Author
Section 16(1)(g) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 gives the Minister the power to dispense with certain conditions of naturalisation in certain cases, including if an applicant has refugee status or is stateless. It should be noted that the issuing of a certification of naturalisation is at the discretion of the Minister for Justice and Equality in Ireland. There are different criteria in place for non-EEA nationals and refugees.
People with refugee status can apply for naturalisation after three years’ residence in the State from the date they arrived in the country, not from the date when they were granted refugee status. For other non-EEA nationals (including beneficiaries of subsidiary protection), the residence required is five years. To apply for citizenship a form entitled ‘Form 8’ must be completed by the person concerned and submitted to ISD. This amended form was introduced in September 2016 and now applicants must submit their original national passport with their application for naturalisation.[1] It must include accompanying evidence of the applicant’s residence in Ireland and a copy of the declaration of refugee status. Whereby an applicant is not in possession of their national passport, they may instead submit a travel document.
In respect of minor children, naturalisation does not automatically extend to the child of an adult who has been granted naturalisation. A child cannot make an application by themselves. The application must be made by the child’s parent or legal guardian. A minor child’s application may be submitted whereby they have accumulated the reckonable residence and one of their parents have already been naturalised.[2]
There are no fees for refugees, stateless persons or programme refugees to apply for naturalisation except for the €175 application fee. Once the application is granted the certification of naturalisation is free for refugees. For other adults (including beneficiaries of subsidiary protection) the cost for issuing a certificate of naturalisation is €950.
As of February 2023, there were approximately 26,000 applications on hand at the Citizenship Unit at various stages of processing. The median processing time for applications was 19 months.[3] As of October 2023, there had been 12,500 grants of naturalisation. The median processing time for applications remained at 19 months.[4] Almost 31,000 applications for citizenship were processed in 2024 and the median processing time was reduced to 8 months.[5] An exact breakdown of the number of individuals with refugee and subsidiary protection status who became naturalised was not available at the time of updating in January 2026. Throughout 2025, there were a total of 40,479 applications for citizenship received. There were 26,400 grants of citizenship, while 377 applications were refused.[6]
According to research published by the European Migration Network in August 2020, Ireland has more favourable conditions for acquiring citizenship by naturalisation than many other EU Member States. However, long processing delays and lack of clarity regarding eligibility conditions have been raised as issues of significant concern by NGOs and in parliamentary debate.[7]
Significant changes were introduced for applicants regarding the number of proofs required to establish identity and residency for the purposes of making a naturalisation application. From January 2022, the Department employed a scorecard approach in the assessment of identification and residence history. Applicants are now required to reach a score of 150 points in each of the years of proof of residency required according to their particular circumstances. This can be done by submitting proofs with a predetermined point value until the applicant reaches the required score of 150 for each year of residency claimed. Applicants must also accumulate a total of 150 points for establishing identity in order to meet the appropriate standard.[8] The introduction of the scorecard approach was broadly welcomed in providing further clarification for applicants on the required documentation when submitting their applications for citizenship.
Additionally, from January 2022, new applicants for citizenship are not required to submit their original passport with their initial application. Instead, applicants can now provide a full colour copy of each page of their passport and all previous passports containing stamps which contribute towards the period of reckonable residency claimed. The colour copy must be certified by a solicitor, commissioner for oaths or notary public and submitted along with the application form.[9]
In August 2023, the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act 2023 was enacted and established a range of amendments and updates in relation to Irish nationality and citizenship law. Children born in Ireland who do not have an automatic right to citizenship were previously required to reside in Ireland for a minimum of 5 years before applying for citizenship. Under the Act, this requirement has been reduced to 3 years, but the law stipulates that the minor must have a period of one year’s continuous residence in Ireland immediately prior to the date of their application and during the eight years immediately preceding that period, have had a total residence amounting to two years. [10] Additionally, all applicants for citizenship, including minors, are now permitted to be outside Ireland for a minimum of 5 years prior to applying for citizenship. This is an increase from the previous permissible 6 weeks.
Additionally, in October 2023, it was announced that citizenship application process had begun to operate digitally with a view to reducing processing times. The online application service allows applicants to complete the necessary supporting documentation and pay the application fee online.[11]
Significant changes to the legal frameworks governing citizenship were announced in November 2025. Under these reforms, the qualifying residence period for refugees to be eligible for citizenship will be extended from three to five years. The criteria for naturalisation will also be revised through the introduction of a requirement that applicants demonstrate self-sufficiency. Applicants for citizenship must not have been in receipt of certain social protection payments during the two-year period immediately preceding the submission of an application.[12] While the majority of the proposed changes will require legislative amendments in order to become operational, the qualifying residence condition with respect to citizenship became operational on the 8th of December 2025 and apply retrospectively to existing applications.[13] The Irish Refugee Council has expressed significant concern with respect to the proposed changes, warning that they will significantly weaken refugee integration by limiting pathways to citizenship.[14]
Additionally, in April 2025, the Minister for Justice signed an order reinstating the State’s powers to revoke naturalised Irish citizenship in serious cases. This followed a 2021 Supreme Court judgment which held that the previous revocation regime lacked adequate procedural safeguards and was therefore unconstitutional. As a result of that decision, no citizenship revocations have taken place since 2021. Under the revised legislative framework, an individual who is the subject of a proposed revocation is afforded 28 days to make submissions to the Minister for Justice setting out why their citizenship should not be revoked. Following the Minister’s decision, the individual has a further 14 days to request an independent inquiry. Where such a request is made, an inquiry committee will be established, chaired by a retired judge drawn from the Circuit Court, High Court, Court of Appeal, or Supreme Court. The committee will also include two ordinary members appointed by the Minister for Justice.[15]
[1] The application form is available here.
[2] Information provided by Irish Refugee Council Information and Advocacy Service, January 2024.
[3] Minister for Justice and Equality Simon Harris, Response to Parliamentary Question No. 195, 1 February 2023, available here.
[4] Minister for Justice and Equality, Response to Parliamentary Question No 424, 28 November 2023, available here.
[5] Minister for Justice and Equality, Response to Parliamentary Question No. 1062, 22 January 2025, available here.
[6] Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Response to Parliamentary Question No. 166, 22 January 2025, available here
[7] European Migration Network, Pathways to citizenship through naturalisation in Ireland, 7 December 2020, available here.
[8] Department of Justice, Scorecard approach being introduced for Citizenship Applications from January 2022, 31 December 2021, available here.
[9] Department of Justice, Further Guidance on new Passport Process for Citizenship from 1st January 2022, 31 January 2022, available here.
[10] Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act 2023.
[11] Minister for Justice and Equality, Response to Parliamentary Question No 424, 28 November 2023, available here.
[12] Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, ‘Minister Jim O’Callaghan receives government approval to strengthen migration legislation and introduce new rules on asylum and citizenship & Minister Jim O’Callaghan and Minister Colm Brophy publishes Family Reunification Review’, 26th November 2025, available here.
[13] Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, ‘Changes to Citizenship for People Granted International
Protection’, 8th December 2025, available here.
[14] Irish Refugee Council, ‘Policy changes will keep families apart and push refugees further into the margins of our society’, 3rd December 2025, available here.
[15] Irish Examiner, ‘Justice minister reinstates powers to revoke Irish citizenship in serious cases’, 10th of April 2025, available here.