More Than 31 Million Americans Could Be Eligible for Irish Citizenship

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More Americans than at any time in history are looking for a Plan B passport. It’s something reassuring to have should you need it. While there are direct Citizenship by Investment Programmes, could you be one of more than 31 million Americans eligible for Irish Citizenship by Descent?

Number Crunching and Assessing If You Qualify for Irish Citizenship by Descent

No less an authority than the US Census establishes that there are over 31.5 million Irish Americans. The only larger group reporting foreign ancestry in the United States is the 43 million+ German Americans. Nonetheless, 1 in 10 Americans can claim a family tree with an Irish branch.  

So if you’re someone who likes to explore their Irish roots every St Patrick’s Day, you could celebrate your heritage by obtaining Irish Citizenship by Descent. With Irish Citizenship by Investment no longer an option, it’s your chance to re-establish a connection with the Emerald Isle. What’s more, it’s one of 5 well-established European Citizenship by Descent Programmes.

American actors Mia Farrow, Joe Lo Truglio, and Olivia Wilde all have Irish passports. This travel document is one of the most powerful passports in the world. Indeed, the Latitude Passport Index rates the Irish passport as 3rd strongest, with visa-free access to 179 countries.

As our selection of celebrities shows, you don’t have to have an Irish-sounding surname to qualify (although Olivia Wilde changed hers from the infinitely more Gaelic Cockburn). What you do need to be eligible is to fulfil one of the following 5 conditions:

1. You were born in Ireland on or before December 31, 2004
2. If born after January 1, 2005, at least 1 of your parents needs to be an Irish national, a British national, or a foreign citizen legally living in Ireland for a minimum of 3 out of 4 years prior to your birth
3. One of your parents must have been born in Ireland before 2005
4. One of your grandparents was an Irish-born national who was an Irish citizen at the time of the relevant parent’s birth
5. Your Irish-born great grandparent was registered as an Irish citizen prior to your birth

How Can Latitude Help You Become Recognized as an Irish National

Researching your family tree through the likes of Ancestry.com can be fun. It’s something you can do at your leisure. You can make surprising discoveries as you play out your very own Finding Your Roots episode. 

But once you strike gold, that’s when the serious business kicks in. At the risk of getting lost in the paper trail of bureaucracy which includes registering your birth in Ireland’s Foreign Birth Register, we can help. Dealing with the likes of Ireland’s An Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha  (Department of Foreign Affairs) can be a daunting affair for a first-timer but we’re old hands.

The current processing time to become an Irish citizen via descent is averaging out at 9 months. We will update you on the progress of your case, so you know when you can qualify for an Irish passport.

Taking the Next Step to Becoming Irish

An Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha will go through your application for Irish citizenship with a fine-tooth comb. By consulting a Citizenship by Descent specialist like Latitude Group, they will be satisfied with what they discover on your form. So, don’t delay and contact us today to fast-track the processing of your Emerald Isle file.