FBR through London embassy

[SELondoner]

I just thought I'd share my experiences of the Foreign Births Register (FBR), having come to this site to read of others' experiences. I'm British by birth but have an Irish grandmother, and decided to apply for Irish citizenship by descent.

I already had some of the documents (my own birth certificate for example) but while my mum and aunt held their own and my grandmothers' certificates, we weren't keen on sending them off in the post and risking losing them, so I ordered new ones for the most part. GRO Ireland were very efficient, birth certificate received back within a week of ordering online. The UK GRO similarly efficient *if* you pay for express service, otherwise about 3 weeks to get those back.

(For clarity, the certificates required need to be "original" - I wasn't 100% sure if that meant they had to literally be the old ones, but what they are getting at is "not a photocopy"; newly issues ones from the official GRO is fine.)

I was a bit worried that I would have some trouble, as my grandmother's birth certificate shows a slightly different name than the one she used from then on (middle name Cathleen instead of Catherine). Nevertheless I sent the stuff off and expected to hear nothing for a few months, and possibly for the first response to be a rejection and asking for proof she was the same person, given the slight variation to her name on different certificates.

Six days after posting it all off to the London embassy I received back all my documents and a letter to say my application had been approved, and enclosing my FBR certificate! So less than a week after applying I was an Irish citizen.

I can't praise the London embassy highly enough, I really was staggered how efficient they were. So if you're planning to apply, make sure you have all the stuff correct and properly witnessed, and you should hear back from them pretty quickly. Good luck!

[barnaby]

I just thought I'd share my experiences of the Foreign Births Register (FBR), having come to this site to read of others' experiences. I'm British by birth but have an Irish grandmother, and decided to apply for Irish citizenship by descent...

Thanks SE, that's very interesting because my situation is identical to yours and I sent off my FBR application to the London embassy 3 days ago.

The only thing I'm worried about is that my grandmother "changed" her date of birth when she moved to England, so that the age shown on her marriage certificate is inconsistent with her birth and death certificates. I'm not sure whether that was common practice in those days!

BTW, I keep being asked the question (usually accompanied by howls of derision) of why I bothered to apply. How do you answer that one?

[SELondoner]

Thanks SE, that's very interesting because my situation is identical to yours and I sent off my FBR application to the London embassy 3 days ago.

The only thing I'm worried about is that my grandmother "changed" her date of birth when she moved to England, so that the age shown on her marriage certificate is inconsistent with her birth and death certificates. I'm not sure whether that was common practice in those days!

BTW, I keep being asked the question (usually accompanied by howls of derision) of why I bothered to apply. How do you answer that one?

Good luck barnaby, I don't know how they will respond to a change of birth date, maybe it depends how big a discrepancy it is and how strong the other evidence is (e.g. how rare a name it is and in how large/small a county?)

As to why to apply, I'm surprised about the derision; it's none of their business and you must have your reasons. Mine were a combination of sentimental and practical:

1. Affinity with Ireland. I may be English but Ireland is part of who I am, and since I lost my Nan a few years ago I lost something of that link, and I think it's nice to do something like this to remind me of where some of my family come from. Nothing tangible on this point, it just feels like a nice thing to do and it's already made me think differently about Ireland.

2. I've recently had to send my UK passport off in the post a couple of times to get processed for visas etc. and they can hang onto them for a while, and of course things can go missing in the post. I'd like to have a backup so I can travel even if my other one is stuck in an embassy's visa section or has been swiped by a postie.

3. Although I think it is unlikely that the UK will leave the EU, the prospect is being talked about more seriously than ever. If that does happen, UK citizens could lose a lot of rights, including the right to move to other EU countries, something my wife and I have considered as an option one day. If the government does accidentally pull us out of the EU in a misjudged referendum, we will still be EU citizens and the people currently deriding your application will suddenly find that they have lost a lot of freedoms of movement which you and I will retain. And if that does happen, I would be surprised if Ireland didn't do something about eligibility to stop them being swamped by applications for citizenship from Britons with Irish ancestry, so the citizenship ladder could be pulled up in the future.

Hope that helps, good luck with your application!

[BrightonJohn]

A friend & I had to wait 3 months for our FBR certificates from the London Embassy last year, but they have really improved since they started using the electronic form. My cousin took around 3 weeks to receive his.

Barnaby- the DOB on my Grandmother's Birth Certificate doesn't match the DOB on her marriage certificate and it wasn't questioned/ highlighted at all, so hopefully you'll be okay.

The process seems to be okay for applying for a passport through the embassy as well. It took my cousin about 3/4 weeks for his. Mine was slightly longer, as they couldn't contact my referee for a bit.

[barnaby]

Good luck barnaby, I don't know how they will respond to a change of birth date, maybe it depends how big a discrepancy it is and how strong the other evidence is (e.g. how rare a name it is and in how large/small a county?)

Well, I received my FBR certificate yesterday, after only 15 days (9 days longer than SE, but I guess that's because everything stops working during the school holidays in London). No questions were asked about the 2-year discrepancy in date of birth, but my grandmother did have a very rare surname.

1. Affinity with Ireland. I may be English but Ireland is part of who I am, and since I lost my Nan a few years ago I lost something of that link, and I think it's nice to do something like this to remind me of where some of my family come from. Nothing tangible on this point, it just feels like a nice thing to do and it's already made me think differently about Ireland.

Me too: I have a lifelong love of remote boggy places and persistent drizzle, and I tried to teach myself Irish 30 years ago (I still have the tapes). In fact, I collected all of the certificates needed for this FBR application 9 years ago but never proceeded with the application. It's thanks to this forum that I found out that it was now quite easy and quick to do.

2. I've recently had to send my UK passport off in the post a couple of times to get processed for visas etc...

3. Although I think it is unlikely that the UK will leave the EU, the prospect is being talked about more seriously than ever...

Those are also good reasons, and I didn't think of #3!

[barnaby]

Barnaby- the DOB on my Grandmother's Birth Certificate doesn't match the DOB on her marriage certificate and it wasn't questioned/ highlighted at all, so hopefully you'll be okay.

Thanks John. It's good to know that my granny is not the only person to have changed her age, as I've always believed!

The process seems to be okay for applying for a passport through the embassy as well. It took my cousin about 3/4 weeks for his. Mine was slightly longer, as they couldn't contact my referee for a bit.

That's good. My passport application will be in the mail tomorrow. I used a different witness this time, who refrained from derisive remarks and nosy questions!

[highlander123]

hi guys, I'm about to apply for my FBR, just a couple questions. What does the witness have to write on the back of the photo? and do you have to put some sort of stamp in the box?

also how much does it cost and what are the payment methods as I can't find an answer on the uk embassy website!

cheers

[BrightonJohn]

hi guys, I'm about to apply for my FBR, just a couple questions. What does the witness have to write on the back of the photo? and do you have to put some sort of stamp in the box?

also how much does it cost and what are the payment methods as I can't find an answer on the uk embassy website!

cheers

The witness has to write 'I confirm this is a true likeness of xxxxxx', date it and sign it. And yes, the official workplace stamp needs to go in the box.

It cost me £100 and I paid by cheque, made payable to 'Embassy of Ireland'.

[barnaby]

What does the witness have to write on the back of the photo?

My witness just signed and dated the photos, as instructed on the form.

how much does it cost and what are the payment methods as I can't find an answer on the uk embassy website!

Cheque seems the best method.

Very bad news (for you): just noticed that the fee has increased from £100 to a hefty £231, as of March 1: http://www.embassyofireland.co.uk/uploa ... 202013.pdf

[highlander123]

thanks for the replies. And to that price!