Ireland
Irish Foreign Birth Registration Documents Checklist (Grandparent Route)
This checklist is for an adult applying through a grandparent born in Ireland. Unless stated, originals must be sent. Source: ireland.ie, Registering a foreign birth
For you
- completed, signed and witnessed application form
- original civil birth certificate showing your parents' details
- original civil marriage certificate or other change of name document, if applicable
- photocopy of current state-issued photo ID (passport, driver's licence or national ID card), certified as a true copy by your form witness
- 2 separate original proofs of address
- 4 colour photos, 2 of them witnessed (don't attach them to the form)
For your parent (the link to the grandparent)
- original civil birth certificate showing their parents' details
- original civil marriage certificate or change of name document, if applicable
- certified photocopy of current state-issued photo ID, or their original civil death certificate
For your Irish-born grandparent
- original civil birth certificate showing their parents' details
- original civil marriage certificate or change of name document, if applicable
- certified photocopy of current state-issued photo ID, or their original civil death certificate
Source: ireland.ie If your grandparent was born before 1864, when Irish civil birth registration began, a baptismal certificate is accepted. Source: ireland.ie
Witness
Your witness must know you personally, not be a relative, and be currently practicing in a listed profession, such as police officer, teacher, member of clergy, doctor, nurse, pharmacist, dentist, lawyer, notary public, bank manager, accountant or chartered engineer. They witness the form and two photos, stamp the form (or include a business card) and certify your ID copy. Source: ireland.ie
Fees and sending
The fee is €278 for adults (€270 plus €8 postage and handling) and €153 for under-18s, paid online. The form is online only; you print it and post it with your documents. Source: ireland.ie Incomplete applications are returned and not processed. Source: ireland.ie
Siblings resident in the same country can share one set of family documents: send both forms in one envelope with a letter explaining it. Source: ireland.ie If you need old U.S. birth, marriage or death records, RecordsDirectory lists every state's vital records office.