Irish Citizenship by Association
You may apply for Irish citizenship based on Irish descent or association if you meet the criteria. In such a scenario, the Minister for Justice may decide to waive the usual residency requirements necessary for receiving a certificate of naturalisation.
For more information about Irish citizenship by association, whether you are eligible, how you can apply, and to receive bespoke advice from a team of specialist Irish immigration lawyers, reach out to one of our legal advisers today on +353 (0)61 518 025.
Page Contents
- What Is Irish Citizenship by Association?
- Update On Citizenship by Irish Association
- How Applications for Irish Citizenship by Association Are Assessed?
- Criteria to Assess Applications for Irish Citizenship by Association
- Requirements for Irish Citizenship by Association
- Minister’s Discretion in Cases of Irish Descent or Irish Associations
- Processing Time
- What If My Application Has Been Approved?
- What If My Application Has Been Refused?
- How Can IAS Help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Irish Citizenship by Association?
Per the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (as amended), you can apply to become an Irish citizen by association if you are able to prove that you are related by blood, or through adoption or affinity, to an Irish citizen (alive or deceased).
The association pathway is applicable for those who have been born outside Ireland, and have neither an Irish parent or grandparent, but have close ties with the country. For example, if you have a sibling, cousin or uncle who is an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen (or was an Irish citizen at the time of their death), you may apply for Irish citizenship by association on the basis of blood connection.
Likewise, if your spouse or civil partner, or their immediate family members (i.e., your in-laws), is/are an Irish citizen(s) (or entitled to be so), or was/were an Irish citizen(s) at the time of their death, you may claim an affinity connection to apply for Irish citizenship by association. For this purpose, a civil partnership must be in the same line as defined in the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of C0-Habitants Act 2010.
Last but not the least, legally adopted children of an Irish citizen (or entitled to be so) or someone who was an Irish citizen at the time of their death, can also apply for Irish citizenship via the association pathway. The concerned adoption must be recognised under the Adoption Act 2010 and/or be based on a legitimate legal process.
Update On Citizenship by Irish Association
The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (as amended) has a provision for the Minister for Justice to waive the usual residency requirements in cases of Irish citizenship by descent or association, as set out under Section 16(1)(a) and 16(1)(b) of the act. Whether the Minister waives such conditions or not in a specific case is completely at their discretion.
On 2 April 2025, Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) published updated official guidelines on Irish citizenship by descent/association. The new guidelines have set out the criteria for meeting the Irish citizenship by descent/association requirements per section 16 of the citizenship act (as amended), as well as provided further clarity on how an officer of the Minister should assess such cases.
The update has also outlined a five-step approach that must be followed while assessing the Irish citizenship applications based on descent/association. We have discussed these five steps in detail in the next section.
How Applications for Irish Citizenship by Association Are Assessed?
The following five-step approach must be adhered to while examining the naturalisation condition(s) that may be waived for an applicant claiming citizenship based on their Irish descent or association.
Step 1: Determine If an Applicant Is a Person of Irish Descent or Associations
First thing first, an officer of the Minister must begin the process with duly examining whether the applicant’s claim of Irish descent or association is genuine. This is a necessary prerequisite for every applicant who wants their case to be considered under this policy, although not sufficient in itself to make such cases eligible for an automatic waiver of naturalisation condition(s).
The applicant is required to submit appropriate documents along with their citizenship application to support their claim of Irish descent or association. The concerned case officer must thoroughly examine such supporting documents to ascertain the genuineness of such a claim.
Step 2: Determine the Statutory Naturalisation Condition(s) That May Be Considered for Waiving
Once the genuineness of the claim of Irish descent or association is established beyond any reasonable doubt, the case officer needs to examine which of the naturalisation condition(s) is/are not met by the applicant, and if those condition(s) may be considered for waiving.
Naturalisation condition(s) in this context refer to those as set out in section 15 of the 1956 citizenship act (as amended). Usually, the Minister may consider to waive any (or all) of the following conditions:
- Residency requirement (in whole or in part)
- Applicant’s intention to reside in the country
- Supporting document(s) requirement depending on applicant’s circumstances
Step 3: Assessing the Relative Strength of the Applicant’s Case
At this stage, the Minister will go through all pertinent details of the case to assess whether it justifies the waiver of any (or all) of the statutory naturalisation conditions. Specifically, the Minister will consider whether the applicant has:
- An experiential connection to the Republic of Ireland (also called the ‘State’), to be assessed based on the duration and nature of the applicant’s stay in (or visits to) the country
- Family connections to the State, i.e., the extent and closeness of familial ties to Irish citizen(s), alive or deceased
- A cultural connection to the State, to be decided based on the applicant’s contribution to or engagement with Irish culture, arts, or society, if any
- An establishment in Ireland, i.e., the applicant’s degree of integration with the State (e.g., employment/business, property ownership, etc.)
To be considered suitable for a waiver, an applicant must score 50% or higher in two to three of the above categories. It is, therefore, strongly recommended, to keep these four categories in mind while submitting supporting documents with your citizenship application based on Irish association.
Step 4: Making a Decision
The Minister may decide to grant a certificate of naturalisation even if any (or all) of the statutory naturalisation conditions is/are not met if they are satisfied that:
- The applicant’s claim of Irish descent or association is genuine
- They have submitted sufficient evidence to back up their claim and demonstrate the relative strength of their case
If the Minister is not satisfied regarding the above, they may decide to refuse the application.
Step 5: Communicating the Decision
The final step of the process involves communicating the Minister’s decision to the applicant. Irrespective of whether the decision is positive or not, it will be communicated to the applicant in writing.
The decision letter will also explain the reason(s) behind the decision and how the Minister has arrived at the decision, including the documents they have assessed in the process.
Criteria to Assess Applications for Irish Citizenship by Association
Irish citizenship applications are assessed on a points basis, where such points are awarded as and when an application satisfies certain scoring criteria. The following table provides the indicative criteria used to assess citizenship applications under section 16(1)(a) and 16(1)(b) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956 (as amended).
| Category | Criteria | Available Points |
| Experiential Connection | Duration of residence in the State | 5/year (max. 25) |
| Current status as a tax resident in the State | 10 | |
| Frequent of visits to Ireland in the past 10 years (applicable for non-residents) | 3/visit (max. 15) | |
| Family Connections | Immediate or extended family members who are/were Irish and ordinarily resident of the State | 60 |
| Cultural Connections | Significant contribution to Irish culture, arts, and/or society in the State or promoting Irish culture/societal values abroad | 30 |
| Having a professional/third-level qualification issued in the State (NFQ levels 6-10) | 10 | |
| Having a Junior Certificate (or equivalent) from Ireland | 10 | |
| Having a Leaving Certificate (or equivalent) from Ireland | 10 | |
| Establishment in the State | Current Irish health, car, or home insurance policy | 10 |
| PRSI (Pay Related Social Insurance) contributions in the State | 2/every 10 PRSI contributions (max. 20) | |
| Membership of a public/private pension fund in the State | 20 | |
| A valid full Irish driving licence | 5 | |
| An Irish bank account with evidence of recent transactions in the State | 5 |
Requirements for Irish Citizenship by Association
Apart from meeting the above and proving that an applicant has ‘substantial and tangible connection with Irish society and the State’, they must also fulfil the following requirements:
- The applicant must be 18 years of age (applications for minors can be completed by a parent or legal guardian)
- The applicant must be of ‘good character’
- The applicant will attend a citizenship ceremony if their citizenship application is approved and make the declaration of fidelity and loyalty to Ireland
There is no legal definition of what ‘good character’ means in this context. Ireland’s national police, the Garda Síochána, put together a background report for each applicant and submit the same to the Minister for Justice. This report may contain your criminal record, traffic offences, pending criminal cases, certain civil cases as well as any ongoing investigations against you.
The applicants are provided with an opportunity to declare any such scenarios on the application form, where they can also explain the circumstances that led to police action in these cases.
Minister’s Discretion in Cases of Irish Descent or Irish Associations
What is most important to note in this whole process is that all cases of Irish citizenship by association are at the absolute discretion of the Minister for Justice, as granting of citizenship is a privilege and not a right.
Apart from the applicant’s experiential, family, and cultural connections with the State as well as proof of their establishment in Ireland, the Minister may also consider other relevant factors while deciding on a case, which will vary depending on the applicant’s individual circumstances.
All decisions are made on a case-by-case basis when it comes to considering a waiver of statutory naturalisation condition(s).
Processing Time
ISD is taking more than 30 months to process an application for Irish citizenship by association as we speak.
This is mainly because the Irish authorities have to conduct an enhanced enquiry in all such cases, which includes liaisoning with third countries and undertaking identity and financial checks. Given the current world situation, checking for any financial crimes (e.g., money laundering, financing terrorist activities, etc.) committed and/or any possible connections with terrorist activities have become crucial and mandatory.
Plus, the number of citizenship applications by association is also on the rise since 2017, following Brexit in 2016 and then the US Presidential elections in 2024. This has also impacted the processing time significantly. You must also factor in the time taken by the Garda Síochána to prepare your background report, which will vary from case to case.
ISD may also get in touch with you during this period for additional documents or information. Please inform ISD if there is a change of address while you are awaiting a decision on your application, or if you are planning to be outside the State for longer than six weeks after submitting your application with reason thereof.
After processing an application, ISD submits their report regarding your application to the Minister for Justice. The Minister has the final authority to approve or reject your application.
What If My Application Has Been Approved?
Adults whose applications have been approved will receive an approval letter from ISD, advising them of the Minister’s proposal to grant their certificate of naturalisation. The approval letter will have certain documents mentioned which must be sent to ISD at this stage.
Pay Certification Fee
In addition, you will need to pay a certification fee as applicable. The certification fee is €950 for an adult, €200 for a minor, and €200 for a widow, widower or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen.
Only a bank draft drawn on an Irish bank and payable to the Secretary General, Department of Justice will be accepted.
Attend Citizenship Ceremony
The adult applicants must then attend a citizenship ceremony and make a declaration of fidelity and loyalty to Ireland. The certificate of naturalisation will be sent to their address by registered post after the ceremony.
Minors are not required to attend the citizenship ceremony. They will receive their certificate of naturalisation by post after the certification fee is paid.
What If My Application Has Been Refused?
In case of incorrect or incomplete forms, the application is straightaway returned to the applicant who needs to start the whole process again upon receiving that.
If any supporting documents are missing, applicants are given up to 28 days to provide them. Your application may be refused if you fail to submit those documents within the given timeline.
ISD will inform the applicant if their application has not been successful along with the reason for the same. The applicant is eligible to apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation again at any time. They must pay particular attention to the reason for refusal of their previous application while re-applying.
How Can IAS Help?
Obtaining Irish citizenship by association is a complex process, especially so given that it also involves an elaborate, five-step process for the Minister for Justice to waive any (or all) of the naturalisation conditions applicable otherwise.
Even if you meet the eligibility conditions, it is of utmost importance to fill up the relevant forms correctly and completely as well as submit all required documentation. IAS can help.
Our team of sympathetic immigration lawyers have the required expertise to assist you, regardless of your personal circumstances or the complexity of your case. We can help you tell your story convincingly, and demonstrate the genuineness as well as the relative strength of your association claim through blood, affinity, or adoption connection with an Irish citizen, alive or deceased.
If you are seeking overall advice with your Irish citizenship by association application or you would like an immigration expert to complete your application on your behalf, we are here for you. We also offer document and application checking services if you just need a final check to confirm that your documents and application adhere to ISD regulations.
To know more about the services we provide and how we can help you, please call us on +353 (0)61 518 025 today to speak to our team of legal advisers.
Legal Disclaimer
The information provided is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, the law may change, and the information may not reflect the most current legal developments. No warranty is given regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information, and we do not accept liability in such cases. We recommend consulting with a qualified lawyer at Immigration Advice Service before making any decisions based on the content provided.
Last modified on January 28th, 2026 at 3:54 pm
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Frequently Asked Questions
Americans of Irish descent (i.e., having an Irish parent/grandparent) or association (i.e., through blood ties, affinity, or adoption) can claim Irish citizenship via the descent/association route. They can also apply for Irish citizenship after living in Ireland for the qualifying period (i.e., ‘reckonable residence’).
If you can prove your claim to Irish citizenship by descent or association, you may be granted a certificate of naturalisation without fulfilling the Ireland residency requirement. This is, therefore, the quickest way to get citizenship in the State.
Apart from enjoying the full privileges and rights of a citizen in Ireland, as an Irish citizen you will also be able to work or study in EU/EEA countries with no restrictions. Additionally, an Irish passport will entitle you to travel to 174 countries or territories without a visa.
