Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) is the process of applying to be entered on Ireland’s Foreign Births Register. If your application is approved, you are entered on the Register. From that date, you become an Irish citizen and may then apply for an Irish passport.Eligibility depends on your specific circumstances, and Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs makes the final decision on Foreign Birth Registration applications. A common path to Irish citizenship through Foreign Birth Registration is through a grandparent born on the island of Ireland. When we say "grandparent", we refer to your parent's parent. Eligibility for Foreign Birth Registration through a great-grandparent is more restrictive, because it requires the applicant’s parent to have been entered on the Foreign Births Register before the applicant was born. We recommend taking our Family History Questionnaire, which can help you better understand what your family history could mean for Irish citizenship.This introductory resource is designed to help you better understand how Irish citizenship by descent works, what the process involves, and what it could mean for you.
Your Guide to Irish Citizenship by Descent is a self-paced online course designed to give American applicants a clear roadmap from start to finish. The Foreign Birth Registration process is primarily administrative, with two main areas of focus: documentation and genealogy. The course walks you through confirming the family details you need (your Key Family Facts), locating the Irish records that support your application, and preparing a complete Foreign Birth Registration submission.
Yes! The course is designed to support people who are starting with very little information. It helps you confirm the specific details you need (your Key Family Facts) and then use those details to locate the Irish vital records that support your application. The Guide also helps you stay organized and avoid common pitfalls that can slow things down once an application is under review.
No. The course is a self-paced educational resource, and you remain in control of preparing and submitting your Foreign Birth Registration application. We do not submit applications for you or provide individualized application review. The course provides comprehensive educational guidance and practical tools, including detailed video lessons and downloadable templates, to help you stay organized and informed at each step, from confirming key family details to preparing your final submission. The course is comprehensive by design and is intended to stand on its own as a complete, step-by-step resource. Many people find this journey not only manageable, but also deeply rewarding and fascinating, especially as they learn more about their family history along the way. If you do get stuck, the course also explains common troubleshooting paths and points you to established third-party resources where you can seek additional help, if needed.
Foreign Birth Registration applications are processed in strict date order and are currently taking approximately 12 months. Timelines can change, and they can also depend on whether an application is complete and accurate when submitted. Always refer to the Department of Foreign Affairs for the most current processing times.
Our self-paced online course is built specifically for U.S. citizen adult applicants who may be eligible for Irish citizenship by descent through a grandparent born on the island of Ireland. Under current Irish law, a person born outside the island of Ireland who has at least one grandparent born on the island of Ireland can apply through the Foreign Birth Registration process. What matters is whether the relevant birth took place anywhere on the island of Ireland, including what is now Northern Ireland.
The time it takes to complete the course varies widely depending on your starting point and how quickly you can confirm key family details and locate records. Some potential applicants already have strong information about their Irish-born grandparent and move faster. Others start with only a few details and spend more time on genealogy and document gathering. Factors like surname commonality and record availability can also affect the timeline.
Do not be intimidated by the total video length. The course includes over 9 hours of video lessons because it is designed to support a wide range of starting points, from beginners to people who already have strong family information. In many cases, once you confirm your Key Family Facts, you can move directly to the sections that focus on searching for and confirming your grandparent’s Irish records. That is often the biggest time-saver, because you may be able to skip past earlier genealogy lessons that are less relevant to your situation.The course is organized into five modules:Module 1: Course OverviewModule 2: Irish Roots to Citizenship: Bridging the Past & PresentModule 3: U.S. Genealogy ResourcesModule 4: Locating Irish Records for CitizenshipModule 5: The Foreign Birth Registration Application
While we don’t offer free trials, we do provide a free preview to help you decide if our course is right for you. This preview lets you explore the learning platform and experience a sample video lesson that demonstrates our teaching style.The preview is designed to give you a clear understanding of how the course can support your journey toward Irish citizenship. Click here to access the preview.
