Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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59. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of an application (details supplied) made under the foreign birth register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37421/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship.

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 applicant to which the Deputy refers, while an online application was generated and fee paid against application number 407089 on 31/07/2023, the physical application form and supporting documents were received in the FBR Unit on 23/08/2023. Due to the complex nature of the Foreign Birth Registration process, it takes approximately 9 months to process a fully competed FBR application that requires no further submissions. The processing time begins when the application form and supporting documents are received by the FBR Unit. This application was checked on 19/06/2024 and further documents were required. These documents were received on 18/07/2024 and the application is now in the returns queue for checking.

The Passport Service Customer Service Hub has dedicated agents to deal with Foreign Birth Registration application queries. The contact number for urgent Foreign Birth Registration queries is +353 1 568 3331. This number is also available on the Department's website.