Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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122. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the review currently being carried out by his Department regarding documentation requirements for children born in Northern Ireland to EU parents will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26464/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended (“the 2008 Act“). Section 7(1)(a) of the 2008 Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to them. To meet this requirement, each passport applicant must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable documentary evidence of this entitlement when making a first time passport application.

Entitlement to Irish citizenship is governed by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act (“the 1956 Act“), which is under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Justice.

Officials from my Department, working closely with officials from the Department of Justice, are currently reviewing the documentary requirements for children born on the island of Ireland to EU national parents who may hold residency status under UK law. This is a complex area of citizenship law, particularly in light of the implications arising from Brexit.

It is expected that the review will be concluded shortly and will provide greater clarity for applicants in this citizenship category. In the meantime, the Department is actively engaging with any applicants who may be affected by the review and will be contact again in the coming weeks.