Foreign Birth Registration

[DanaMarie]

Hi everyone, quick post with my timeline so far. This is my first post.
31 January 2019- Online application completed.
2nd Feb 2019- All documents posted recorded delivery to Dublin.
6th Feb 2019- Confirmation emailed received for my documents safe arrival in Dublin to begin processing.

I have since moved house from Northern Ireland to England and was really worried that this would have an effect on my application, and also didnt want my documents and FBR cert to be returned to my old address if I was successful in being added to the register. So I called the FBR team a couple of months ago and spoke to a guy named Frodo who assured me it wasnt a problem and took down my new address and updated it on their system. I hope that he was right. I know the application process says it should take 6 months but by reading posts here I am going to aim off for around a year or so at current processing times. Patiently waiting!

I'm about a week ahead of you in timelines so it'll be fun to see how this plays out for both of us. Waiting buddies!

Michael, huge congrats! Finally!

[Michael123]

Thank you everyone!

It still has not completely sunk in yet. I am very excited, just the thought of the connection and the link to my heritage is great. The only thing I wish I could change is that I wish I had been more educated in this years ago. I had known for many many years that I was eligible, but knowing what I do know now: I wish I had done this prior to the birth of my children. Hopefully someday the law will change and allow my children the same without the need to be naturalized.


I know that the quoted time is 2-3 is minor compared to the already long wait that I have had seems minor but to me its like having to go to the restroom, the closer I get to the restroom, the more I have to go!

I have a friend that works for the post office, I will be getting a “door tag” that will allow me to sign for the delivery and leave the tag on my mailbox as I most likely will not be home when it gets delivered.

Can wait to get my paws on that red passort!

Erin Go Braugh!!

[spiderplants]

I wish I had done this prior to the birth of my children.

Oh, god, me too! But some of us never thought we'd ever have to worry about this being something we'd ever have to do.

Glad for you.

[champers]

Sorry me again. I know I’m being a right pain with my questions but I’m trying to get all our ducks in a row before my son completes his online FBR form.

On the very first page of the online form, it says:

Did parent (through who Irish citizenship is said to be derived) acquire Irish citizenship by virtue of:

Birth to a person born in Ireland.
Naturalisation.
Post nuptial declaration.
Foreign births Registration.
Adoption.

As he is applying through descent through his grandmother (my mother) should he ignore that bit and go straight to the grandparent bit? I only ask as I have never applied for FBR myself and none of the above options therefore apply to me as his parent.

Hope that makes sense?

[Court2]

Sorry me again. I know I’m being a right pain with my questions but I’m trying to get all our ducks in a row before my son completes his online FBR form.

On the very first page of the online form, it says:

Did parent (through who Irish citizenship is said to be derived) acquire Irish citizenship by virtue of:

Birth to a person born in Ireland.
Naturalisation.
Post nuptial declaration.
Foreign births Registration.
Adoption.

As he is applying through descent through his grandmother (my mother) should he ignore that bit and go straight to the grandparent bit? I only ask as I have never applied for FBR myself and none of the above options therefore apply to me as his parent.

Hope that makes sense?

Go straight to the grandparent bit. I applied not knowing whether my father had citizenship/passport or not. My grandparent was born in Ireland so that was my connection.

[Sulla]

On the very first page of the online form, it says:
Did parent (through who Irish citizenship is said to be derived) acquire Irish citizenship by virtue of:

Birth to a person born in Ireland.
Naturalisation.
Post nuptial declaration.
Foreign births Registration.
Adoption.

As he is applying through descent through his grandmother (my mother) should he ignore that bit and go straight to the grandparent bit? I only ask as I have never applied for FBR myself and none of the above options therefore apply to me as his parent.

In my opinion, the correct way to fill in the form should be to indicate that his grandmother was born on the island of Ireland through the place of birth info. For his parent, the answer should be birth to a person born in Ireland. That is unless one of the other options (such as adoption) applies.

People who are born outside of Ireland to Irish born parents can directly apply for passports without the need for the FBR process. They are automatically treated as citizens by virtue of birth to a person born in Ireland.

The application form seeks to establish that the chain of citizenship as unbroken. Therefore, the parent being an Irish citizen is an essential link. The parent having an Irish passport or not, is irrelevant to this.

[Sulla]

Hopefully someday the law will change and allow my children the same without the need to be naturalized.

Well, it is possible, but I would not consider it likely. It would be a reversal of the tone of the 1986 Nationality Act which sought to tighten up on this and render people only able to pass on their Irish citizenship from the date they themselves were registered as citizens on the FBR - instead of from birth.

On the bright side, there is a referendum in Ireland this October, which seeks to grant the vote to the Irish citizen diaspora. However, this will only be for presidential elections. That said, it is still movement in a positive direction.

[usczkat]

Today is the day! Myself and my cousin both recieved this...

Congratulations you are now an Irish Citizen. Your recent application for Foreign Birth Registration has been successful and your certificate is currently awaiting printing.
Your original documentation and your certificate will either be sent to you by registered post in 2-3 weeks or our mission will be in touch with you directly to arrange collection/delivery. If there is a delay in you receiving your documentation you should contact the office listed at the top of your application form.

Is mise le meas
FBR Team
Please do not reply to this email as it is auto-generated

How darned exciting Michael!! I rather stopped watching the mailbox a while back, then found this board recently. It helped a lot when seeing where others are in their wait.
I am hoping it will be soon as the August peeps are beginning to see things happening.
What was the date received for your application? Mine was received August 23....
Congrats! Very happy for you!!

[Michael123]

Cousin online app completed Aug 10
My online app competed Aug 17

Both applications and documents sent Fedex next day international with AM Delivery in same package on Aug 17. Each application was separate and had separate supporting documents, although we could have shared common documents.
Package sent Aug 17 from Fedex office, Brookline, Massachusetts USA

Fedex tracking: delivery Aug 20 9:03am
St Stephens Green Dublin

Email from DFA: Aug 21 “application recived on Aug 21”

Sept - April. Called to check a few times, estimated times were being increase with each call. I believe my last call was in April, was told anywhere from Sept - maybe early 2020. Total estimated time 13+ months.


My cousin Donna received congratulations email recieved June 7 at 7:50 am local time

I received congratulations email June 7 at 8:00am local time


I had previously requested passport applications for myself and Donna. I had called back a few months ago to verify my passport application was current and not been updated. They didn’t care to check, but rather just send another set of applications. The new applications were exact the same.

[LesMalouinettes]

Today is the day! Myself and my cousin both recieved this...

I don't think I've ever seen so happy for a complete stranger. CONGRATULATIONS!!

[Jaxx22]

Oh Wow, CONGRATULATIONS Michael.

[Jaxx22]

Hi everyone, quick post with my timeline so far. This is my first post.
31 January 2019- Online application completed.
2nd Feb 2019- All documents posted recorded delivery to Dublin.
6th Feb 2019- Confirmation emailed received for my documents safe arrival in Dublin to begin processing.

I have since moved house from Northern Ireland to England and was really worried that this would have an effect on my application, and also didnt want my documents and FBR cert to be returned to my old address if I was successful in being added to the register. So I called the FBR team a couple of months ago and spoke to a guy named Frodo who assured me it wasnt a problem and took down my new address and updated it on their system. I hope that he was right. I know the application process says it should take 6 months but by reading posts here I am going to aim off for around a year or so at current processing times. Patiently waiting!

This has put me at ease, thank you.

[FlyingMum]

On the very first page of the online form, it says:
Did parent (through who Irish citizenship is said to be derived) acquire Irish citizenship by virtue of:

Birth to a person born in Ireland.
Naturalisation.
Post nuptial declaration.
Foreign births Registration.
Adoption.

As he is applying through descent through his grandmother (my mother) should he ignore that bit and go straight to the grandparent bit? I only ask as I have never applied for FBR myself and none of the above options therefore apply to me as his parent.

In my opinion, the correct way to fill in the form should be to indicate that his grandmother was born on the island of Ireland through the place of birth info. For his parent, the answer should be birth to a person born in Ireland. That is unless one of the other options (such as adoption) applies.

People who are born outside of Ireland to Irish born parents can directly apply for passports without the need for the FBR process. They are automatically treated as citizens by virtue of birth to a person born in Ireland.

The application form seeks to establish that the chain of citizenship as unbroken. Therefore, the parent being an Irish citizen is an essential link. The parent having an Irish passport or not, is irrelevant to this.

That’s a very useful answer, thank you. I had the same question my self. It would make sense to complete the parent bit - even if they’re not the Irish citizen - in order that the authorities can check and authenticate the paper trail that leads to the grandparent.

[FlyingMum]

Has anyone been successful for FBR with just a baptismal certificate and a letter from the DFE confirming that a search was made and no civil record of birth was found? To avoid complication, I’m thinking of applying for Late Registration anyway but I’d be curious to know others experiences.

[Sulla]

Has anyone been successful for FBR with just a baptismal certificate and a letter from the DFE confirming that a search was made and no civil record of birth was found? To avoid complication, I’m thinking of applying for Late Registration anyway but I’d be curious to know others experiences.

In the past, baptismal certificates were accepted - as were affidavits explaining the absence of documents from applications. However, this is no longer the case and this tighter way of operating has existed for a couple of years at least within the DFA. If you apply without the civil birth certificate, you will certainly get a request for further documentation somewhere down the line. This will delay your application and is obviously an unwelcome outcome.

I'm afraid you will have to go through the process of late registration of the birth of your ancestor. After this has been done, you should have no issues to apply for FBR using the newly issued civil birth certificate from the GRO. I presume you refer to late registration of a birth in Ireland.

Other users here including Brexitescapee, may be able to provide you with deeper insight on this matter. I think he has some experience of this.

[Sulla]

This has put me at ease, thank you.

Hi Jaxx

Could you take a look at this thread please?

ireland/irish-grandfather-foreign-born- ... 76914.html

The OP here has a question related to this grandfather being born in Mauritius, while his great grandfather was on overseas military duty. I know your father was also born overseas and military service was involved. I wonder if you could help this person out with any information you may have.

[FlyingMum]

Has anyone been successful for FBR with just a baptismal certificate and a letter from the DFE confirming that a search was made and no civil record of birth was found? To avoid complication, I’m thinking of applying for Late Registration anyway but I’d be curious to know others experiences.

In the past, baptismal certificates were accepted - as were affidavits explaining the absence of documents from applications. However, this is no longer the case and this tighter way of operating has existed for a couple of years at least within the DFA. If you apply without the civil birth certificate, you will certainly get a request for further documentation somewhere down the line. This will delay your application and is obviously an unwelcome outcome.

I'm afraid you will have to go through the process of late registration of the birth of your ancestor. After this has been done, you should have no issues to apply for FBR using the newly issued civil birth certificate from the GRO. I presume you refer to late registration of a birth in Ireland.

Other users here including Brexitescapee, may be able to provide you with deeper insight on this matter. I think he has some experience of this.

Thank you for your reply Sulla. That’s explained it very well. You’ve made me glad I am going down the Late Registration route after all. I was thinking it might be unnecessary waste of time, but clearly not. My Irish born grandmothers birth never had a civil registration so I’ve had to download the forms from the GRO Roscommon that confirm details of her parents deaths plus a copy of her baptism certificate, a signed document from a notary to confirm I’m who I say I am and that I’m telling the truth about the actual birth.

Not sure how long Late registrations take? Hopefully, not as long as I’m anticipating for my FBR!

[Jaxx22]

This has put me at ease, thank you.

Hi Jaxx

Could you take a look at this thread please?

ireland/irish-grandfather-foreign-born- ... 76914.html

The OP here has a question related to this grandfather being born in Mauritius, while his great grandfather was on overseas military duty. I know your father was also born overseas and military service was involved. I wonder if you could help this person out with any information you may have.

I had a look and replied but is slightly different as my father has irish citizenship by decent and didn't have to go through the FBR route, otherwise I would have been able to give some useful advice.

[BrexitEscapee]

Not sure how long Late registrations take? Hopefully, not as long as I’m anticipating for my FBR!

I applied on 4th December and had an email to confirm the birth had been registered on 11th Jan. So this was over the Christmas period and they had also had to ask me a question by email (to confirm my Great Grandparents' family name - their records don't go back that far) so it's pretty quick - expect a month's wait. You'll then need to apply for a paper birth certificate to use in your FBR. They sent me an application form with the late registration confirmation email, and the birth certificate took around 10 days to arrive.

[rdslight]

Delighted to see that a lot of certificates are now coming through! Congratulations ....

Quick update to my own timeline
Application received London Embassy 31st July 2018
Sent for final approval 5th December 2018
Added FBR 23rd May 2019
Congratulations email not received
Certificate and documents received 3rd June 2019
Passport application received 11th June 2019
Estimated issue date 18th July 2019

This seems a lot quicker than the 72 working day turnaround noted on the website. The tracker was very accurate however in terms of timescale for my three kids passports.

Good luck to all those still waiting! Sure won't be long.....

[Sulla]

This seems a lot quicker than the 72 working day turnaround noted on the website. The tracker was very accurate however in terms of timescale for my three kids passports.

Good luck to all those still waiting! Sure won't be long.....

The passport issuance experience was 10 times better for me than the opaque FBR rigmarole. Having the passport tracker was more reassuring in its transparent treatment of the various stages involved - as was the provision of an estimated date of issuance. In my case, the tracker was inaccurate by about a week and my passport was slightly late. However, I was able to confirm via webchat that everything was in order and it was just a question of application volume delaying matters.

If anything could be improved, it would be overseas delivery times - outside Ireland / UK. It took my passport 12 days to get back to China. Many couriers can do it in 2. A faster delivery option (at optional increased cost) would be nice to have.

The FBR section have a lot that they could learn from the practices of their DFA colleagues in the passport office.

[Pumps100]

Has anyone been successful for FBR with just a baptismal certificate and a letter from the DFE confirming that a search was made and no civil record of birth was found? To avoid complication, I’m thinking of applying for Late Registration anyway but I’d be curious to know others experiences.

In the past, baptismal certificates were accepted - as were affidavits explaining the absence of documents from applications. However, this is no longer the case and this tighter way of operating has existed for a couple of years at least within the DFA. If you apply without the civil birth certificate, you will certainly get a request for further documentation somewhere down the line. This will delay your application and is obviously an unwelcome outcome.

I'm afraid you will have to go through the process of late registration of the birth of your ancestor. After this has been done, you should have no issues to apply for FBR using the newly issued civil birth certificate from the GRO. I presume you refer to late registration of a birth in Ireland.

Other users here including Brexitescapee, may be able to provide you with deeper insight on this matter. I think he has some experience of this.

Thank you for your reply Sulla. That’s explained it very well. You’ve made me glad I am going down the Late Registration route after all. I was thinking it might be unnecessary waste of time, but clearly not. My Irish born grandmothers birth never had a civil registration so I’ve had to download the forms from the GRO Roscommon that confirm details of her parents deaths plus a copy of her baptism certificate, a signed document from a notary to confirm I’m who I say I am and that I’m telling the truth about the actual birth.

Not sure how long Late registrations take? Hopefully, not as long as I’m anticipating for my FBR!

Sorry for coming in late on this. Apologies if you have already done this but is it possible for you to check again for her birth record. When records are not found it is sometimes helpful to look for a different name or some time before and after when you think she was born. There is a search facility on www.irishgenealogy.ie Often people got the date or name wrong. Apologies for being late to party.

Ian

[fvigaud]

Hi all,

I am helping my father (UK citizen, Resident Alien in the U.S.) apply for his first Irish passport.

I see on the DFA site that for those that were born outside of Ireland, he should submit "Your original passport from another country"

To be clear, this is the original passport, no? I am recalling there was some back and forth on this board over someone who sent in an original passport and had to ask for it back... So thought I'd just double check.

Thank you,
F

[BrexitEscapee]

I see on the DFA site that for those that were born outside of Ireland, he should submit "Your original passport from another country"

I'm assuming, because you've posted it here, that he's got his citizenship through Foreign Birth Registration? If so, have a look here (Click on 'Adult first time application,' then 'Eligible for irish citizenship...blah..blah...grandparent.': https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/great- ... dofIreland

It gives the requirement as: 'Official Photo Identification. The Passport Service requires an original or certified copy of a passport or National ID Card from another country or an original or certified copy of a Driver’s license in order to establish your identity. If you send your original document, we will not return these to you until the application process is complete. Alternatively, you can send a copy certified by one of the following: a police officer, a solicitor or the witness who signs Section 9 of your application form. If you are applying via Passport Express in the Post Offices in Glasgow or Liverpool, the copy of your photographic identification may be witnessed by a postal official from one of those post offices.'

Which bit of the website is saying it needs to be the original?

[LesMalouinettes]

I see on the DFA site that for those that were born outside of Ireland, he should submit "Your original passport from another country"

Which bit of the website is saying it needs to be the original?

I think he's referring to the information on the actual passport application form, because I had the same concern but I'm pretty sure that requirement is not for first-time applicants, but rather for those who already have an Irish passport.

The actual wording for 1st Time Applicants is as follows:

Original Long Form Birth Certificate

Original Civil Marriage Certificate (If Applicable)

Proof of Entitlement to Irish Citizenship if born abroad.

Photo Identification: e.g. Drivers Licence (A certified copy of your drivers licence will suffice if certified by the same person who witnessed your application form), National identity card, college identification, passport from another country.

Proof of Name. Such as payslips, tax documents, college registration, etc.

Proof of Address: such as utility bills, bank statements, government correspondence etc.

PLEASE NOT ONLY ORIGINAL DOCUMENTATION WILL BE ACCEPTED. WE DO NOT ACCEPT PHOTOCOPIES (UNLESS SPECIFIED) OR LAMINATED DOCUMENTS.

It doesn't specify anywhere that you need to supply ALL of these. For me personally, I will be in France for three months and have tasked my Mother with submitting my application on my behalf (When my FBR application is finally approved) and would be very hesitant to post my passport back to her to accompany my application. I guess i'll ring the embassy today for clarification but I truly believe that the list of requested documents doesn't mean you have to supply one of each. After all, not everyone has college registration documents/college identification, right?