In Ireland, becoming a citizen is a process referred to as ‘naturalisation’. The required number of years of residency varies between three and five years depending on your situation.
- If you were granted refugee status, you can apply after three years of residency.
- If you are resident in Ireland and married to or in a civil partnership with an Irish citizen, you can apply after three years of residency.
- For all other non-Irish nationals (including subsidiary protection status holder), you can apply after five years of residency.
You will need to have identity documents and residency documents to prove you lived in Ireland for each year you are claiming you were resident in the country (e.g. bank statements, household bills etc.). The citizenship process follows a scorecard system, where you can get different points depending on what identity and residence documents you submit.
The Irish Immigration website has a reckonable residence calculator so that you can calculate if you have been in Ireland for a sufficient period. This is only to check if you meet the requirements, it is not an application. Importantly, in the year before you apply, you need to have lived continuously in Ireland (maximum of 70 days outside of the country, with an extra 30 days if you can prove it was in exceptional circumstances).
You can apply for citizenship online through the online portal, available on the Irish Immigration website here.
The citizenship application fee is €175 and this is not refundable. If your application is successful, you may have to pay a fee of €950 in order to get your Certificate of Naturalisation. Once you have received your Certificate, you will be invited to a citizenship ceremony to celebrate your new citizenship.