Irish citizenship and an Irish passport: two separate applications

Published 13/10/2026

In short: citizenship is your legal status. A passport is a travel document for someone who is already a citizen. If you are naturalising, you make two separate applications, to two different offices, with two sets of fees. This post was checked against the official pages on 13 October 2026.

The two at a glance

Which comes first

Citizenship. You cannot apply for a passport until you are a citizen.

Not everyone becomes a citizen by naturalisation. Some people are citizens by birth or descent, and some register through the Foreign Births Register. They still apply for a passport, but with different proof. The rest of this post is about the naturalisation route.

Step 1: citizenship by naturalisation

1. Apply to ISD and pay €175. ISD's guide says this fee is not refunded if the application is refused or incomplete.
2. Wait for a decision. ISD says most, but not all, applications are processed within 12 months, and that the time varies with how complex a case is. It is not a promise. If ISD asks for more documents, you have 28 days to send them.
3. If the Minister intends to grant it, you are asked to pay the certification fee. The amounts are in the table below.
4. Attend a citizenship ceremony and make the declaration of fidelity. ISD asks you to have an in-date IRP card with you on the day.
5. Receive your Certificate of Naturalisation by registered post. Your name, address and certificate date are also published in Iris Oifigiúil, the official State gazette. ISD says the law allows no exceptions to that.

One point that surprises people: meeting every condition does not guarantee citizenship. ISD's guide says the Minister has full discretion to grant or refuse.

Step 2: your first Irish passport

Once you hold your certificate, you apply to the Passport Service. Passport Online is the quickest and cheapest way.

• Time: the current average for a first-time online application is 20 working days, for adults and children. The clock starts when the Passport Service receives your supporting documents, not when you fill in the form, and posting time is extra.
• Do not book travel yet. The Passport Service says first-time applications cannot be expedited and that you should not book travel until the passport is in your hand.
• Proof of citizenship: your Certificate of Naturalisation is the evidence that you are a citizen. Keep it safe.

There is an extra €5 postal fee on each child application, and €15 if you live outside Ireland. Applying on paper by post costs more (€80 for an adult) and takes longer, currently about 6 weeks.

What it costs in total

For one adult on the standard route, the government fees are:

That leaves out the cost of certified copies, translations, photographs and postage.

Certified copies and Garda witnessing are not the same thing

This is where people most often lose time.

For naturalisation, ISD asks for certified copies. A certified copy is one that a recognised person has signed and dated as a true copy of the original. ISD lists a solicitor, a notary public, a commissioner for oaths and a peace commissioner. The person writes "Certified to be true copy of the original seen by me", signs and dates it, prints their name, and adds their occupation, address and phone number.

Your passport copy has its own rule. ISD asks for a certified colour copy of the photo page together with its Passport Certification Form. Read that form before you go, because it says who may sign it.

For a first passport, the Passport Service verifies your identity. If you live in Ireland, a member of An Garda Síochána must sign the Identity Verification Form that Passport Online gives you at the end. If you live abroad, the Passport Service has a list of acceptable witnesses, and the witness must live in the same country as you.

For a child's passport, all guardians must give consent, and their signatures must be witnessed.

One does not stand in for the other. A copy certified for ISD is not identity verification for the Passport Service, and a Garda-signed passport form is not a certified copy for ISD.

After your certificate arrives

1. Check that your name and details on the certificate are exactly right.
2. Start a first-time application on Passport Online.
3. Print the Identity Verification Form it produces.
4. Have it signed by a Garda if you live in Ireland.
5. Post the supporting documents it asks for.
6. Follow progress with the Passport Tracker, and book travel only when the passport has arrived.

Where IrishReady fits

IrishReady helps with Step 1: getting ready to apply for citizenship. It keeps your stamps, addresses, trips and documents in one record and shows what is still missing. The residence check is free and needs no account. We do not handle passport applications.

Official sources

• How to become an Irish citizen: a guide (Immigration Service Delivery)
• Certifying a document (Immigration Service Delivery)
• Passport fees (Passport Service)
• Current turnaround times (Passport Service)
• How to get your passport application witnessed (Passport Service)

Fees and times change. Check the official pages before you pay or plan. This is general information, not legal advice. IrishReady is independent of ISD, the Passport Service and the Government.