Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956
Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (No. 26 of 1956)
The primary legislation governing Irish citizenship. Established citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register for descendants of Irish citizens born outside Ireland.
What this law actually does
Section 6: Irish citizen parent transmits citizenship to children born in Ireland
Section 7: Foreign Births Register mechanism for descendants born outside Ireland
Grandparent born in Ireland = eligibility through FBR
Each generation must register before the next is born for the chain to continue
This law is one piece of the Ireland eligibility picture. See the full overview for how it interacts with disqualifiers, documents, and timelines.
Ireland eligibility overviewGet alerts when this law changes
Citizenship laws move fast — Italy, Spain, and Poland all changed in 2025–26. We email you when the rules behind this page shift.