Guidance

Ireland: Knowledge Base profile

Published 19 March 2024

Version 2.0

About: Ireland

This document contains useful information about Ireland which will assist HM Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0

• published for Home Office staff on 13 March 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Ireland: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Ireland.

Names in Ireland consist of:

• 1 or more forenames

• a surname

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Ireland.

Name changes can be done when a person:

• gets married or divorced; the customer’s birth name will be added as an observation on the Ireland passport

• changes their name from the English version to the Irish version of their name; the previous name will be added to the Ireland passport as an observation for 2 years

• changes their name by deed poll or statutory declaration; the name on the Ireland passport will be changed only after the person has used the new name for 2 years

A person in Ireland who changes their gender is also allowed to change their name.

Name alignment

Ireland passports have a 27 character limit in each name field on the personal details page. There is no requirement to add additional middle names to the passport. If the passport holder requests to add additional middle names, they are added as an observation.

HM Passport Office will not ask the customer to align their Ireland passport if:

• the name on the British passport application is shown in the Ireland passport

• the observation in the Ireland passport shows the extra forenames not shown on the personal details page of the Ireland passport

• the customer’s name has been changed by statutory declaration or deed poll, but they have not used the name for the required 2 years

Ireland: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Ireland.

Dual nationality is allowed in Ireland.

Ireland: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Ireland.

Legitimacy

Ireland recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate:

  • if the parents are married at the time of birth

  • from the date of the marriage if the parents marry after the birth

• illegitimate if the parents never marry

Parental responsibility

Parental responsibility is held by:

• the mother

• the father if he is:

  • married to the mother; or,

  • appointed guardian by agreement with the mother or through a court order

If married parents separate, they do not lose parental responsibility unless it is removed by a court.

Ireland: adoptions

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoptions in Ireland.

Adoption is legal in Ireland.

Ireland: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Ireland.

There is no legal framework for surrogacy in Ireland.

The birth mother is the mother in Ireland and her name is shown on the birth certificate. If the birth mother is married, her husband is considered to be the legal father.

Ireland: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Ireland.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Ireland.

The Gender marker can be changed in the Ireland passport.

Ireland: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Ireland.

Civil partnerships and same sex relationships are recognised. The right for same sex couples to marry was introduced in November 2015.

There are 2 types of marriages in Ireland, civil and religious.

Ireland: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Ireland.

Certificates of birth, death and marriage are considered public records and can be obtained by anyone who requests them.

Following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, HM Passport Office cannot accept Multilingual Standard Forms (MSFs) issued by member states. An MSF will:

• contain a reference to the convention signed at Vienna on September 8 1976, this may be on the reverse of the document

• be marked as a Formul A (birth certificate), normally in the top right corner on the front of the document in the language of the country where the document was issued

  • there will also be marriage certificates and death certificates that will have a different Formul version that is also not acceptable

These documents are an extract of a civil registration record translated into the language needed and not a full, original certificate.

Birth certificates

All births in Ireland are registered at the General Register Office. A birth should be registered within 12 months. Late registrations are allowed. A certificate is issued when the birth is registered.

Ireland issues two types of birth certificates:

• a short certificate, that only contains the details of the child. This is not acceptable for HM Passport Office purposes

• a long certificate, which contains details of the parent. This is acceptable for HM Passport Office purposes

An error on a certificate can be corrected by the General Register Office.

Birth certificates issued before October 1973 are in landscape format and birth certificates issued after October 1973 are in portrait format.

Births certificates issued before 1 October 1997 do not show a surname for the child.

Marriage certificates

All marriages in Ireland must be registered with the General Register Office within a month of the marriage.

A Registrar conducts civil marriages.

Religious marriages must be conducted by a person who is registered on the Register of Solemnisers.

The General Register Office will issue a civil marriage certificate when the religious marriage has been registered.

Death certificates

All deaths in Ireland are registered at the General Register Office within 3 months. Late registrations are allowed.

A certificate is issued when the death is registered.

Identity documents

The Ireland passport card is a travel document (similar in size to a credit card) that Ireland citizens can use for certain travel instead of the standard passport book. It can be used when traveling in the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

The personal details on the Ireland passport card are the same as the details on the Ireland passport. The passport card can only be issued if the holder has a valid Ireland passport.

Ireland passports have a 27 character limit in each name field on the personal details page.

Ireland naturalisation certificates issued before 2011 were laminated.

People who are not citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, who want to remain in Ireland for more than three months, must apply for a Registration Certificate. Registration Certificates are not identity cards, they are evidence that a person is legally resident in Ireland.