Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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142. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will consider extending the right to citizenship to great-grandchildren of Irish citizens, without the need for their parent to have attained citizenship before they were born.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34779/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that the Deputy’s question refers to people born outside the State, whose great-grandparent was born on the island of Ireland. Neither parents or grandparents were born on the island of Ireland.

A person can become an Irish citizen if one of their parents was an Irish citizen at the time of their birth, even though they were not born on the island of Ireland, or through an Irish national grandparent born in Ireland.

In such cases, a person can become an Irish citizen through Foreign Birth Registration. Once a person is entered onto the Foreign Births Register they are an Irish citizen and entitled to apply for an Irish passport and do not need to apply for naturalisation.

The Foreign Births Register is the responsibility of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Further information is available at the following link: www.dfa.ie/citizenship/born-abroad/registering-a-foreign-birth/

There is no provision for a person to become an Irish citizen solely through a great-grandparent who was an Irish-born citizen.

The only other means to obtain Irish citizenship is in accordance with the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

Applicants are required to have 5 years reckonable residence in the State prior to making an application, except for spouses of Irish nationals, 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.

Detailed information on how to apply for naturalisation and other resources is available on my Department’s Immigration website at the following link: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/

I can inform the Deputy that I have no plans to introduce any new pathways to Irish citizenship.