Born abroad

You are automatically an Irish citizen if one of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth and was born on the island of Ireland. You don’t need to apply to become an Irish citizen in this case.

You can become an Irish citizen if:

1. One of your grandparents was born on the island of Ireland, or;
2. One of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, even though they were not born on the island of Ireland.

In these cases, you can become an Irish citizen through Foreign Birth Registration.

Once a person is entered onto the Foreign Births Register they are an Irish citizen and entitled to apply for an Irish passport.

To register your birth on the Foreign Births Register, you must:

1. Follow our How to Register a Foreign Birth guide
2. Complete your application form online
3. Print out a copy of your application form and make a payment online
4. Send us your form, supporting documentation, photos and checklist.

Send your application to the address printed on top right-hand corner of your application form. This will be either a specified Irish Embassy or Consulate, or a PO Box address in Ireland.