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In depth
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is the Irish government ministry responsible for the Foreign Births Register (FBR), Irish consulates, and Irish foreign policy. The DFA processes FBR applications through its Citizenship Division.
For CBD cases, the DFA is the authority that grants (recognizes) Irish citizenship by descent. Once registered on the FBR, the applicant receives a Foreign Births Registration Certificate, which is the legal proof of Irish citizenship.
The DFA also issues Irish passports through the Passport Office in Dublin (and Belfast for Northern Ireland residents).
Related terms
The Foreign Births Register (FBR) is the official record maintained by Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs of people born outside Ireland who are entitled to Irish citizenship by descent.
The grandparent rule is the most common path to Irish citizenship by descent: having one grandparent born on the island of Ireland (including Northern Ireland) qualifies you for the Foreign Births Register.
The GRO (General Register Office) is the Irish government office that maintains records of births, deaths, marriages, and civil partnerships in the Republic of Ireland.
GRONI (General Register Office Northern Ireland) is the government office that maintains vital records for Northern Ireland, equivalent to the GRO in the Republic.
The Good Friday Agreement (1998) is the peace accord that confirms the right of people in Northern Ireland to identify as Irish, British, or both, and to hold citizenship accordingly.
The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, is the principal Irish citizenship law that governs the Foreign Births Register and other paths to Irish citizenship.