From Northern Ireland.. but can I be an Irish Citizen?

donallc

Hey,

I have checked this out a hundred times on the internet, and every person I talked to and every website gives me a different answer, so I thought I would try here and see if anybody knows what the craic is.

Basically I am 24 years old. I recently lost my British passport, and since I have long wanted an Irish one, I thought, why not look into getting one.

But am I eligable?

I was born in Glasgow, due to circumstance when my mother decided to move there for a couple of years. I have since lived in Northern Ireland for 22 years.

My mother was born in Belfast in 1960. She did not register as an Irish citizen / does not have an Irish passport.

Her father was born in Belfast in 1939. To my knowledge, he did not register himself as an Irish citizen or carry an Irish passport.

His father was born in Belfast, I am assuming circa 1910, before the partition, which I assume would make him an Irish citizen by default.

Does anyone know if I am actually eligible, and what I should do?

dermot_sheehan

You are an irish citizen by descent by having parents who were born on the island of ireland.


You can get the forms from certain royal mail post offices in northern ireland or contact the passport office in dublin at www.passport.ie.

You need to send in your birth certificate, one of your parents birth certificates (and if your mother your parents marriage cert to show the change of your mothers name to your surname)

dabestman1

gabhain7 wrote: »

You are an irish citizen by descent by having parents who were born on the island of ireland.


You can get the forms from certain royal mail post offices in northern ireland or contact the passport office in dublin at www.passport.ie.

You need to send in your birth certificate, one of your parents birth certificates (and if your mother your parents marriage cert to show the change of your mothers name to your surname)

Totally Agree

donallc

My mother will not allow me to send her birth certificate as she claims she does not trust me not to lose it. Also, due to her political stances, I would rather she didn't know that I was applying for the passport. Are you allowed to send copies, and if so, is it possible/legal to obtain a certified copy of another person's birth certificate?

dabestman1

donallc wrote: »

My mother will not allow me to send her birth certificate as she claims she does not trust me not to lose it. Also, due to her political stances, I would rather she didn't know that I was applying for the passport. Are you allowed to send copies, and if so, is it possible/legal to obtain a certified copy of another person's birth certificate?

This could pose a massive problem.

donallc

Having said that, I could easily obtain the marriage certifcate from my father.

xp90

constitution says you can

slimjimmc

donallc wrote: »

My mother will not allow me to send her birth certificate as she claims she does not trust me not to lose it. Also, due to her political stances, I would rather she didn't know that I was applying for the passport. Are you allowed to send copies, and if so, is it possible/legal to obtain a certified copy of another person's birth certificate?

As far I aware, birth certs are public records and I don't think you need the person's consent.

The NI General Register Office website asks if the the cert you want is about you or another so it apparently is possible so long as you give your reasons and know date & place of birth, etc.

Photocopies are not accepted, but if you can get the cert from the GRO then it's not an issue. I presume they have digitised most if not all of the original birth certs by now so what you get from the GRO will be an official copy of the original cert printed on watermarked paper. This is considered an original copy for all purposes.
There used to be a problem because the Irish authorities require a 'long version' of the certificate and some certs (including newer Irish ones) were not available in that format, but I think that's all sorted now.

Our man in Havana

As far I aware, birth certs are public records and I don't think you need the person's consent.

Correct. I can obtain your birth cert provided I have enough info to locate your records.

donallc

Fantastic advice from you all here, really appreciate it. The fact that you can order these certificates online is news to me, and will certainly make the process a world easier. So basically all I need is my mothers certificate (born in Belfast in the 60's but not an Irish passport holder), my parents marriage certificate, my birth certificate, all of which I can order online, and I'm eligible?

Our man in Havana

Correct.