Irish Passport Applications

Brexit

Following on from the decision taken during the EU referendum by the U.K. to leave the European Union, many of our members have expressed interest in applying for an Irish Passport for the first time based on their need as musicians to work and travel freely within Europe once the U.K. exit from the E.U. takes place.

We have created this information page not to encourage our members to apply for an Irish Passport, but to inform them of the requirements and process involved if they should wish to do so, ensuring the process is explained to them thoroughly and it is made as straight forward as possible.

If you have found this information helpful, or indeed if you have any suggestions to help improve the information we have provided, please let us know by emailing info@comhaltas.co.uk

Eligibility

You may be eligible for an Irish Passport if you fulfil one of the following criteria:

You were born on the Island of Ireland (Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland)
One or both of your birth Parents were born on the Island of Ireland
One or more of your Grandparents were born on the Island of Ireland*

*For option C – if your entitlement is only through a Grandparents birth place, you are first required to apply for Irish Citizenship through the ‘Foreign Births Register’. This process carries an additional fee – €278 for adults over 18, and €153 for applicants under 18 – on top of the standard Passport application fee of €80. You can apply to the ‘Foreign Births Register’ online – www.fbr.dfat.ie

***UPDATED INFORMATION***

As of November 2019, anyone who would like to apply for an Irish Passport for the first time and already meets the eligibility requirements (i.e. does not require the process of Foreign Birth Registration) they can apply online for their password using the new online service here - www.dfa.ie/passportonline.

This process is significantly quicker than the manual application method and is a welcome move by the Irish Passport Service. Please note, first time applications are restricted to those resident on the island of Ireland, the UK, The EU, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland & Liechtenstein.

Documentation

If you meet the eligibility requirements, to complete the Passport application, you will require the following documents. Please note that only original or certified copy documents are acceptable for the application process and in the case of letters, these must be dated within 3 months.

Your long-form Birth Certificate

Photographic ID (e.g. Passport or Driving Licence)

Proof of Name (e.g. official letter from body such as HMRC or Local authority)

Proof of Address (e.g. Utility bill or bank statement.

*If your application is dependent upon a Parent being born in Ireland, then also:

Your eligible Parents long-form Birth Certificate

If your eligible Parent is Female and her name has changed then

her marriage Certificate is required for proof of name change.

Obtaining lost documentation / certified copies

If you have misplaced long-form Birth Certificates or Marriage Certificates of your own, or indeed do not have access to your Parents documents, certified copies are available from the following relevant bodies depending on the individuals’ birthplace

Great Britain: https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate

Northern Ireland: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/ordering-life-event-certificates

Republic of Ireland: http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/bdm/Certificates/

Passport Express

If you live in Glasgow or Liverpool, these are the two locations where Irish Passport applications can be processed using the ‘Passport Express’ option for an additional fee. This ensures your application has been checked for errors and the return time for Passports is currently 3 weeks as opposed 4 months via the standard process. If you are processing via Passport Express, then DO NOT complete Credit/Debit card information on your form as payment is made in the Post Office.

The Glasgow Post Office is: 140 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2RD

The Liverpool Post Office is: 1-3 South john Street, Liverpool, L1 8BN

Obtaining Application Forms

irish Passport application forms (Known as APS2 Forms) are available from various locations throughout Britain. You can obtain a form from the Irish Embassy in London, Irish Consulate in Edinburgh, The Passport Express Post Offices in Glasgow and Liverpool and also from your local Irish Centre.

Further Information

If you require further assistance with your application, please contact Paddy Callaghan,

E-mail: paddy@comhaltas.co.uk, Tel: 07708949919

Comhaltas in Britain provides this service free of charge and is not affiliated in any way with the Irish Passport department of the Irish Government. However, if you have found this service useful and wish to make a donation to our organisation, you can do so by clicking the button at the top of the page 'Donate to Comhaltas' to do so.