Foreign Births Register

An older style foreign births registration certificate.

The Foreign Births Register (Irish: Leabhar Taifeadta Breitheanna Coigríche) is an official register of foreign births with Irish citizenship that is kept by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin.[1] A Foreign Births Entry Book is also maintained in every Irish diplomatic mission and consular office, the contents of which are from time to time transcribed into the Foreign Births Register.[1]

The system of citizenship registration was established by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956. A child born outside Ireland to a parent who holds Irish citizenship and who was also born outside Ireland may acquire Irish citizenship by having the child's birth entered into the Foreign Births Register or a Foreign Births Entry Book.[2] The citizenship of such children is effective from the date of registration,[3] or for those registered on or before 30 June 1986, effective from the date of birth, or 17 July 1956 if the person was born before that date.[2]

Once entered, a certified copy of the entry is issued, which takes the form of an A4 certificate bearing the signature of a senior consular official and the stamp of authenticity from the authority responsible for having made the entry e.g. Irish diplomatic mission. This certificate is printed on specially produced security paper incorporating a Harp watermark and may be used as proof of Irish citizenship when applying for a passport without any further proof of citizenship being required. A statutory fee is charged for access to this facility which varies depending on the issuing authority. The current fee is €250 if over 18 and €125 if under, if the application is made in Dublin at the Department of Foreign Affairs.[4] Fees outside Ireland vary from embassy to embassy, but is generally an equivalent to €250 in the local currency. Processing times also vary from around 2 weeks to 10 months depending on the location and workload of the embassy/consulate concerned.

References

  1. 1 2 Section 27(1), Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, Irish Statute Book, Office of the Attorney General, Dublin, Ireland.
  2. 1 2 Section 3(1), Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 2001, Irish Statute Book, Office of the Attorney General, Dublin, Ireland.
  3. ↑ Section 2, Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1986, Irish Statute Book, Office of the Attorney General, Dublin, Ireland.
  4. ↑ "Registering a Foreign Birth". Fees. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 2 January 2014.

See also

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