Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
907. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the next procedure for new Irish association citizenship applicants who satisfy all vetting requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12103/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
Section 16 of the Act gives discretion to waive the statutory conditions in certain circumstances, including where the applicant is of Irish descent or Irish associations (related through blood, affinity or adoption to a person who is or is entitled to be an Irish citizen).
All applicants are required to satisfy the good character criterion under Section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended.
Once all necessary enquiries, including vetting, have been completed, the application is considered in full, having regard to all relevant factors, and a decision is made by the Minister.
Naturalisation applications will progress through different stages of processing. These are “Application received”, “Application accepted”, “Application in progress”, “Application Decision”, “Application Complete”. The matter of receiving the eVetting report falls under the processing stage of “Application in progress”.
Applications based on Section 16 'Irish Association' can take typically longer to process than applications based upon residency in the State, due to the discretionary nature of the assessment and the complexity of the issues involved.
Last year my Department published new guidelines for applications on the basis of Irish Associations under Section 16(1)(a) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956. They set out the factors that may be considered when deciding whether to waive the statutory conditions in certain circumstances, including where the applicant is of Irish descent or Irish associations. Details of the guidelines are available on my Department’s website at the following link: [www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/].
