Foreign Birth Registration

[Js6391]

Hi everyone I’ve applied for my application in September 2021 and the lady handling my application sent me an email in January asking for an updated birth certificate I sent that in it took 2 months for her to confirm document received then she asked for a witnessed copy of my mother passport sent that in now she said she’s sent everything to fbr entitlementprocessing I thought the agent that emails is supposed to issue the certificate is this normal or is my application with a very awkward agent

[GoingBackBackToEire]

Hi everyone I’ve applied for my application in September 2021 and the lady handling my application sent me an email in January asking for an updated birth certificate I sent that in it took 2 months for her to confirm document received then she asked for a witnessed copy of my mother passport sent that in now she said she’s sent everything to fbr entitlementprocessing I thought the agent that emails is supposed to issue the certificate is this normal or is my application with a very awkward agent

She may have been confused by your lack of punctuation.
Applications go smoother when you send in all the required documents correctly the first time with the original application.

No, it's not an awkward agent.

[Js6391]

I got an email in December from a different person saying I was approved and then she emailed me in January to tell me she needed an updated birth certificate because my dads place of birth was wrong on it she said that’s all she needed then 2 months later she asked for a copy of my mother’s passport to be Honest I think she’s the one is confused

[AussieBiscuithead]

Hi everyone I’ve applied for my application in September 2021 and the lady handling my application sent me an email in January asking for an updated birth certificate I sent that in it took 2 months for her to confirm document received then she asked for a witnessed copy of my mother passport sent that in now she said she’s sent everything to fbr entitlementprocessing I thought the agent that emails is supposed to issue the certificate is this normal or is my application with a very awkward agent

Interesting, thats for sharing the fact it took 2 month for her to confirm the document had been received. I had to send additional documentation that we delivered March 21st, so i'm hoping to hear something towards the end of this month or early next month about my application.

AussieBiscuithead

[Js6391]

I had to email urgent enquiries to track down the certificate they then gave it to the lady dealing with my application if I hadn’t emailed them I think I would still be waiting

[rmoto]

Finally received my "congratulations" email! Thanks to this group for sharing your experiences.

Documents received: 6 Jul 2022

Email received 22 March 2023: request for updated certified copy of my mother's ID. We had submitted a certified copy of her Irish passport with my application. No reason given as to why it wasn't accepted. Advised to send new copy of ID via email.

New copy of certified ID sent via email on 26 March 2023

Address confirmation email received: 27 March 2023 - replied same day

2nd address confirmation email received: 28 March 2023 - replied same day with exact response from previous reply. Received a reply apologizing for confusion and confirming my information had been received.

Congratulations email received: 5 May 2023

Total time from documents received to congrats: 10 months

[ukhun]

Out of interest -

03/05/2023 - "There are currently 24,966 FBR applications for which supporting documents have been received and which are being processed by the Passport Service. There are a further 11,689 FBR applications for which the Passport Service are awaiting the submission of supporting documentation from the applicant."

Number of staff working on FBR - ~71 FTE.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/qu ... -05-03/37/

[MrMister2022]

I got my congratulations email today. My dates are:

Application date: 12 May 2022
Documents received: 8 Jim 2022
Address and document clarification check: 22 Mar 2023
Congratulations email: 8 May 2023

I did not supply the marriage certificate for me or my grandfather, since there was no change of name in either case, and that does not appear to have been a problem.

[loobyloo]

Hi Everyone
Looking for advice/experience of anyone applying without the grandparents photo id. I have just successfully applied for my first Irish passport as my mum was born in Northern Ireland. I am now starting the process of adding my two kids to the regsitry of foreign births (which having read this board I can see will take some time!). I have discovered that I need a copy of my mum's (their grandparent) official id. My mum doesn't have a driving licence or passport so I called the Registry of Foreign Births helpline and got a very vague answer from them saying I could apply with a letter saying my mum doesn't have ID but they would probably ask for it at some point. Anyone had success in a similar situation? I have suggested to my mum she just applies for a UK passport to help resolve this but she doesn't want to do this as she sees it as a waste of time.

[ednaobrien]

Hi all, long-time lurker, first-time poster here.

My dad is Irish and has been an Irish passport holder all his life but was born in London, so I've had to go the long way round to obtain citizenship.
I sent my application off in September 2021. In November 2022 I received an email requesting documents (a death certificate). This proved tricky to obtain and I wasn't able to send it off until the end of January 2023. I sent it tracked & signed and Royal Mail marked it as received in Balbriggan. However I'm yet to have heard anything back from the DFA to say they've received the certificate.
Do you reckon the delay is down to how long it took me to send them the certificate? Or should I start panicking?
I have friends who sent their application off a year after me and have received their congratulations email, so I'm starting to get antsy...

[meself2]

Hi all, long-time lurker, first-time poster here.

My dad is Irish and has been an Irish passport holder all his life but was born in London, so I've had to go the long way round to obtain citizenship.
I sent my application off in September 2021. In November 2022 I received an email requesting documents (a death certificate). This proved tricky to obtain and I wasn't able to send it off until the end of January 2023. I sent it tracked & signed and Royal Mail marked it as received in Balbriggan. However I'm yet to have heard anything back from the DFA to say they've received the certificate.
Do you reckon the delay is down to how long it took me to send them the certificate? Or should I start panicking?
I have friends who sent their application off a year after me and have received their congratulations email, so I'm starting to get antsy...

They might not reply intentionally?

[ednaobrien]

Hi all, long-time lurker, first-time poster here.

My dad is Irish and has been an Irish passport holder all his life but was born in London, so I've had to go the long way round to obtain citizenship.
I sent my application off in September 2021. In November 2022 I received an email requesting documents (a death certificate). This proved tricky to obtain and I wasn't able to send it off until the end of January 2023. I sent it tracked & signed and Royal Mail marked it as received in Balbriggan. However I'm yet to have heard anything back from the DFA to say they've received the certificate.
Do you reckon the delay is down to how long it took me to send them the certificate? Or should I start panicking?
I have friends who sent their application off a year after me and have received their congratulations email, so I'm starting to get antsy...

They might not reply intentionally?

Thank you, this is reassuring!

[corky100]

I have just successfully applied for my first Irish passport

I have suggested to my mum she just applies for a UK passport to help resolve this but she doesn't want to do this as she sees it as a waste of time.

You've satisfied the DFA that you are you are an Irish citizen from birth - not sure why the DFA require more...but that's beside the point.

Provisional driving license? Who's time? Nothing stopping you doing all the legwork and paying the money. At the end of the day, her grandchildren might find themselves in a sticky situation where the passport of a neutral country could come in handy

[FBRLurker02]

Hi Everyone
Looking for advice/experience of anyone applying without the grandparents photo id. I have just successfully applied for my first Irish passport as my mum was born in Northern Ireland. I am now starting the process of adding my two kids to the regsitry of foreign births (which having read this board I can see will take some time!). I have discovered that I need a copy of my mum's (their grandparent) official id. My mum doesn't have a driving licence or passport so I called the Registry of Foreign Births helpline and got a very vague answer from them saying I could apply with a letter saying my mum doesn't have ID but they would probably ask for it at some point. Anyone had success in a similar situation? I have suggested to my mum she just applies for a UK passport to help resolve this but she doesn't want to do this as she sees it as a waste of time.

I'm in a similar position of not being able to provide my grandparent's photo ID. My maternal grandfather is still alive but completely uncontactable; my grandparents divorced when my mother was a teenager, and that was the last time she ever saw him - I've never met him.

I emailed the Irish embassy (in the UK), and they spoke to the FBR office directly and advised me to apply with a letter explaining why I couldn't provide his ID. I did this, and also had an affidavit written up and printed out the email conversation to include with the application.

I did try to compensate, by including divorce records (separation agreement and decree nisi) - although they are not originals - and also a copy of my great uncle's ID. He lives in Northern Ireland and is also estranged from my grandfather so I was not able to notarise his ID. I explained all this in both the letter and the affidavit. All the other requested documents were submitted correctly.

Unfortunately I have been waiting for over 11 months (docs received email on 2nd June 2022) and have not had address confirmation. I suspect this might be delaying things, although they have not requested any additional documentation from me either - just complete silence. Not sure if maybe I've overcomplicated things to the point no-one wants to look at it or if they do just take longer for these applications. The current waiting time is supposed to be 6 - 9 months I believe.

Since you're in contact with your mum, it would probably be easier to submit it with some kind of ID? I think the process would at least be smoother if you could. You could try without, providing a letter etc, but I feel like they might ask why she doesn't have ID or look for an alternative from you, which could slow things down.

[DV22]

Hello everyone!

I'm hoping to get some of your thoughts and advice. I've applied to the Foreign Birth Register with my brother as our grandmother was from Ireland. Our applications are together and were submitted on September 29th, 2020 and received October 8th, 2020. We heard back on October 27th, 2022 that we needed to provide an additional document, as well as an updated proofs of address. It took me awhile to get my hands on said document, but was finally able to do so and mailed it on January 17th, 2023. I live in Boston and my girlfriend lives in Dublin so she brought it back with her and mailed it from Dublin via An Post. I saw via the tracking number that it was delivered, but never got a confirmation. I reached out to the agent who contacted me and he said their mail is backed up due to Royal Mail strikes, which didn't make sense since it was sent from Dublin through An Post.

Since then we've heard nothing and I have even sent a couple follow-up emails, but still have heard nothing. Its been 2 and a half years now (I know the office was closed due to Covid) and I'm starting to get worried. Is this to be expected or should I assume something is wrong/what can I do? Thanks so much for any thoughts!

[meself2]

Is this to be expected or should I assume something is wrong/what can I do?

Once again, they might not reply intentionally, no idea why.

[Js6391]

DV22 same timeline as me and my brother I sent a new birth certificate and had to email urgent enquiries for them to find it and give it to the person doing my application I think if you email them might be your best option

[wtftodo]

Congratulations email received!

Applied for two children, through Irish maternal grandparents:

Application date: 13th June 2022
Documents received: 27th June 2022
Address clarification email: 14th March 2023
Application approved and moved on to "final review and entry onto register": 16th March 2023
Congratulations email: 8th May 2023
Certificate received: TBC

Have added in the extra "application approved" as I was confused by this extra leg in our timeline, but it seems some agents can only pre-approve applications and they will be have to be reviewed by someone senior, which adds a few weeks to the process. Might help someone else reading..

[mx_cathain]

Just an update for the board - I'm waiting to see if they need to do a document check now, but now I'm at address check can anyone tell me whether to expect one at this point as from looking, they don't seem to request any info after document check (unless I'm looking at a rejection, which I'd be really shocked at as it's very very clear lineage, all documents except a dad's scanned passport - have explained estrangement):

Application submitted: 04/08/2022
Documents received: 15/08/2022
Address confirmation: 09/05/2023
Email Congratulations: TBC

[FBRLurker02]

Hi Everyone
Looking for advice/experience of anyone applying without the grandparents photo id. I have just successfully applied for my first Irish passport as my mum was born in Northern Ireland. I am now starting the process of adding my two kids to the regsitry of foreign births (which having read this board I can see will take some time!). I have discovered that I need a copy of my mum's (their grandparent) official id. My mum doesn't have a driving licence or passport so I called the Registry of Foreign Births helpline and got a very vague answer from them saying I could apply with a letter saying my mum doesn't have ID but they would probably ask for it at some point. Anyone had success in a similar situation? I have suggested to my mum she just applies for a UK passport to help resolve this but she doesn't want to do this as she sees it as a waste of time.

I'm in a similar position of not being able to provide my grandparent's photo ID. My maternal grandfather is still alive but completely uncontactable; my grandparents divorced when my mother was a teenager, and that was the last time she ever saw him - I've never met him.

I emailed the Irish embassy (in the UK), and they spoke to the FBR office directly and advised me to apply with a letter explaining why I couldn't provide his ID. I did this, and also had an affidavit written up and printed out the email conversation to include with the application.

I did try to compensate, by including divorce records (separation agreement and decree nisi) - although they are not originals - and also a copy of my great uncle's ID. He lives in Northern Ireland and is also estranged from my grandfather so I was not able to notarise his ID. I explained all this in both the letter and the affidavit. All the other requested documents were submitted correctly.

Unfortunately I have been waiting for over 11 months (docs received email on 2nd June 2022) and have not had address confirmation. I suspect this might be delaying things, although they have not requested any additional documentation from me either - just complete silence. Not sure if maybe I've overcomplicated things to the point no-one wants to look at it or if they do just take longer for these applications. The current waiting time is supposed to be 6 - 9 months I believe.

Since you're in contact with your mum, it would probably be easier to submit it with some kind of ID? I think the process would at least be smoother if you could. You could try without, providing a letter etc, but I feel like they might ask why she doesn't have ID or look for an alternative from you, which could slow things down.

Well, this is a bit coincidental!

Documents received: 2nd June 2022
Address check: 9th May 2023
Congratulations: ???

The email had the subject "CLARIFICATION REQUIRED Foreign Births Registration Application Proof of Address". They have not mentioned my grandfather, the lack of his ID or any of the documents I submitted. It was sent from someone from Team 1. I will update the spreadsheet. I guess now it's just a wait for the final congratulations email.

"Your application for entry into the Foreign Births Register will be approved shortly and a Foreign Birth Registration Certificate and your original documents will be returned to you by registered post, which will require a signature on delivery.

To ensure these documents are dispatched to the correct address you should confirm your address by return email. If you have moved address since you completed your application you should provide a scanned copy of proof of that new address e.g. original utility bills, bank statements, government correspondence.

Your application will not be approved until you confirm your address.

Please note that your application will be sent via Registered post and someone will need to be available to sign for the envelope."

[JCP2000]

Hi all,

Just had a second call with an incredibly rude agent who seemingly was trying to be as unhelpful as possible. I asked what happens if the grandparents ID expires during the application process. The current waiting period is 9 months and my grandmother’s passport expires in October this year. His advice was “well then get a new one” (yes this were his exact words) but he didn’t actually confirm whether it would be rejected (he clearly didn’t know the answer just like the last time I called).

Has anyone sent an ID document that expired during the process and did it have an impact? We wouldn’t be able to get a new passport as my grandmother is in a home and wouldn’t have the capability to apply for one - in the worst case scenario, can you apply for a passport on someone’s behalf?

[FBRLurker02]

Hi all,

Just had a second call with an incredibly rude agent who seemingly was trying to be as unhelpful as possible. I asked what happens if the grandparents ID expires during the application process. The current waiting period is 9 months and my grandmother’s passport expires in October this year. His advice was “well then get a new one” (yes this were his exact words) but he didn’t actually confirm whether it would be rejected (he clearly didn’t know the answer just like the last time I called).

Has anyone sent an ID document that expired during the process and did it have an impact? We wouldn’t be able to get a new passport as my grandmother is in a home and wouldn’t have the capability to apply for one - in the worst case scenario, can you apply for a passport on someone’s behalf?

My mother's ID expired during the process, and I received my address check this morning saying it will be approved shortly. I think I've seen it mentioned that it can be accepted if it's less than 6 months after expiry? Not 100% sure on that though, my mother's expired Jan or Feb 2023 I believe. Good luck!

[JCP2000]

Thanks, it’s crazy that the people working there can’t give a straight answer, it sounds paranoid but I honestly think they are told to put people off going through with the application process

[corky100]

Not paranoid at all......My experience of speaking with the DFA was like ordering off-menu at Karen's Diner.

[DV22]

DV22 same timeline as me and my brother I sent a new birth certificate and had to email urgent enquiries for them to find it and give it to the person doing my application I think if you email them might be your best option

Thanks for sharing! Did you send the urgent enquiries to the agent that contacted you first, or did you have a different contact to help get the birth certificate to the agent handling your case?