Six week rule does NOT apply after application submitted: CONFIRMED by justice minister's office

[toshinobu]

I'll leave out the details but I e-mailed the office of the Minister for Justice and received the response below CONFIRMING that the six week rule does not apply after a citizenship application is submitted. See below.

Thank you for your recent correspondence to the Minister for Justice, Mr Simon Harris T.D. The Minister has asked me to respond to you on his behalf.

Please be advised that your application for naturalisation continues to be processed. Applications are strictly dealt with in chronological order that they are received, and due to the high volume of applications that are received processing times can be up to 18-23 months.

While it is recognised that applicants would wish for their applications to be decided upon as quickly as possible, it is the case that some applications can take considerably longer than others.

The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process. It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.

For any person who has already submitted their naturalisation application, the six weeks absence rule no longer applies. However, if an applicant intends to travel outside the State for an extended period of time then they should contact Citizenship division with the details to citizenshipinfo@justice.ie

Please quote your application ID on all correspondence.

Applicants must have the required reckonable residency to qualify for naturalisation and must intend in good faith continue to reside in the State during their application and after they are naturalised Irish.

It is open to you to contact the Citizenship Division at citizenshipinfo@justice.ie for an update on your application. Please quote your application ID on all correspondence.

I trust this is of assistance.

Yours sincerely,

Xxxxxxx
Private Secretary to the
Minister for Justice

I hope this helps clear any doubts and that it makes the waiting process a little better for you <3 Best of luck.