Many people ask us at ProGenealogists about obtaining Irish citizenship through their ancestors. Ireland’s laws on this subject are more liberal than most other European countries. If one of your grandparents was born on the island of Ireland (including in present-day Northern Ireland), you can obtain citizenship in the Republic of Ireland by documenting your grandparent and your descent from him or her. A set of specific documents is needed, and we help many people with this process. Our firm can help you to gather all of the documents necessary for your application to be successful.

Every year, Irish embassies and consulates consider some 10,000-15,000 applications for Irish citizenship through what is called the “Foreign Births Register.” When you obtain Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland, the formal process includes registering your birth in Ireland’s “Foreign Births Register.”

Your application for Irish citizenship through a grandparent may take a year or more time to process. Thus, we recommend that you make your application as complete and correct as possible before submitting it. You will need to submit original documentation to clearly establish your own identity and your relation to your parent and your Irish-born grandparent. You can read about the specific document requirements on our Irish Citizenship page.