Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The entitlement of a person to citizenship is governed by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. This provides that where a person was born abroad to an Irish citizen parent, who was also born abroad, in order to be entitled to Irish citizenship through that parent, the details of the person’s birth must be entered into the Foreign Births Register (FBR).

FBR applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications which require further supporting documents will take longer to process.

Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.

With regard to the specific Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) application about which the Deputy has enquired, the application was received 18 August 2023. In line with the current turnaround time of 9 months, this application will fall due for processing in May 2024.