Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 110: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding a passport in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36111/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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For data protection reasons, I am not in a position to advise on the receipt or otherwise of passport information from a third party. However, it should be noted that the Passports Act, 2008 requires that before issuing a passport to a person, the Minister for Foreign Affairs shall be satisfied as to the identity of each applicant and that the person is an Irish citizen. Documentary proof in respect of identity and entitlement to citizenship are required for all passport applications. These requirements are outlined in the passport application form notes that accompany each application form. Details are also available on the Department's website www.passport.ie.

Moreover, there are several citizenship categories in which a person, born outside Ireland, may be able to demonstrate her/his Irish citizenship. These are as follows:

Born abroad to a parent: If a person has a parent who was born in Ireland, s/he can demonstrate her/his citizenship by submitting her/his long-form birth certificate, her/his parent's long-form Irish birth certificate and if applicable in terms of any name change, the applicant's and her/his parents' marriage certificates. These documents should be submitted with a fully completed and properly witnessed passport application form

Foreign Birth Registration: If a person has no Irish-born parents, s/he can still qualify for Irish citizenship through an Irish-born grandparent. This citizenship process is known as Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) and is administered by the Consular Section in my Department. FBR certificates are issued to those applicants who can successfully establish their family link to Irish-born grandparents. This certificate must be submitted with a passport application form to demonstrate the person's Irish citizenship. More information about this category of citizenship is available on the Department's website.

Naturalisation: It may be the case that a person has no Irish-born parents or grandparents. In this situation and on the basis of residence in the State, that person may be able to become a naturalised Irish citizen. To do this, s/he will have to apply to the Department of Justice and Equality, which is responsible for citizenship matters, and obtain a certificate of naturalisation. This certificate would have to be submitted with any future passport application as evidence of her/his Irish citizenship. More information about naturalisation is available on www.inis.gov.ie