Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position in relation to persons (details supplied); if they are eligible for Irish passports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25421/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Passport Act (2008) sets out the requirements for obtaining an Irish passport. In particular, the Act states that passports may only be issued to persons who are Irish citizens, within the parameters of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Acts. In general, a person acquires Irish citizenship through one of the following means; by descent if one of his/her parents was an Irish citizen at the time of the person's birth; by marriage to an Irish citizen; or by naturalisation.

The person born in the United Kingdom to an Irish mother is automatically entitled to Irish citizenship and therefore to an Irish passport. She should complete a passport application form and submit the long form of her own birth certificate, the long form of her mother's birth certificate and her mother's marriage certificate, if applicable.

The contact details for the Irish General Registrar's Office are: General Register Office, Government Offices, Convent Road, Roscommon. Tel: 090 6632900 LoCall: 1890 252076

The contact details for the General Register Office in the UK are:

General Register Office

Smedley Hydro

Trafalgar Road

Birkdale

South Port PR8 2HH

Telephone : 0044 170 456 9824

A person married to an Irish citizen and resident in Ireland can apply to become an Irish citizen by means of Naturalisation. Consideration of all applications for Naturalisation is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Information regarding the application process for Naturalisation is available on the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform website (www.justice.ie).