Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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95. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the likely timescale for completion of the processing of an application for an Irish citizenship foreign birth registration, and a replacement foreign birth certificate (details supplied); if there are any particular reasons for the time involved in processing them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43712/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Foreign Affairs is responsible for processing applications for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

Once a person is entered on the Foreign Births Register, they are deemed an Irish citizen and is entitled to apply for an Irish passport. By its nature, Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) is a detailed and complex process; it can involve official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. To protect the integrity of the citizenship process, these applications require careful processing to validate the identity of the applicant, the documents they have submitted and their entitlement to Irish citizenship. Accordingly, all applications undergo rigorous and detailed checking by experienced officers at the passport service.

Due to the complex nature of the FBR process, it takes approximately nine 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. When the application’s position in the queue is reached, an Entitlement Officer will be in contact with the applicant should any further clarification be required.

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.

With regard to the first application to which the Deputy is enquiring, while an online application was generated and fee paid against this application on 01/02/2024, the physical application form and supporting documents were received in the FBR Unit on 29/02/2024. Therefore, this application is still within the normal turnaround times for processing.

With regard to the second application to which the Deputy is enquiring, the Passport Service has contacted the applicant directly. They do not need to go on the FBR as they already hold an Irish Passport. The Passport Service will issue a refund to the applicant.