If one of your parents was born in Ireland, you’re already an Irish citizen, even though you were born in Australia, and you can apply for an Irish passport straight away. If it’s a grandparent who was born in Ireland, you can become Irish too, but you have to register on the Foreign Births Register first. Great-grandchildren only qualify if their own parent was registered before they were born.
This guide is for Australians with Irish roots, and for Irish people here wondering whether their Aussie-born kids are Irish. Everything was checked against ireland.ie (the Department of Foreign Affairs, or DFA), Citizens Information and Home Affairs in November 2026.
Short version
- Irish-born parent (Northern Ireland counts)? You’re Irish from birth. Skip the register and apply for a passport.
- Irish-born grandparent? Apply to the Foreign Births Register (FBR) online, then post your original documents.
- It costs €278 for adults and €153 for under 18s, and takes about 12 months, as of November 2026.
- Once you’re registered, you’re an Irish citizen and can apply for your Irish passport online.
- Australia and Ireland both allow dual citizenship, so you keep your Australian citizenship.
Who can get Irish citizenship by descent?
It comes down to where your parents and grandparents were born, and when your parent became Irish. “Born in Ireland” here means anywhere on the island of Ireland, so Northern Ireland counts.
| Your connection | What you need to do |
|---|---|
| Your parent was born on the island of Ireland and was an Irish citizen when you were born | Nothing to register. You’re already Irish. Apply for an Irish passport. |
| Your grandparent was born on the island of Ireland, but your parent wasn’t | Register on the Foreign Births Register, then apply for a passport. It doesn’t matter if your parent never had an Irish passport. |
| Your parent became Irish through the FBR or naturalisation before you were born | Register on the Foreign Births Register. |
| Your parent was registered on the FBR after you were born | You can’t register through them, because they weren’t Irish when you were born. |
| Your great-grandparent was born in Ireland | Only possible if your parent was on the FBR before you were born. |
The detail that catches families out: Citizens Information says that when you become Irish through the register, your citizenship starts on the date you’re registered, not the date you were born. That’s why timing matters for the next generation. DFA’s Registering a foreign birth page has the full rules, and Immigration Service Delivery has an eligibility questionnaire.
Are my Australian-born children Irish?
If you (or their other parent) were born in Ireland and are an Irish citizen, yes. Your kids are Irish from birth and you don’t register them anywhere. You just apply for their Irish passport through Passport Online with their full Australian birth certificate, your full Irish birth certificate and your marriage certificate if you have one.
If you’re Irish through the Foreign Births Register yourself, your registration date is what counts. Kids born after you were registered can go on the FBR too. Kids born before can’t, because you weren’t Irish when they were born. The same goes if you became Irish by naturalisation.
Expecting a baby and still waiting on your own FBR? DFA says if an expectant parent isn’t on the register when the child is born, the child won’t be entitled to Irish citizenship. Mark it clearly on your application and ring the FBR Customer Service Hub on +353 1 568 3331 (or use the webchat) to ask for an urgent request. They’re open 9am to 4.30pm Irish time on weekdays, which is evening and overnight on Australia’s east coast.
How to apply for the Foreign Births Register from Australia
There’s no paper form and no counter to queue at. You apply online, then post your printed form and original documents. DFA says its embassies and consulates in Australia don’t process FBR applications: they’re handled in Dublin.
- Gather every document first (list below). Incomplete applications are returned to you and not processed.
- Fill in the online FBR application. You need an email address.
- Pay online by card when you submit.
- Print the form and sign it in front of your witness.
- Post everything to the address printed in the top right corner of your form. Use registered or tracked post, because DFA doesn’t acknowledge receipt.
Documents you need
DFA wants originals unless it says otherwise, and you get all your certificates back at the end by recorded mail. For an adult applying through an Irish-born grandparent:
- You: your civil birth certificate showing your parents’ details, your marriage certificate or change of name document if your name has changed, a photocopy of your passport or driver licence certified by your witness, 2 separate original proofs of address, and 4 colour passport photos (2 signed by your witness, not attached to the form).
- Your parent (the one with the Irish-born parent): their civil birth certificate showing their parents’ details, their marriage certificate or change of name document if relevant, and a certified copy of their photo ID, or their original death certificate if they’ve passed away.
- Your Irish-born grandparent: the same three: civil birth certificate, marriage certificate if relevant, and certified photo ID or original death certificate.
Applying for a child? Instead of proofs of address, you send a letter on headed paper from their school or family doctor showing their address, plus your own certified ID, 2 proofs of address and 4 photos of you. If your parent is Irish through the FBR or naturalisation, you send their original FBR or naturalisation certificate, and no grandparent documents are listed.
Who can witness your form
Your witness has to know you personally, can’t be a relative, and must be currently working in a profession on DFA’s list, such as police officer, teacher, doctor, nurse, pharmacist, dentist, lawyer, notary, accountant, bank manager, vet or member of the clergy. The same person signs your form and 2 photos, stamps the form with their official stamp (or you include their business card), and certifies your ID photocopy.
A Justice of the Peace, the usual go-to for certifying things in Australia, is not on DFA’s list.
Fees (as of November 2026)
| Applicant | Fee |
|---|---|
| 18 and over | €278 (€270 registration and certificate, plus €8 non-refundable postage and handling) |
| Under 18 | €153 (€145 plus €8) |
How long it takes
DFA says it takes approximately 12 months to process a complete application, counted from when all the correct physical documents arrive. Applications go in strict date order, and anything needing clarification or extra documents takes longer.
After you’re registered: getting your Irish passport
Once you’re entered on the register, you’re an Irish citizen and you get a Foreign Birth Registration certificate, showing your name exactly as it appears on your birth certificate. You can’t apply for a passport before that, so don’t put a passport application in the same envelope as your FBR.
Then you apply through Passport Online, which the Embassy in Australia calls the fastest and cheapest way to get your first Irish passport. You send your FBR certificate (the original, or a colour copy certified by a solicitor or notary) with your other documents. As of November 2026, an adult 10-year passport costs €75 online, plus a postal fee if you live outside Ireland, and first-time online applications average 20 working days from when your documents arrive, not counting postage. Our Irish passport guide walks through the full application.
The Passport Card is an optional extra once you have a passport book. It’s valid for travel to EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the UK, lasts up to 5 years, and costs €35 online (€100 bundled with an adult passport book).
Can you be Irish and Australian at the same time?
Yes. Home Affairs says Australia allows dual citizenship, and Citizens Information says Ireland does too, so becoming Irish doesn’t cost you your Australian citizenship. Two things worth knowing:
- Use your Australian passport at the Australian border. Home Affairs says Australian citizens should use it to leave and enter Australia. You can use your Irish one once you’ve left.
- Thinking of running for federal parliament? The Australian Electoral Commission says section 44 of the Constitution disqualifies dual citizens who haven’t taken all reasonable steps to renounce the other citizenship before nominating. That can include people who are automatically Irish through an Irish-born parent and never got an Irish passport, so get legal advice first.
What Irish citizenship gets you
- Live and work in Ireland and the EU, and study in any EU member state.
- The UK too. Under the Common Travel Area, Irish and British citizens can live in either country, with access to work, healthcare, education and social benefits.
- Help abroad from Irish embassies, or another EU country’s embassy where Ireland has none.
- It doesn’t pass to your partner (see the FAQ). If you’re moving over as a family, our moving to Ireland from Australia guide covers how Australian partners and kids get set up there.
Common mistakes that get FBR applications sent back
- Missing documents. Incomplete applications are returned unprocessed, and DFA says there’s no right of appeal against a refusal if you hadn’t sent all the required documents. Tick off every generation before you post.
- Short or keepsake certificates. Every birth certificate has to be the full civil version showing the parents’ details. A Northern Ireland short certificate doesn’t show parents, and NSW says its commemorative certificates are keepsakes, not official proof of identity. For a grandparent born in the Republic, order a long-form certificate from the HSE (€20 plus €5 postage to Australia). For Northern Ireland births, use GRONI on nidirect.
- Photocopies of certificates. Only photo ID goes in as a certified copy. Birth, marriage and death certificates go in as originals.
- Names that don’t line up. If a name changed between documents, include the marriage certificate or change of name document that links them.
- The wrong witness. A relative, someone who doesn’t know you personally, or someone not on DFA’s list.
- Leaving it too late before a baby arrives. If you’re not on the register by the birth, your child isn’t entitled through you.
Applying with your brothers or sisters? If you all live in the same country, DFA lets you post the applications in one envelope and share the original parent and grandparent documents, with a letter explaining that. And if your grandparent was born before Irish civil birth registration began in 1864, DFA accepts their baptismal certificate.
Got family at home thinking of joining you out here? Send them our complete guide to moving to Australia from Ireland.
Got a question about the Foreign Births Register, or about moving to Ireland as a family? Ask in your local Irish group. There are more than 250,000 Irish across our Facebook groups in Australia, and someone has usually been through it already.
Going the other way? If you’re Irish and living in Australia on PR, you can also become an Australian citizen without giving up your Irish citizenship. See our Australian citizenship guide for Irish people.
FAQ
Can I get Irish citizenship through my grandparent if I live in Australia?
Yes. If one of your grandparents was born anywhere on the island of Ireland, you can register on the Foreign Births Register from Australia, even if your parent never had an Irish passport.
Are my Australian-born children Irish citizens?
Yes, automatically, if you or their other parent were born in Ireland and are an Irish citizen. If you’re Irish through the FBR, only children born after your registration can be registered.
Can I get Irish citizenship through a great-grandparent?
Only if your parent was registered on the FBR before you were born. Otherwise there’s no automatic right. The Minister for Justice can grant citizenship at their discretion based on Irish associations, but Immigration Service Delivery says those cases take more than 30 months.
How much does Foreign Birth Registration cost in 2026?
€278 for adults and €153 for under 18s, as of November 2026, paid online by card.
How long does the Foreign Births Register take?
About 12 months from when DFA has all the correct documents, as of November 2026. Applications needing more documents take longer.
Do I apply through the Irish Embassy in Canberra or the Consulate in Sydney?
No. DFA says its embassies and consulates in Australia don’t process FBR applications. They’re handled in Dublin, so post yours to the address printed on your form.
Can a Justice of the Peace witness my FBR application?
JPs aren’t on DFA’s list. Use someone on the list who knows you personally and isn’t related to you, such as your GP, pharmacist, a teacher or your accountant.
Will I lose my Australian citizenship if I become Irish?
No. Australia allows dual citizenship and so does Ireland.
Can my Australian husband or wife get Irish citizenship?
Not through descent. They can apply for naturalisation after 3 years of marriage or civil partnership, once they’ve lived on the island of Ireland for 3 of the last 5 years, including the 12 months right before applying.
Can I apply for my Irish passport while my FBR is being processed?
No. You can’t apply until you’re entered on the register. Wait for your FBR certificate, then apply.
