Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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229. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if a Northern Irish marriage certificate can be used by an applicant to prove marriage to an Irish national when they are applying for citizenship in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24527/24]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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230. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if an Irish-based solicitor can witness a passport from the Isle of Man or if the witnessing must be done in the Isle of Man; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24528/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 229 and 230 together.

The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

Applicants are required to have 5 years reckonable residence in the State prior to making an application, except for spouses of Irish nationals and people granted International Protection where the requirement is 3 years. In all cases, the final 12 months must be continuous residence in the State with up to 70 days allowed to facilitate foreign travel for business family or holiday purposes.

I can clarify for the Deputy that a certified marriage certificate from Northern Ireland, or any other state, is an acceptable document when applying based on being a spouse of an Irish National.

A person certifying a document, such as a passport issued in another jurisdiction, must have it in their presence; it is not necessary, however, that such certification takes place in the jurisdiction of the issuing. If the document is not from this jurisdiction it has to be a recognised equivalent of the official documents listed on our webpage.

Information on how to certify documents is available here: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/certifying-a-document/

It is open to anyone to make an application for citizenship once they meet the criteria as set out in the 1956 Act, as amended. Once an application is received, a determination on whether the applicant satisfies the statutory criteria for naturalisation will be made.

Detailed information on how to apply for naturalisation is available on my Department's Irish Immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/.