Citizenship Through Great-Grandparent

Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) Route

You can claim Irish citizenship through a great-grandparent via FBR only if all of the following conditions are met:

Your great-grandparent was born on the island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland).

Your parent acquired Irish citizenship before you were born through one of these mechanisms:

• Your parent registered in the Foreign Births Register between 17 July 1956 and 1 July 1986, OR
• If you were born after 1 July 1986, your parent was registered in the Foreign Births Register at the time of your birth

Your parent was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth (not after).

Your parent obtained Irish citizenship because they had a grandparent who was an Irish citizen (i.e., your parent's claim traces through the great-grandparent).

Critical Timing Rule: Citizenship is not retroactive. If your parent registered in the FBR after you were born, you do not qualify through this pathway, even if they later became an Irish citizen. The registration must have occurred before your birth.

Example of Eligibility: Your great-grandfather was born in Dublin in 1920. Your grandmother (his daughter) was born in the United States in 1945 but never claimed Irish citizenship. Your mother (the granddaughter of the Irish-born person) registered in the FBR in 1985. You were born in 1990. You qualify because your mother was registered before your birth.

Example of Ineligibility: Your great-grandfather was born in Dublin. Your grandmother was born in the US and never registered. Your mother was born in the US in 1980 and never registered. You were born in 2000. Your mother registers in the FBR in 2026. You do not qualify because your mother registered after you were born.

Citizenship by Association (Discretionary Route)

If you do not meet the FBR criteria above, you may apply for Irish citizenship through "Irish associations" under Section 16 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956. This is a discretionary pathway decided by the Minister for Justice at absolute discretion.

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be 18 years of age or older
• You must have at least 3 years of lawful residence in Ireland (known as "reckonable residence")
• You must be of "good character" (generally assessed via clean criminal record, National Vetting Bureau check, and/or Garda report)
• You must intend to reside in Ireland or be the spouse/civil partner of an Irish citizen planning to reside in Ireland
• You must demonstrate strong and meaningful connections to Ireland through cultural, educational, economic, or social involvement

Definition of Irish Associations: Under Section 16(2), you are of Irish associations if you are related by blood, affinity, or adoption to a person who is or was an Irish citizen, or to a deceased person who was an Irish citizen.

Important Caveat: The Minister's discretion is exercised "very rarely" for great-grandparent claims. This pathway is not a guaranteed right and requires building a compelling case demonstrating substantial Irish connections beyond mere ancestry.

Who Does NOT Qualify

• Applicants with only a great-grandparent connection where the intermediate generations (grandparent and parent) did not register in the FBR before the applicant's birth
• Applicants with great-great-grandparents or more distant ancestors (unless intermediate generations maintained the citizenship chain)
• Applicants claiming through cousins, aunts, uncles, or other collateral relatives
• Applicants who cannot demonstrate the unbroken chain of citizenship through each generation