Irish Passport Application
If you are an Irish citizen, you can apply for an Irish passport which allows you to travel to more than 188 countries without having to apply for a visa. Find out more about the requirements and the application process.
For assistance with your Irish Passport Application, call our lawyers at +1 844 290 6312.
Who can apply for an Irish passport?
To be able to apply for an Irish passport, you have to be an Irish citizen. As part of the application process, you have to submit a number of documents that prove your Irish citizenship.
You are an Irish citizen if you were born in Ireland on or after 1st January 2005 and at least one of your parents was an Irish citizen. If you were born outside of Ireland but, at the time of your birth, at least one of your parents was an Irish citizen, you can also become an Irish citizen. In either of these circumstances, you are entitled to an Irish passport.
If you are a foreign citizen who has been living in Ireland for a certain qualifying period of time on a Long Stay Visa with official permission to remain such as the Irish Work Visa, you might be eligible for Irish Citizenship by naturalization. If your application is successful, you will become an Irish Citizen and you will have the right to apply for an Irish passport.
Our lawyers can analyze your situation and determine whether you are eligible to apply for an Irish passport.
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What is the application process for the Irish passport?
You can apply for your Irish passport online by filling out the passport application form online. You can also go to the post office to send your application, or you can meet someone working in a Passport Office counter service. It is advisable that you apply online as this way is the quickest and the cheapest.
To prove your eligibility for the Irish passport, you need to submit a number of supporting documents to the Passport Service Office. These include:
- Photo identification such as national ID or driver’s license
- Proof of your Irish citizenship (exact documents vary depending on how you became an Irish citizen)
- 4 passport size photographs (2 of them need to be signed and dated)
- Utility bills, bank statements, or other documents that prove your address.
If you are younger than 18 years old, you also have to provide notarised consent from your parents or legal guardians.
All the required documents have to be originals and photocopies will not be accepted.
How can I prove my Irish citizenship?
To successfully apply for Irish citizenship, you have to provide sufficient evidence proving your identity and the fact that you are an Irish citizen.
If you gained Irish citizenship from your parents who were Irish citizens at the time of your birth, you need to submit proof of their Irish citizenship.
If you gained Irish citizenship by descent, you have to provide your Foreign Birth Registration certificate.
Finally, if you became an Irish citizen by naturalization, you need to submit your Naturalisation certificate and an original or copy of the passport from your home country.
Keep in mind that individuals who are younger than 18 years of age cannot apply for Irish passports by themselves. To be able to apply for a passport as a child, child applicants will need to be able to provide legal consent from their parents or legal guardians. A child’s passport application needs to be accompanied by the child’s full civil birth certificate.
What is the cost and waiting time?
The cost of applying for an Irish passport depends on the type of passport you want to obtain and on the application route you choose. If you want to get a standard passport with 34 pages, valid for 10 years, you have to pay the following fees:
- €75 for the processing of the online passport application. If you live outside of Ireland, you also have to pay €5 on top of that for shipping
- €80 for the processing of the Passport Express application (and €9,50 for shipping, if applicable)
- €95 for in-person processing of your passport application.
You can also get a larger passport with 66 pages for €105.
As for the waiting time, processing of applications for first-time passports takes between 6 to 8 weeks on average. The wait is the same for complex passport renewals such as children’s passport renewals.
Applicants who would like to renew an adult Irish passport will have to wait around 10 working days from the date of submission of the application. The fastest way to renew your Irish passport is to use the Passport Express system online. To do it, you have to submit an online application and pay a fee.
It is recommended that you apply in advance in case of delays.
How can IAS help?
Applying for your first Irish Passport can be complex as you need to provide a number of documents that confirm your Irish citizenship. If you fail to submit sufficient evidence, your application can be rejected.
At IAS, we have a team of highly qualified lawyers who have expert knowledge of Irish immigration law. They can tell you in detail what requirements you need to meet and what documents to prepare to successfully apply for your Irish passport.
Our lawyers can advise you on which Irish passport application route you should venture down and can guide you through each step of the process. Thanks to their expert help, you can maximize the chances of your application having a positive outcome.
Call us today on +1 844 290 6312 to find out more about the services we offer.
Last modified on August 8th, 2023 at 4:14 am
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Frequently Asked Questions
The UK allows dual citizenship. That means that if you are a British citizen, you might be able to obtain an Irish passport. To do that, you have to prove that you are eligible for Irish citizenship. You might be entitled to apply for an Irish passport if:
- You were born in Ireland or Northern Ireland before 1 January 2005
- You were born in Ireland or Northern Ireland after 31 December 2004
In addition to that, at the time of your birth, at least one of your parents must have been an Irish or a British citizen.
You can also claim Irish citizenship by descent if:
- At least one of your grandparents was an Irish or British citizen but passed away before you were born
- At least one of your parents had the right to live in Ireland or Northern Ireland without any immigration restrictions
- At least one of your parents was legally resident in Ireland for 3 out of 4 years before you were born.
If you can claim your Irish citizenship and you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply for your Irish passport.
The Irish passport is very powerful and allows its holders to travel to 187 without having to apply for a visa. Moreover, Ireland belongs to the European Union so having a valid Irish passport comes with numerous benefits. These include:
- You can travel freely between EU member states
- You can move to any EU member state to work and live without having to obtain a visa
- If you have children, they will become Irish and EU citizens
- You can study in any EU member state without having to get a Student Visa
- You do not have to meet any specific requirements to be able to travel to EU member states
As part of the application process for an Irish passport, you have to submit documents that prove your Irish citizenship. All applicants have to provide the following:
- Valid passport from their country of origin
- Digital passport photograph
- Birth certificate
- Proof of identity
- Proof of address
The exact documents you have to provide might vary depending on how you got your Irish citizenship. Talk to our immigration lawyers and they will tell you in detail what information you need to prepare.
If you want to obtain the standard 10-year passport with 34 pages, you have to pay €75. This fee is applicable when you are applying online. If you are using the Passport Express application, you need to pay €80, and in-person processing costs €95.
For a bigger passport with 66 pages, the fee is €105. Keep in mind that, although larger, this passport is also valid for 10 years.
Yes, you can renew your passport online if your current Irish passport is no more than 5 years out of date. For a new passport, you can go online to the Foreign Affairs Website and follow the instructions for renewal.