How do I apply for an Irish passport?

As Ireland hits a record of one million Irish passports issued this year, many more people with Irish heritage may be wondering about the allure of the travel document.

The Department of Foreign Affairs reported hitting the landmark number on Thursday 3 November, saying it was the first time the country had issued one million passports in a calendar year (and it’s only just November).

The previous record was 935,000 passports issued over the full year in 2019; it’s also a significant increase on last year, when 634,000 passports were printed throughout the whole of 2021.

The surge in applications is thought to be partly due to the UK’s exit from the European Union, ending many travel privileges afforded to British citizens while part of the EU.

With an Irish passport, you are able to travel freely throughout the 27 countries in the European Union, with no limit on how much time you can spend there (unlikely UK passport holders who are restricted to only staying in EU countries for 90 days in any 180 period).

But who can apply for an Irish passport, and how do you do it?

Here’s everything you need to know.

Who can apply for an Irish passport?

Irish citizens, unsurprisingly. But they don’t necessarily have to live or even have been born on the Emerald Isle.

The Department of Foreign Affairs explains: “If you or your parent were born on the island of Ireland before 2005, you are an Irish citizen. You can apply for an Irish passport without making an application for citizenship.”

However, if you were born after 1 January 2005, your right to citizenship depends on a few factors, including the citizenship of your parent at the time of the birth and the residency history of your parents.

If either of your parents was an Irish or UK citizen at the time of your birth, you are automatically an Irish citizen if you were born in Ireland. If you were born in Northern Ireland to an Irish or British parent, you can choose to be an Irish citizen.

However, if you were born in Ireland on or after 1 January 2005 and neither of your parents were Irish or UK citizens, your entitlement to Irish citizenship depends on how long your parent(s) lived in Ireland before you were born and whether they have an entitlement to residency there.

Meanwhile, if one of your grandparents was born on the island of Ireland you could claim “Irish citizenship by descent”, applying to become a citizen through Foreign Birth Registration.

If one of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time you were born, you may also be entitled to claim citizenship under Foreign Birth Registration, even if you were born elsewhere.

To do so you need to be entered into the Foreign Births Register; at this point you become an Irish citizen and entitled to apply for an Irish passport. The DFA warns that processing times for this can be up to two years.

How do I apply?

If you are claiming citizenship through descent (having a parent or grandparent from Ireland), you’ll need to apply for citizenship first. The Foreign Birth Registration process costs €278 in total, including a certificate (€145 for under 18s).

Once you have proof of citizenship, “Passport Online is the quickest and most efficient way to apply for a passport,” advises the Irish Foreign Ministry.

On this online portal, you submit a digital application first, then send the supporting documents required by post.

Assuming you have citizenship, you’ll need to upload a digital photo of yourself (this can be taken at home/on your phone but must not be a selfie), a valid email address and a credit or debit card for payment.

The cost is €75 for a passport book or €100 for a passport book plus ID card.

Supporting documents are slightly different depending on whether you are a straightforward born-in-Ireland citizen, are on the Foreign Births Register or born abroad to an Irish-born parent. For the latter, for example, you will need an Identity Verification Form.

When you get to the selection point of your type of citizenship, the Passport Online process advises you of the exact documents needed.

You should allow around eight weeks for your application to be processed.