The short version
- If a parent was an Irish citizen when you were born, you are Irish too, wherever you were born.
- If a grandparent was born in Ireland, you can become Irish by entering your birth in the Foreign Births Register.
- You must be on the Foreign Births Register before your own child is born for that child to claim citizenship through you.
- Ireland allows dual citizenship, so an Irish passport does not cost you another one.
Can you claim Irish citizenship by descent?
Often, yes, if you have an Irish parent or an Irish-born grandparent. Ireland lets you pass citizenship down the family line, but how you claim it depends on where your Irish relative was born. We read the official pages when we last checked this post.
There are two clear routes: an Irish parent, which makes you a citizen already, and an Irish-born grandparent, which lets you register. Our Ireland citizenship by descent page lays out the steps.
What if a parent was an Irish citizen?
Then you are an Irish citizen from birth, whether or not that parent was born in Ireland. The Citizens Information guide explains that a child born abroad to an Irish citizen parent is an Irish citizen.
If that parent was themselves born in Ireland, nothing extra is needed to be a citizen. If the parent was an Irish citizen but born outside Ireland, you still hold citizenship, and you confirm it by entering your birth in the Foreign Births Register.
What if a grandparent was born in Ireland?
Then you can become an Irish citizen by entering your birth in the Foreign Births Register (FBR). A grandparent born on the island of Ireland is the key link. Once your entry is approved, you are an Irish citizen from the date of registration, not from birth.
That date matters for the next generation, which is the point people miss most often.
Can you pass it to your own children?
Yes, but the timing is strict. If you gained citizenship through the Foreign Births Register, your child can claim it through you only if you were entered in the register before that child was born. The Department of Foreign Affairs page on registering a foreign birth sets out this order. Register first, then the line continues.
How do you apply, and what does it cost?
You apply online through the Department of Foreign Affairs, then send certified documents that prove the family link: birth, marriage and death certificates up the chain. A fee applies, and processing takes time. The official page above lists the current fee and the documents, so check it on the day you apply.
Once you are a citizen, the Irish passport page shows where an Irish passport lets you travel, including visa-free movement across the EU.
Does Ireland allow dual citizenship?
Yes. Ireland allows dual citizenship, so taking up an Irish passport does not, on Ireland's side, cost you another nationality. If you hold a US passport, read dual citizenship for Americans for the US side.
If you have no Irish parent or grandparent, descent is not your route. See how to move to Ireland from the US for the visa paths instead.