How to get a Irish Passport?

fontdor

Hello everyone. OK So I got my Permission of leave to remain and I registered and got my GNIB card. I read on the citizeninformation website that if you have stayed in Ireland for 5 years You can apply for Irish Passport. Now my question is does the 5 years count from day 1 that I came into Ireland or from the day that I got my GNIB card? what does this ''You need to have at least 5 years “reckonable residence” in the State to be considered for naturalisation''

and this exactly mean ''The applicant must have resided in the State for five of the nine years preceding the application. The last year of this period must have been one of continuous residence''

ResearchWill

5 years from your permission.

Q. How is my period of residency calculated ?
A. Permission to remain in the State, evidenced by the Garda National Immigration Bureau placing a permission stamp in the person’s passport, is a matter of vital importance for all applicants for Citizenship. Applicants must ensure that their registration with the Garda National Immigration Bureau, 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, is kept up to date during their residency in this country.
Part of the procedure employed to determine an applicants residency, in the processing of Citizenship applications, is a thorough examination of GNIB residency stamps. The requirement to renew GNIB registration at regular periods allows for greater control over the immigration process whereby checks can be carried out to ensure that a person is still meeting the conditions attached to the type of permission he or she was granted.
Work permits, letters from employers, or other Departmental letters are not in themselves evidence of having remained in the State.
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Q. How do I know if I have sufficient qualifying residency?
A. As stated above qualifying residency is determined by reference to qualifying permissions issued on behalf of the Minister by an Irish Immigration Officer and stamped on your passport. To provide you with a general indication as to whether you have sufficient qualifying residency for a naturalisation application an ONLINE RESIDENCY CHECKER has been made available on the INIS website and can be accessed by clicking here.

Residence is now calculated in days – you must have residency permission for the 365 days immediately prior to the date of application (366 days if permission encompasses 29th February) plus 1,460 days in the 8 years prior to that period (+1 day for any period encompassing 29th February).

Please note that certain stamps are not reckonable for naturalisation purposes. These include study related permissions: 1A, 2, 2A and temporary permissions granted while you were applying for asylum. Please note that gaps between stamps are periods of unlawful residence and are also not reckonable.

http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Frequently%20asked%20Questions%20about%20Irish%20Citizenship%20and%20Naturalisation#Q7

So in simple terms if legally resident for 4 years then move say to Spain to work then move back to Ireland after 2 years and are resident again in Ireland for a year you are entitled to apply.

fontdor

ResearchWill wrote: »

5 years from your permission.

OK I know a guy who is from Moldova and he got his permission last year and has applied for his passport as well. He is in the waiting list for the Oath.

maryk123

5 years from the time you got the GNIB card - all "proper" rights start from then eg sign on - working etc so it makes sense then that the citzenship will start 5 years from that as well.

ResearchWill

fontdor wrote: »

OK I know a guy who is from Moldova and he got his permission last year and has applied for his passport as well. He is in the waiting list for the Oath.

That does not seem to be what the INIS say, "Please note that certain stamps are not reckonable for naturalisation purposes. These include study related permissions: 1A, 2, 2A and temporary permissions granted while you were applying for asylum."

when you say he is on waiting list for oath what do you mean?

The process is apply, any person who applied last year is more than likely still awaiting a decision. 2 after anything upto 3 years get approval, 3 get notified of approval and when you naturlisation ceremony is on, 4 goto ceremony.

DeLuxy

Not meeting the requisite reckonable residency periods before lodging an application for Irish Citizenship through naturalisation is one of the most common reasons for applications being refused.

It is very important that you ensure that you meet the basic residency periods before you waste your application fee of €175. Having a GNIB card does not in and of itself mean that you are building up the necessary reckonable residency. In essence only Stamp 1 and Stamp 4 GNIB cards can be counted.

As said above you must have a minimum of 5 years reckonable residency in 9 years before your application date and furthermore you must have reckonable residency for the full 12 months before you lodge your application.

What number stamp does your GNIB card have?

The INIS website has a handy on-line calculator:
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Naturalisation_Residency_Calculator

Please note having the necessary requisite periods of reckonable residency is also not the only requirement when applying for citizenship through naturalisation. It is also necessary to show and prove that you are financially self-sufficient (no social welfare for 3 years before your application date) and you must proof you are of 'good character'. No convictions, no arrests, etc.

Notwithstanding the Minister for Justice's recent pronouncements, citizenship applications still take an average of 23 months to be processed.

20784

DeLuxy wrote: »

Not meeting the requisite reckonable residency periods before lodging an application for Irish Citizenship through naturalisation is one of the most common reasons for applications being refused.

It is very important that you ensure that you meet the basic residency periods before you waste your application fee of €175. Having a GNIB card does not in and of itself mean that you are building up the necessary reckonable residency. In essence only Stamp 1 and Stamp 4 GNIB cards can be counted.

As said above you must have a minimum of 5 years reckonable residency in 9 years before your application date and furthermore you must have reckonable residency for the full 12 months before you lodge your application.

What number stamp does your GNIB card have?

The INIS website has a handy on-line calculator:
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Naturalisation_Residency_Calculator

Please note having the necessary requisite periods of reckonable residency is also not the only requirement when applying for citizenship through naturalisation. It is also necessary to show and prove that you are financially self-sufficient (no social welfare for 3 years before your application date) and you must proof you are of 'good character'. No convictions, no arrests, etc.

Notwithstanding the Minister for Justice's recent pronouncements, citizenship applications still take an average of 23 months to be processed.

How about if i don't have a Passport yet and the GNIB knows about this and they issued me GNIB card Stamp 4, can the years spent with my GNIB stamp 4 counted for citizenship?

GerardKeating

maryk123 wrote: »

5 years from the time you got the GNIB card - all "proper" rights start from then eg sign on - working etc so it makes sense then that the citzenship will start 5 years from that as well.

NO.

After five years, the OP can apply for citizenship. If this is accepted then (after paying the €950 fee) the OP can take the OATH and become a citizen. This entire process can take a year.

Then they can apply for an Irish Passport

GerardKeating

fontdor wrote: »

if you have stayed in Ireland for 5 years You can apply for Irish Passport.

Not exactly, after five years, you can apply for Citizenship, assuming that it granted, then you can apply for passport.

OR when you say "passport", do you mean "Citizenship"...

20784

Anyone willing to answer my question please?

simdan

20784 wrote:

How about if i don't have a Passport yet and the GNIB knows about this and they issued me GNIB card Stamp 4, can the years spent with my GNIB stamp 4 counted for citizenship?

How do you not have a passport yet? Do you have any passport?

FYI. You can only get an Irish passport when you get citizenship

20784

simdan wrote: »

How do you not have a passport yet? Do you have any passport?

FYI. You can only get an Irish passport when you get citizenship

My passport will take long to be processed by my embassy, however i was issued GNIB card. Does it mean days of not having passport will not be counted for citizenship application? Or it will be counted from the day they issue me GNIB card only?

GerardKeating

20784 wrote: »

My passport will take long to be processed by my embassy, however i was issued GNIB card. Does it mean days of not having passport will not be counted for citizenship application? Or it will be counted from the day they issue me GNIB card only?

In theory the two are not connect, the important thing is the "permission to remain" being valid and unbroken.

But in practice, they tend not to allow Visa/GNIB card etc. to last longer than your passport. one time they issues a 9 month GNIB card to my wife instead of a year long one, because that was the time left on her passport.

they might overlook short gaps, but you cannot depend on this, they take the view that delays with your passport office in your country are your problem, even if it outside your control, esp if you do not have an embassy in Ireland.

Some times there can be a "Catch 22", if ones passport has expired, one might need to travel to an Embassy (say in London) to get a passport, but one cannot always get a re-entry Visa with an expired passport.