I noticed over the years that the same questions tend to come up fairly often in the main FBR Thread - due to the nature of the chat, tips often get lost, so I thought this was a good place to share - please feel free to add your own Q&A/Tips - but avoid dates as the other thread does that already.
In terms of the Application form - people often ask for an example of what it looks like - when you complete the online registration, the form becomes downloadable for you, and is populated with the information you have provided. It contains sections, A, B, C, D, E... this is for a 'grandchild' of an Irish born Citizen and Child of Irish Citizen Parent (applies even if the parent has never registered) -
Technically you don't need the certificates in hand to complete the form, however it's useful to have them as you might not know the detail - some people complete this form and then take many years to gather the documents...
General Advice
The information you need for Part A - Applicant
Full name as on birth certificate
Country of birth
Place of birth
Date of birth
Status (Single etc)
Gender
Mother's birth surname
Part B - Irish Citizen Parent
Full name as on birth certificate
Country of birth
Place of birth
Date of birth
Status
Gender
Mother's birth surname
Citizenship category of parent: Born abroad to a parent born in Ireland
Full name as on birth certificate - Details of grandparent born in Ireland
Country of birth
Place of birth
Date of birth
Status
Gender
Mother's birth surname
The witness then signs the same form and documents etc
List of Acceptable Witnesses
Garda Síochána/ Police Officer
School Principal/ Vice Principal/ Teacher/ School Secretary/ Pre-school Manager/ Montessori
Teacher/ Lecturer
Member of Clergy
Medical Doctor
Nurse
Physiotherapist
Speech Therapist
Pharmacist
Dentist
Lawyer
Notary Public/ Commissioner for Oaths
Peace Commissioner
Bank Manager/ Assistant Bank Manager or Credit Union Manager or Assistant Manager
Accountant
Elected Public Representative
Veterinary surgeon
Chartered Engineer
They can provide a business card or/and stamp
Best of Luck to everyone still applying or gathering documents
1. Gather all the document before completing the application form (don't bother asking family for them as it'll take longer than just ordering them). 'Copies' from the Government are ALL originals, they are ALL certified copies, even the 'originals'
2. Complete the application form fully yourself and then ask someone to check it all - print the criteria and ask them to confirm that you have included everything - don’t go through it with them, let them do it alone, see if it’s all included and clear.
3. Use your personal email address, not a work one! Same for phone number.
4. Send all the documents, even if you aren’t sure its needed - i.e. marriage certificate (even if its complicated and you’ve been divorced and re-married etc), at worst they will ignore it, at best they won’t need to ask you for it (explain in a cover letter).
5. Put your application documents into plastic wallets - put a sticker on the plastic wallet explaining what each document is, i.e. applicant birth certificate (doc 1 of XX), applicant marriage certificate (doc 2 of XX), parent birth certificate (doc 3 of XX), grandparent birth certificate (doc 4 of XX).
6. Send a cover letter with your phone number and an overview of all the documents and what they are - I.e. put their list of required docs on a piece of paper and link this to your numbering system. i.e. a Cover Letter saying Applicants Birth Certificate, document 1 (first plastic wallet), passport copy document 2.
7. Photocopy your entire application once you’ve sent it - I checked mine a few times while waiting, mainly to check it was 100% correct.
8. Make sure you use the same witness for everything - stamp not needed but a business card is accepted no problem. I asked them to use the words - certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me; followed by name, job, date and signature for all documents.
9. Photos: I had no problems with photos, and spent extra to go to a professional photo place who has the Irish passport requirements in their system (Max Spielmann in the UK). They are more fussy with passport photos than FBR photos.
10. GB/NI applicants - as soon as you are approved for FBR entry - ask the NHS for a postal ‘reminder’ of your NHS number - you’ll need this as a government letter for proof of address or name - you’ll also need another original letter, ideally from the tax office or similar.
11. Keep an eye on Kildare Street by searching for ‘FBR’ - its the best source for real time updates about processing times, direct from the minister of the day.
12. The postal address becomes clear once the form is complete (it’s the same address for most countries).
13. Finally… forget all about your application once you have sent it - if you succeed in doing this, let me know how
