Applying for Irish Citizenship - Timeline

BetsyEllen

Hi all

I'm hoping to apply for citizenship soon, so have a question for people who have already been through the process.

The fees are quite high so I'm saving up at present.

However, I note that you only pay around €175 to apply, and the rest once accepted.

Does anyone know how long it takes (roughly) between application and finding out if you're accepted, and then how long you have after this to pay the rest of the fees?

(My application should hopefully be straightforward enough - I'm English and have been here 11 years paying taxes the whole time. I am full time employed in a secure job, no criminal record etc.)

I was originally going to wait until I had the full amount saved but if there is quite some time between the 2 stages, I might apply now to get the ball rolling.

I have done a bit of googling but haven't found an answer to this question.

Thanks in advance.

mogilvie

No help I'm afraid, but I can manage your expectations!

I'm married 10 years to an Irish born citizen.
Married in Ireland.
Living here since 2014.
Submitted in April last year.

Still no word back.

I asked in Dec last year, and got an email (paraphrasing), "dont call us, we'll call you."

GerardKeating

when my wife applied, it took about nine month from initial application to citizenship, but then BREXIT happend. Apply now, you might have 12/36 months to save the rest of the fee.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

This isn't that much help. But my neighbour was here 7 years before he applied. The whole citizenship process really takes ages.

GerardKeating

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

This isn't that much help. But my neighbour was here 7 years before he applied. The whole citizenship process really takes ages.

Pre-BREXIT, it was not so bad, nine month avergage for a straight forward application, but volume has gone throught the roof the past two years.

Caranica

It also depends on where you're from and what countries you've lived in. They look for police clearance from those countries and some of them take an eternity. South Africa is particularly bad as is much of South America.

Igotadose

Do they send any of your documents back sooner than the deadline? I'm uncomfortable sending my passport - but it's required, unfortunately.

mogilvie

Igotadose wrote: »

Do they send any of your documents back sooner than the deadline? I'm uncomfortable sending my passport - but it's required, unfortunately.

Good news there. They are quick at returning passports. I got mine back in 4 days

Igotadose

mogilvie wrote: »

Good news there. They are quick at returning passports. I got mine back in 4 days

Hmm. It's been nearly a month. Nothing returned yet...

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Caranica wrote: »

It also depends on where you're from and what countries you've lived in. They look for police clearance from those countries and some of them take an eternity. South Africa is particularly bad as is much of South America.

You also need character references from a variety of places. My neighbour asked me to give one and had to write quite a bit of information. They also want you to be working or in education.

GerardKeating

Caranica wrote: »

It also depends on where you're from and what countries you've lived in. They look for police clearance from those countries and some of them take an eternity. South Africa is particularly bad as is much of South America.

Is that new, they never asked for this for my wife with her application, but that was 2/3 years ago

splinter65

GerardKeating wrote: »

Is that new, they never asked for this for my wife with her application, but that was 2/3 years ago

Yes it’s new. Syrian refugees being asked for police clearance from periods spent in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. Impossible to get.

seagull

They don't typically ask you to provide the police clearance. They follow up themselves with the countries where you have been resident.

BetsyEllen

Wow! I didn't realise it takes so long...I'd better get applying ASAP!

Thanks so much for the replies guys, much appreciated

Alun

seagull wrote: »

They don't typically ask you to provide the police clearance. They follow up themselves with the countries where you have been resident.

They only look for addresses for the previous 9 years for EU citizens though so if you've been here for longer than that then surely that wouldn't be relevant?

splinter65

seagull wrote: »

They don't typically ask you to provide the police clearance. They follow up themselves with the countries where you have been resident.

They’ve been asking applicants to supply documentary evidence of police clearance. I’ve seen these letters myself. They certainly don’t look for it for you.

CiniO

My wife and me applied November 2016. Paid 175 each and posted passports. Got passports back about 4 weeks later right after Christmas.
Then we got decision in September 2017 and were asked to pay remaining 950 each straight away.
We Got to attend ceremony in November 2017.

We were EU citizens living in Ireland over 10 years.

seagull

I applied in May last year. I've just received notification that I'm approved. My wife's application went in at the same time, and we're still waiting to hear anything beyond the application has been received. Mine could have come through quicker due to being on a UK passport, while she's on SA.

seagull

Are all citizenship ceremonies held in Killarney? If yes, why?

BetsyEllen

seagull wrote: »

Are all citizenship ceremonies held in Killarney? If yes, why?

No, there are some in Dublin and I think also Limerick

splinter65

seagull wrote: »

Are all citizenship ceremonies held in Killarney? If yes, why?

As below, they’re a bit spread out now at last, and rightly so.

Igotadose

Still waiting to receive passports back, nearly 8 week since sending them in. Contacted Citizenship 10 days ago with registered mail confirmation of receipt. Can't decide whether to ping them yet again, worrying a lot that the application along with the passports has been lost, which would be a disaster.

ElenaKh

Mod
Duplicate post removed

0gac3yjefb5sv7

Sorry to raise this again. If you submit all your documents, can you leave the country while waiting for 12 months for it to be accepted? (I know you have to be in the country for 12 months without leaving prior to the application).

seagull

You can leave for brief periods, but if it's more than a month, you could be in trouble.

dennyk

That ridiculous court decision saying you literally couldn't set foot outside the country for even one moment at any point in your last year of residence was overturned. I believe they've gone back to the previous standard that being outside Ireland on temporary journeys for up to six weeks per year is acceptable, but anything above that would need to be explained in detail (and might be held against you if they think it demonstrates that you don't genuinely intend to remain here...).