[Ted Baumann]

Assuming they were born in Ireland itself, here’s a step-by-step guide tailored to Irish records:

Step 1: Determine the Birth Details:
Full name (including alternate spellings or Irish versions)
Date or approximate year of birth
County or town of birth
Parents’ names (if known)

Step 2: Use Ireland’s Civil Registration Records
Ireland has an excellent free online database for civil records. This official government website provides free access to Birth records (from 1864 onward for all of Ireland; from 1864–1922 for Northern Ireland; 1864–present for the Republic). You can view and download actual scanned birth certificates (where available).

Go to https://www.irishgenealogy.ie
Click “Civil Records”
Enter the grandparent’s name, year of birth (or range), and county if known
Browse the results and open the scanned PDFs
Use wildcards or alternate spellings if you don’t get results.

Step 3: If Not Found, Check Parish Registers
If your grandparent was born before 1864, civil birth records won’t exist — look in church records. The National Library of Ireland Catholic Parish Registers covers baptisms and marriages up to 1880s, for most Roman Catholic parishes. Search by parish, then browse page images manually.

You can also try http://www.RootsIreland.ie – subscription-based, but has indexed parish and civil records. Ancestry.com and FindMyPast.ie both have extensive Irish collections

Step 4: Order an Official Certificate
If you want a certified copy, and have located the record, You can order from the General Register Office (GRO) at: https://www.gov.ie/en/service/124a56-order-certificates/

[Ted Baumann]

I recommend Mary Gratia Colombo. She is an attorney that specialises in both residency and tax matters. You can find her at mgrazia.colombo@leexe.it

[Ted Baumann]

I speak to dozens of people who are looking for Portuguese residency at my consultation service here at International Living. I always recommend Global Citizen Solutions based in Lisbon. They do more than just residency. They can also help you with getting your tax figures in order, getting health and drivers license cards and so on.

[Ted Baumann]

I offer one to one consultations for people looking to secure ancestral citizenship in Europe so if you’d like to reach out, you can find the sign up link on our IL website. Look for Global Citizen.

Regarding Poland, there is technically no limit on how far back you can go to find an ancestor who qualifies you for residency. The problem is that Poland only came into existence as a modern nation in 1920. That means that your ancestor must either have been alive and Living in Poland when the Polish Republic was declared, or they must have lived on territory that subsequently became the Polish Republic before 1920. For example, many ethnic polls left what was then the Russian Empire or the Austro Hungarian Empire prior to 1920, but qualify as Polish ancestors. Not all countries do that.

If and when you have your Polish citizenship recognized come up your wife would be eligible for a family reunification visa. This is required by European Union law. However, the only way to qualify for it would be to move to a European country as an EU citizen and then apply for her visa once you are settled. She won’t be able to get the visa if she’s still living abroad.

[Ted Baumann]

If you’re looking for Portugal specific advice, I would recommend Rita Jardim. She’s a Portuguese attorney who specializes in helping foreign immigrants make the best of their move to Portugal. You can contact her at rita.jardim@mayerjardim.com.

For broader issues regarding global investments and asset protection you can reach out to me directly on the IL website via my Global Citizen service.

Ted Baumann

[Ted Baumann]

If both of your grandparents were Greek citizens, then you should be eligible to apply for citizenship by ancestry. To prove this, you will leave the birth certificates marriage certificates come a death certificates and proof of citizenship of your Greek ancestors. Greek citizenship is historically based on being registered in the Municipal Rolls (Dimotologio). If your Greek ancestors weren’t registered, you may need additional steps to prove their citizenship.In almost all cases, acquiring the assistance of a Greek attorney that specializes in such matters is necessary.

[Ted Baumann]

Depends on what help you need. If you are applying as the descendant of a citizen of those two countries, There’s a process for that. If you’re looking to qualify by naturalization, that’s another route. Can you clarify which way you’re trying to get citizenship?

[Ted Baumann]

If your father’s father (your grandpa) was born in Malta before 1 September 1964, then your father Is automatically a Maltese citizen. You do not automatically acquire Maltese citizenship from him; but you can apply for citizenship by registration on the basis that your father is a Maltese citizen as were your grandparents and great grandparents. To pursue this, you’d need to contact the Malta Citizenship Agency, get the application, gather all the documents that prove your ancestry, and submit your case.

[Ted Baumann]

First of all, there is no obstacle to getting a second citizenship on the American side.The Supreme Court has ruled several times that Americans cannot be forbidden from acquiring other citizenships. So keep that in mind because if you really like a country, it’s always best to become a citizen if you want to stay there.

There are many countries where you can live and retire indefinitely. For retirees, countries have visas that allow you to remain indefinitely as long as you have sufficient income from pensions and investments. In Europe, they include Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, and several countries in the Balkans. Popular retirement visas in the Western Hemisphere include Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador.

The key factor for all of these visas is whether you have enough passive income from pension and investments to qualify. The cheapest are in Central America, with Costa Rica and Panama at $1000 a month. Europe is more expensive although Portugal will grant AD7 retirement visa for around $1000 a month income. All the other countries are in the €3000 to €3500 monthly income range.

Finally, note that although you often need to renew the visa annually for every two years, this is just a formality to show that you continue to have enough income. Many IL subscribers have lived for years abroad in these countries in this way.

[Ted Baumann]

Yes, as long as your Social Security is equal to or above the monthly income requirement, you should qualify. Bear in mind, however, that these minimum amounts are subject to adjustment based on the opinion of the consular officials who are processing your application. Sometimes they will ask for a higher monthly income especially if you have chronic medical issues. But in general, a guaranteed government pension is the best source of income you can have for Portugal.

[Ted Baumann]

once you have been given approval for a Mexican Visa whether temporary or permanent, you get a stamp in your passport, and you have 180 days to go to Mexico and have that temporary stamp converted to a permanent resident status. If you don’t go to Mexico with him that time, you have to start the application process all over again.

[Ted Baumann]

As a citizen of Ireland, you do not need to apply for an ETIAS before traveling to other countries within the EU. As an EU national, you have full travel, settlement, and work rights anywhere in the bloc. Just be sure when you travel that you are doing so on your Irish passport.

[Ted Baumann]

If you have a long term residency visa in Slovakia, then it does not count against your time in the Schengen zone. You should be able to travel to Italy and remain for 90 days or anywhere else in the EU.

[Ted Baumann]

That’s a tough one. Almost all countries require proof of guaranteed income, which in the absence of a formal pension means a bank deposit big enough to support yourself for the length of the visa. In Central America, most countries require a formal pension and only accept savings or investment income in exceptional circumstances.

The two exceptions I can think of are Uruguay and Paraguay, in southern South America. Both countries will accept residency applications as long as you have the means to support yourself, regardless of where it comes from. Of the two, Paraguay has a much lower cost of living, but the lifestyle is rustic to say the least. In both countries you should be able to initiate a residency application on a rival, and remain in the country until it’s processed. As part of my global citizen service I offer personalPersonal consultations to facilitate those applications.

Ted Baumann

[Ted Baumann]

Mark, if you’d like to book a consultation with me, I offer personalized planning for a move abroad. If you’d like to sign up, here’s the link.
https://secured.globalcitizenliving.com/journey/120SZTCC3/1

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