Can I Get an Irish Passport If My Great-Grandparents Were Irish?

Not directly — Irish citizenship does not automatically extend to great-grandparents. But depending on your family, there is one narrow pathway where it can still work.

1. Standard Rule

You cannot claim Irish citizenship solely because a great-grandparent was Irish.

Ireland only automatically allows descent through:

• Irish-born parents

• Irish-born grandparents

2. The Exception: The FBR Chain

You can qualify if your parent:

• Registered in the Foreign Births Register,

• And did so before your birth.

This maintains the legal chain:

Great-grandparent → grandparent → parent (registered) → you.

3. When This Works

The loophole applies if:

• Your great-grandparent was born in Ireland

• Your grandparent was not registered

• Your parent did register early

• You were born after the registration

4. When It Doesn’t Work

You cannot qualify if:

• Your parent registered after your birth

• No one in the middle generation registered

• You try to skip the chain

Ireland does not permit retroactive transmission.

5. What You Can Still Do

If you aren’t eligible:

• Your parent may still register (you won’t qualify, but your children might)

• You can become Irish through residency (5-year rule)

Bottom Line

Great-grandparents alone do not entitle you to an Irish passport — unless your parent registered before your birth.

Use CitizenIR to streamline your application.

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