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Irish Citizenship by Marriage or Civil Partnership

If you are a non-EEA overseas national who is married to an Irish citizen, you may be eligible for Irish citizenship through marriage. However, citizenship is not an automatic right, and there are significant criteria to be met to be deemed eligible for this type of status.

Call us today on (+353) 061 518 025 to find out how we can assist you in meeting the citizenship requirements.

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    Who is eligible for Irish citizenship through marriage?

    You may be entitled to Irish citizenship through marriage (or civil partnership) if you have been married to your Irish spouse for three years and hold at least three years of reckonable residence in Ireland. However, the Minister for Justice and Equality holds discretion over who may be granted citizenship through naturalisation.

    This is similar to citizenship by naturalisation which is required for individuals who wish to permanently settle in Ireland. The main difference is that people who gain citizenship through marriage can do so in three years instead of the normal five years.

    However, it is important to remember that marriage to an Irish national does not grant an automatic right to Irish citizenship.

    Citizenship is only granted in the event the applicant meets a combination of good behaviour, has solid links to the Irish State and can meet other eligibility criteria (as outlined below).

    If you are applying for Irish citizenship by marriage, contact our expert immigration lawyers for advice and support. We are available over the phone and by online video call.

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    What are the citizenship via marriage/civil partnership key requirements?

    To apply for citizenship through marriage or civil partnership, applicants must ensure that they meet all the prerequisites to be deemed eligible:

    • You must be aged 18 or over
    • You must be married or in a recognised civil partnership with an Irish citizen
    • Your marriage/civil partnership must be recognised as valid under Irish law
    • You must be able to pass 3 years reckonable residence within the last 5 years of your application which includes 1 year of continuous residence on the island of Ireland immediately before the date of application
    • You and your other half must already be cohabiting together as a married couple or as civil partners
    • You must be able to prove you are of ‘good character’
    • You must have plans to continue living on the island of Ireland which includes making a declaration of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State
    • You must have kept your registration and immigration permission up-to-date with no gaps in-between

    What is the application like?

    The application for citizenship through a marriage or civil partnership is relatively similar to that of those seeking citizenship via naturalisation. However, Form 8 is the appropriate immigration form applicants must seek and fill out. This form is then assessed by the Minister for Justice and Equality in Ireland.

    To apply, hopeful applicants must first verify if they are a non-visa required national to Ireland. Some people, depending on their origin of birth, do not need a visa to reside in Ireland. In this event, non-visa nationals can simply take their marriage/civil partnership certification alongside their passport and their Irish partner’s passport to a local Garda National Immigration Bureau Registration office.

    However, for those who do require a visa, the application is a little more complex as there are reams of supporting evidence and documents that need to be submitted and properly assessed to support their claim.

    By entrusting the Immigration Advice Service with your case, your assigned immigration consultants will be able to walk you through the entire application process if you opt for our unique Application Package. Enquire with us today to see how this package can help you.

    Get in touch with our expert immigration consultants to learn how to apply for Irish citizenship. Contact us

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      How to apply for Irish citizenship through marriage?

      As previously mentioned, you must first obtain Form 8 from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (DFE).

      This form should be printed out and filled out in full, ensuring that you complete all relevant sections accurately and truthfully.

      Once you’ve completed the form, you should collate it in loose leaf format and in page order. You should also collect the required supporting documents required for your application, arranged in year order. You should also include the Bank Draft in your application.

      It’s important to note that you should not use staples, plastic pockets, ring binders, folders, plastic bags, boxes or any other kind of binding material to bind your application or documents.

      Once completed and compiled, your application should be sent to the following address:

      Citizenship Applications
      Registration Unit
      Immigration Service Delivery
      Department of Justice
      PO Box 73
      Tipperary Town
      Ireland
      E34 N566

      What documents are required in the citizenship application?

      As part of any immigration application, there are documents that need to be submitted to support your claim.

      For those seeking citizenship after marrying or entering a civil partnership with an Irish national, the documents necessary to submit are as follows:

      • Birth certificate and original passport – to prove your identity and nationality
      • Marriage or civil partnership certificate – to prove your partnership is legally binding to an Irish national and that it is recognised in Irish law
      • The birth certificate or naturalisation certification of the Irish citizen – to verify the identity of the Irish partner

      In the most part, these documents are to prove that the couple are who they say they are and can back this up. However, the couple must also provide evidence that they are cohabiting together which may entail a sworn affidavit and a portfolio of payslips and bank statements that demonstrate regular payments of utility bills. This is to satisfy the immigration officer that the marriage or partnership is genuine.

      The applicant must also prove that they are of ‘good character’ and has been living on the island of Ireland for at least 3 years to pass the ‘reckonable residence’ requirement.

      What happens after the application?

      Once your application is submitted, the Irish Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) will process it and carry out the relevant checks to ensure that it complies with the requirements. This includes checking that:

      • You have used the correct application form, and the most recent version of it
      • You have paid the application fee
      • You have completed all of the statutory declarations
      • You have supplied all the relevant supporting documents

      The ISD will also contact An Garda Síochána and the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to check on your application. They may also contact other government departments or agencies, if necessary.

      The ISD may also reach out to you and ask for more information or documents. If you’re asked to supply documents that were missing from your initial application, you may have up to 28 days to supply them.

      Processing time for Irish citizenship through marriage

      As of 2023, it takes approximately 19 months for the ISD to process applications for citizenship.

      However, it may take longer to process your application if the ISD need to reach out to you for additional information or documents, or if your application is a particularly complex one.

      Application and certification fees

      The application fee for Irish citizenship through marriage is €175.

      This fee must be paid via bank draft. The bank draft must be drawn on an Irish bank and made payable to “Secretary General, Department of Justice”.

      The application fee is nonrefundable and cannot be waived.

      If your application is accepted, you must then pay a certification fee to receive your certificate of naturalisation.

      For adults applying as the spouse of an Irish citizen, the fee is €950.

      What is reckonable residence?

      In most aspects of Irish immigration law, hopeful applicants must accumulate ‘reckonable residence’ in order to gain any form of permanent settlement in Ireland.

      Citizenship by marriage or civil partnership is no different. Yet such a commitment to an Irish national does come with a minor benefit of having the ‘reckonable residence’ relaxed. In normal circumstances, applicants must have lived on the island of Ireland for at least 5 years to be eligible for citizenship. For those married or formally partnered with an Irish citizen, applicants need to have only resided in the State for a period of 3 years in the past 5 years to qualify for citizenship themselves.

      It is important to note that, while applicants must surpass 3 years to be eligible, the last 1 year prior to making the claim for citizenship the applicant must have continually remained within the State. In the 4 years preceding that, the applicant must have amassed reckonable residence amounting to 2 years.

      There are some circumstances where living in the State does not automatically count towards the residence period. For example, those who did not have permission to remain in Ireland at the time or those who were in the State for short-term purposes only, such as those on a Study Visa.

      Our immigration consultants in Ireland are highly qualified in all areas of immigration law, just like an immigration lawyer. Ring the IAS today on (+353) 061 518 025 to see how we can help you sort all your documentation to support your citizenship claim.

      If you wish to find out how you can become an Irish citizen, please don't hesitate to contact us. Learn more

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        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.

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                  Frequently Asked Questions

                  Those seeking citizenship through marriage or a civil partnership should expect to wait no longer than 6 months for a verdict on their application.

                  Applicants are dealt with in chronological order of receipt and decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Failure to submit the right documents or not enough evidence may result in the application being delayed.

                  For this reason, it is always best to seek legal guidance when making any immigration application. If you are concerned with how long the application may take, you can always seek a Fast-Track Application Package with the IAS which will endeavour to send off your application in a speedy turnaround without sacrificing on quality. Our immigration consultants in Ireland are highly qualified in all areas of immigration law, just like an immigration lawyer.

                  The good character requirement is essentially there to ensure that applicants have no ‘undesirable’ immigration or criminal history before making Ireland their home.

                  The Irish State takes deception particularly seriously and does not recognise a marriage that has been made out of convenience – that is, a marriage or civil partnership that has been deliberately conducted for the sole purpose of immigration advantages into the State.

                  Those who are seeking such permission to gain entry into the State or to continue their length of stay in Ireland will have their application refused and may even be removed from the State entirely. Any misinformation provided in your application – even innocently – may be scrutinised and used against you on these grounds and may see your citizenship application outright refused.

                  For this reason, it is integral to seek immigration advice with every immigration application you may make. By entrusting the Immigration Advice Service with your case, you eliminate such risks as your assigned immigration lawyer will verify that you meet all the requirements and that there are no holes in your application that the Minister for Justice and Equality could penalise you for.

                  You can get an Irish passport if you are granted citizenship through marriage, granting you freedom of movement across all the EU member states and an array of benefits.

                  Once you have been notified that you are an Irish citizen through marriage, you will need to fill out some final documentation and pay a certification fee. You will then be invited to a citizenship ceremony and granted your certificate of naturalisation.

                   

                  If you separate from your Irish spouse or civil partner, this will affect your immigration status and you should notify your Garda National Immigration Bureau Registration Officer within 7 days of any changes being made.

                  The cost to apply is currently €175 however you should note that your subsequent certificate, if you are successful, costs €950.

                  It is also important to note that these are base fees for the citizenship application. In most circumstances, there are additional hidden fees that you may face along the way.

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