A Quick Guide on Acquiring Irish Citizenship for Indians

The wake of globalisation has started to spread its significance among the citizens across the world. Indians often take an interest in moving to European countries like Ireland in search of better opportunities. Having an Irish citizenship is beneficial for travelling across 170 European countries without a visa and living and working in Europe without any restrictions.

Are you curious to know more about getting Irish citizenship for Indians? Then, read till the end of this article for a complete guide.

There are specific eligibility criteria for Indians planning to get citizenship in Ireland. These are listed below.

• Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
• They must have lived in Ireland for at least three years as permanent residents. In addition, one must not leave Ireland for 12 months before the date of the application.
• Applicants must prove their intent and purpose to live in Ireland.
• Showing a good and moral character during the stay is a mandate. 

Individuals can get Irish citizenship in various ways. A recent amendment under the Constitution of Ireland no longer provides automatic entitlement by birth to everyone born in Ireland. The citizenship of the individuals born in Ireland after 1st January 2005 will depend on your parent or parents' nationality or residence history. It helps if you have an Irish spouse in this case. Moreover, children of foreign origin born in Ireland can become citizens through Foreign Births Register.

Now, you must be curious to know how to get Irish citizenship for Indians. Once you think you are eligible for the process, you can follow the below-mentioned steps to compete for your Irish citizenship application process.

Step 1: Visit the official website of Citizens Information. Click on the option of “Moving Country”.

Step 2: Click on "Irish citizenship" on the new screen. Then, click on "Becoming an Irish citizen through naturalisation”.

Step 3: From this page, you will be able to download the type of application form that applies to you. Generally, Form 8 applies to adult applicants.

Step 4: Download and print this form. Please fill it out with all the necessary information.

Step 5: Gather all the documents and make a declaration. Send your form to the Immigration Service Delivery with all the documents and application fees.

Certain documents are mandatory when filling out the citizenship application form. Therefore, one must submit the documents listed below along with the application.

• Birth certificate
• Passport
• Birth certificate of spouse (if the application includes marriage to an Irish citizen)
• Marriage certificate (if applicable)

The Irish government charges a processing fee against every citizenship application. For example, adult applicants trying to get naturalisation citizenship must pay application fees of €175.

Fortunately, Ireland allows dual citizenship. It means that you can retain your Indian citizenship while being an Irish citizen. However, applicants must check if their original countries allow dual citizenship. If not, their original citizenship will be renounced automatically.

There is no provision regarding the citizenship of an entire non-EEA family in Ireland. However, as an individual and permanent resident of Ireland, you can get your whole family here. You must highlight your financial stability and accommodation for supporting them in Ireland. Eligible family members or relatives include spouses, partners, children, and parents.

As of the recent legal amendments, a child born in Ireland no longer becomes an Irish citizen by birth. If either of the parents is an Irish citizen and the child is born in Ireland, he/she will be considered an Irish citizen. On the other hand, if neither of the parents is Irish or British, the child's citizenship depends on the parents' residence status. They must have lived in Ireland for about 3-4 years with a right to live here without any restrictions.

Children born outside Ireland can get Irish citizenship by descent. For this, they must have at least one Irish parent. On the other hand, if an Irish parent adopts a foreign child, he/she will become an Irish citizen.

Now that you know how to get citizenship in Ireland for Indians, you must try your best to get approval. However, there can be various reasons for rejecting a citizenship application. Some of these are listed below.

1. Showing bad conduct

The Irish government stresses the ability of the applicants to demonstrate good and moral character. Unable to develop this can cause a rejection. To avoid this, abide by Irish law and regulations. Keep proper contact with the neighbours and integrate into society and participate in it.

2. Incomplete application

Filling the application form correctly is one of the major requirements. Individuals need to fill out the form and avoid leaving any section incomplete carefully. Moreover, they must submit it to the proper authorities. They must also submit the required application fees for completing the process.

3. Failure to verify the documents

The experts are likely to verify the documents that the applicant submits. These documents need to be authentic. The experts can easily spot any forgery, which will involuntarily reject the application. Therefore, they must provide original documents and avoid being fraudulent.

Therefore, as you can see, getting Irish citizenship for Indians will make your stay more convenient in Ireland. Moreover, it will make it easier for you to retain your stay in Europe without any restrictions. Additionally, you must avoid doing anything fraudulent with the documentation process to avoid being rejected.