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Are my adopted children eligible for Irish citizenship?

  • 03-01-2014 2:53am
    #1
    illinois312
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2 ✭


    Hello Everyone, I would like to know if my children are eligible for Irish citizenship and would appreciate any help as to where to start.

    I hope someone here can help me as the Irish government websites are not clear.

    Here is our family citizenship situation. We live in the US.

    Myself: UK citizen through birth (born in England, moved to Ireland at early age), Irish through parents being born in Ireland, US through marriage.

    Wife: US citizen through birth, Irish through parent being born in Ireland.

    Male child: Age 13, Bulgarian through birth, US through adoption, Belgian through birth parent. Adopted under the Hague convention, recognized by Bulgaria, UK and US at the time of adoption in 2003. Readopted under US law again in 2003.

    Female child: Age 10, US through birth. Adopted under US law in 2003.

    Thanks in advance to anyone who may have any information. I am willing to do any amount of legwork on this, but would like to get some advice.


Comments

  • #2
    gabsdot40
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 366 ✭✭gabsdot40


    If the children were your biological children born to you in the US, would they be eligible for Irish citizenship then. I think so? My brother was born in England to Irish parents. He has American born children and they are entitled to Irish passports, although it was a bit of a rigmarole. Your children have Irish grandparents so it should be a possibility
    The people to speak to are the adoption authority. When we adopted our kids we applied for them to be 'entered on the register of foreign adoptions'. There was quite a bit of paperwork to do. I would recommend that you call the Adoption Authority and ask for the forms needed to complete to register your children on the register of foreign adoptions and take it from there.
    Good luck.


  • #3
    Moonbeam
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,986 Mod ✭✭✭✭Moonbeam


    Yes, they have the same legal entitlements as your own biological children.


  • #4
    illinois312
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2 ✭illinois312


    Thanks for the advice. I will contact the adoption authority and report back here.


  • #5
    iNeedCoffee
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13 ✭iNeedCoffee


    Moonbeam wrote: »
    Yes, they have the same legal entitlements as your own biological children.

    I'm not sure that's true. I looked in to this before regarding australian citzenship, and while a case can be presented, and is likely to be granted, I don't think it's that simple.

    But I can't speak for Irish citzenship in absolutel certainty. But I know the issue of hereditary rights is affected by adoption.
    Not everything is retained.


  • #6
    Thorparch
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1 ✭Thorparch


    Under Irish law, an adopted child is treated exactly the same as a child that was born to the parents, provided the adoption was a legal adoption. There is no difference. The complication in your case isn't the adoption - it's the fact that your own citizenship is by descent from a parent.

    The rules for acquiring citizenship by descent are set out here http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/irish_citizenship/irish_citizenship_through_birth_or_descent.html

    In your case you'll probably be fine by making sure the children are registered in the register of foreign adoption. Your local embassy and/or the AAI should be able to help.


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