13 February 2025
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie

Minister welcomes over 5,000 new Irish Citizens

Over today (Thursday) and tomorrow over 5,000 people will receive Irish Citizenship at the Convention Centre, Dublin. Applicants from over 130 countries will make a declaration of fidelity and loyalty to the State and become Irish citizens. Over six ceremonies held over two days, Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan will be joined by Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers and Minister of State Niall Collins.

An Irish passport can only be issued to an Irish citizen. A foreign born person usually must apply for Citizenship via Naturalisation first, and then can apply for a passport.

Speaking ahead of the ceremonies, Minister O’Callaghan said:

“It’s a great honour for me to attend my first citizenship ceremony as Minister for Justice.

“I know how much becoming an Irish citizen means to each and every person attending these ceremonies. I want to congratulate them, along with their family and friends who have come along to support them, on this important moment in their lives.

“Becoming a citizen means more than receiving an Irish Passport, it is about belonging, knowing that Ireland is your home and becoming truly part of our society.

“I call on all our new citizens to actively contribute to the wellbeing of our society and collectively, we can make Ireland a better place for everyone.”

Minister Collins said:

“I would like to congratulate all our new Irish citizens on obtaining their Irish citizenship and it is a privilege to share this day with you, your family and your friends.

“Our new citizens are contributing to a diverse and inclusive workforce, bringing a range of skills and talents that are enhancing the capabilities of our labour market and economy.”

Minister Chambers said:

“As a Minister, I know the economic value that migration brings to Ireland. I recognise the integral role that migration plays filling pivotal roles in our economy and bringing with it new ways to work and fresh thinking to overcome challenges.

“As a fellow citizen, I also know the true value to our society and culture that migration has brought – helping to enrich our towns, villages and communities and making them more diverse, vibrant and dynamic places to live, study and work.

“I am delighted to be able to participate in this celebration and I would like to wish all of our new citizens well on this new chapter in their lives.”

The Presiding Officer at the ceremonies over the next two days is Judge Mary Irvine, who will confer the attendees with Irish Citizenship. She will administer the Declaration of Fidelity to the Irish Nation and Loyalty to the State. The new Irish citizens will undertake to faithfully observe the laws of the State and to respect its democratic values.

In just over two years the Citizenship Division of the Department has gone from processing around 12,000 applications a year to processing over 20,000 applications in 2023, and nearly 31,000 in 2024.

Significant changes have been introduced in the Citizenship Division of the Department of Justice to speed up the application process for applicants, including the introduction of an online digital application, online payments, and eVetting.

As a result, processing times are now decreasing year on year. The length of time it takes to process an application has dropped from 15 months in 2023 to 8 months in 2024.

It is expected that going forward, the vast majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year, however, it is important to note that no two naturalisation applications are the same and some take longer than others to process. More information on the application process is available at the following link https://www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/. Any person applying for Citizenship requires the services of a Commissioner for Oaths.

Details

Citizenship ceremonies were first introduced in 2011 in order to mark the occasion of the granting of citizenship in a dignified and solemn manner, prior to that it was a District Court matter.

6400 candidates from 134 countries have been invited to attend 6 citizenship ceremonies on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th February in the Convention Centre, Dublin.

Since citizenship ceremonies were first introduced, there has been a total of 203 ceremonies (including the upcoming dates) with people from over 180 countries receiving their certificates of naturalisation.

To date, including minors, approximately 200,000 people have received Irish citizenship since 2011. Following the Dublin ceremonies, approximately a further 6400 will be added to this figure.

Top 10 nationalities of applicants:

Applicants by county: