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Becoming an Irish citizen through naturalisation
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
A foreign national living in Ireland who meets certain standards may apply to become a "naturalised" Irish citizen. To apply, you must have been physically resident in Ireland for a certain length of time.
The conditions for Naturalisation were set out in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended. These are:
Age
You must be over 18.
You can apply on behalf of a child if
Character
You must be ‘of good character.’ To prove this, you must ask the Garda Síochána for a report about your background.
Residence in the State
You must have lived in the State for a certain length of time. You must:
You must have spent 5 of the past 9 years in residence in Ireland.
You can spend up to 6 weeks per year outside of Ireland and still be considered a resident. If you had to leave Ireland for longer than 6 weeks because of an emergency, you should explain this in your application.
If you spend more than 6 weeks outside of Ireland in the year immediately before your application, you may have to wait until the following year to make an application.
To apply, you must use the most up-to-date versions of the application forms on the Immigration Service Delivery website.
There is an application fee of €175. If you are successful, there may be an additional fee of up to €950.