really appreciate it.

Thank you once again.

My pleasure, you’re very wise to sort the process out early in your residential time.

Sometimes mods merge threads about the same person’s application as they like to keep them linked, so I was assuming they’d merge in any case.

[citi12]

Dear Vadrar,

Thank you again.

Sorry to the mods, its my mistake. I put it in the same post by mistake.

Thanks and regards.