Pete S. Says:
I have a great grandfather who was a citizen of Ireland (born there). Does that make me eligible for a second passport?
IL Chief Global Diversification Expert Ted Baumann Says:
Hi Pete,
Irish nationality law is exceptionally friendly to members of its diaspora. Entitlement to citizenship is automatic to people whose grandparents were born in Ireland, even if their parents were born outside of Ireland.
But it is possible to gain Irish citizenship if your great grandparents were born in Ireland. Here’s how it would works:
- A great grandparent was born in Ireland.
- Your grandparents were born outside of Ireland.
- Your grandparents produced one of your own parents.
- Your Irish-descended grandparent registered the birth of your parent on the Irish Foreign Births Register before you were born.
The important part here is the registration of your parent’s birth on the Foreign Births Register. With that registration, you have the automatic right to apply for an Irish passport. Without it, you don’t.
Nevertheless, it is possible to apply to have the Foreign Births Register requirement waived. Typically, this involves demonstrating strong links to Ireland on your part.
In 2021, the Irish government issued a guidance note say that anyone seeking Irish citizenship through a great grandparent is expected, “to have a reasonable period of lawful residence in the [Irish] State—generally around three years, to show they have some substantial and tangible connection with Irish society and the State.”
My suggestion would be to contact an Irish immigration attorney, of which there are plenty. They can assess the merits of your case.
You can also read more about Irish citizenship by ancestry in The Passport Book.
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