Private business, not a government website. Irish Roots Pack is not part of the Irish government. You can apply directly on the official Department of Foreign Affairs page without paying us anything.
Foreign Births Register · for UK families · UK residents only
Eligibility check and application preparation for the Foreign Births Register
For UK adults with a grandparent born on the island of Ireland, and parents adding their children. We check which route applies to you, map your family link, tell you exactly which certificates to order and where, check them when they arrive and prepare your form answers. You order the certificates, submit the online form, pay the DFA fee, sign and post.
48h turnaround for our part
UK residents only
Refund: if the DFA returns your application for a reason on our pre-post checklist, we refund the £99 in full. How refunds work
The official DFA fee (€278 adult / €153 under 18) is separate. You pay it online to the DFA yourself when you submit the official online form. Certificate fees are also separate and paid by you directly to the issuing offices.
What's included
Eligibility check
We confirm which route applies to you (grandparent or Irish-citizen parent) before you order any certificates.
Family-tree mapping
We map the link from you to your Irish-born grandparent and list every certificate the application needs, for every generation.
Certificate ordering links
You order the certificates yourself, directly from the official issuing offices, and pay their fees to them. We tell you exactly which ones to order and where:
- England and Wales: General Register Office (GRO)
- Scotland: National Records of Scotland (NRS)
- Northern Ireland: GRONI
- Republic of Ireland: certificates.ie
Certificate checker
When your certificates arrive, we match names, dates and places across every document and every generation, and flag any mismatch or missing link (for example a short-form certificate without parents' details, or a name change with no marriage certificate).
Online form answers prepared
We prepare your answers for the official online application so the details match your certificates exactly. You enter them, submit the form and pay the DFA fee online yourself.
Witness kit
Who can witness, what they sign and stamp, which photos and copies they certify, and a one-page sheet to hand them on the day.
Pre-post check against every DFA requirement
Before you post, send us photos or scans of your assembled pack and we check it item by item against every requirement on the DFA's current page.
48h for our part. We turn round each step that's ours (the eligibility check, your certificate list, the certificate check, your form answers and the pre-post check) within 48 hours of receiving what we need from you. How long the issuing offices take to send certificates, and the DFA's processing time, are outside our control.
You stay in control. The application is yours. You order your certificates, submit the online form, pay the DFA fee online, sign in front of your witness and post the pack yourself. That's how the official process works.
What goes in the envelope
This is the DFA's list for an adult applying through an Irish-born grandparent, as its current page describes it. Unless stated, originals must be sent. Under-18 applications and applications through a parent who was naturalised or entered on the Foreign Births Register have their own lists on the DFA page.
Your documents (the applicant)
- Completed, signed and witnessed application form
- Original civil birth certificate (showing parental details)
- Original civil marriage certificate (if applicable) or other change of name document (if applicable)
- Photocopy of your current state-issued photographic ID (passport, driving licence or national identity card), certified as a true copy of the original by your application form witness
- 2 separate original proofs of address
- 4 colour photographs, 2 of them witnessed. Don't attach them to the application form.
Your parent (the one descended from the Irish-born grandparent)
- Original civil birth certificate (showing parental details)
- Original civil marriage certificate (if applicable) or other change of name document (if applicable)
- Photocopy of their current state-issued photographic ID, certified as a true copy by a professional from the witness list, or their original civil death certificate (if applicable)
Your grandparent born in Ireland
- Original civil birth certificate (showing parental details)
- Original civil marriage certificate (if applicable) or other change of name document (if applicable)
- Photocopy of their current state-issued photographic ID, certified as a true copy by a professional from the witness list, or their original civil death certificate (if applicable)
Your witness
- Must know you personally, must not be a relation, and must be currently practising one of the professions on the DFA's list (for example police officer, teacher or lecturer, member of the clergy, doctor, nurse, pharmacist, dentist, lawyer, notary public or commissioner for oaths, bank or credit union manager, accountant, elected public representative, vet or chartered engineer)
- The same witness witnesses the form and 2 of the photographs, uses their official stamp on the form, and certifies the photocopy of your photo ID as a true copy of the original
- If they don't have an official stamp, include their business card
Paying and posting
- The DFA fee is paid online when you submit the online form (€278 adult / €153 under 18). There's no paper form to download: you print the one the online system produces.
- Post the pack to the address on your printed application form. The DFA has no public office, so you can't hand it in.
- Send it by recorded post so you can track it. The DFA doesn't acknowledge receipt.
- Don't include a prepaid return envelope. The DFA returns all your documents by recorded mail.
- Don't put a passport application in the same envelope. Passport applications are processed in a different office.
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs – Registering a foreign birth. Last checked 30 October 2026. Requirements can change. Always check the official page before you post.
Applying for a child, or through a parent rather than a grandparent? See the full documents checklist for every route.
The honest comparison
You can do all of this yourself for free. The official guidance is on the DFA website. Here's what each option involves.
| Do it yourself | Irish Roots Pack | |
|---|---|---|
| Our fee | £0 | £99 |
| Official DFA fee | €278 adult / €153 under 18, paid online by you | €278 adult / €153 under 18, paid online by you |
| Certificates | You work out which you need, then order them | You order them, using our list and links; fees paid by you to the issuing offices |
| Certificate and form checks | You do them | Certificate checker, form answers prepared, pre-post check against every DFA requirement |
| Signing, witnessing, posting | You | You, with our witness kit and posting checklist |
| Turnaround for our part | Not applicable | 48h per step |
| DFA processing time | About 12 months | About 12 months: we can't speed it up |
Official fees and timings: Department of Foreign Affairs – Registering a foreign birth. These can change. Always check the official page.
Quick eligibility check
Three or four questions, based on the DFA's published rules. It's a guide, not a decision. Only the DFA decides.
Questions
What is the Foreign Births Register?
It's how people born outside Ireland become Irish citizens through an Irish-born grandparent, or through a parent who was an Irish citizen when they were born but wasn't born in Ireland. Once you're entered on the register you're an Irish citizen and can apply for an Irish passport.
My parent was born in Ireland. Do I need this?
No. If a parent born on the island of Ireland was an Irish citizen when you were born, you're already an Irish citizen and can apply for a passport directly. Please don't buy this pack.
Does Northern Ireland count?
The DFA's rules refer to the island of Ireland, so a grandparent born in Northern Ireland can qualify. If you're unsure, the eligibility check comes first, before you order any certificates.
Who orders the certificates?
You do, directly from the official issuing offices: GRO for England and Wales, NRS for Scotland, GRONI for Northern Ireland and certificates.ie for the Republic of Ireland. You pay their fees to them. Our £99 doesn't include any certificate fees, and we don't order certificates on your behalf. We give you the exact list of what to order, then check the certificates when they arrive.
What's your refund policy?
If the DFA returns your application for a reason on our pre-post checklist, we refund the £99 in full.
The refund doesn't cover DFA fees, certificate costs, eligibility decisions, or anything we weren't shown before you posted.
To claim, email us within 30 days of the date on the DFA's return letter, with a copy of the letter.
Can you speed up the DFA's processing?
No. Applications are processed in strict date order and currently take about 12 months. No one outside the DFA can change that. What we can do is reduce the risk of your application being returned for missing or inconsistent documents.
Will my original documents be returned?
The DFA says it returns all original certificates at the end of the process, by recorded mail, to the address on your application form. You don't need to include a return envelope. Send your pack by recorded post so you can track it.
Can I add my children?
Yes. Once you're on the register, children born after your registration can be registered too. Children born before you registered can't qualify through you this way. Tell us about your family and we'll map who qualifies.
What if I'm not sure I qualify?
Use the eligibility check above. If the result is "needs checking", email us before you buy and we'll tell you honestly whether the pack is right for you.
How do I contact you?
Email hello@irishrootspack.com.
Free guides
Plain-English guides to the Foreign Births Register for people living in the UK, checked against the DFA's official page on 30 October 2026.
- Foreign Births Register: the complete guide for UK residentsWho qualifies, every step from certificates to posting, and what happens after.
- Documents checklistEvery document the DFA asks for, for adults and children, on every route.
- Cost and processing timeThe DFA fee, certificate costs from each office, and how long each stage takes.
- Parent, grandparent or great-grandparent?Which route applies to you, and when a great-grandparent link works.
- Ordering certificates from GRO, NRS, GRONI and the HSEWhere to order each generation's certificates and which version to ask for.
- Witness and photosWho can witness, what they sign and stamp, and the photo rules.
Ready to start?
Eligibility check and application preparation for £99, with 48h turnaround for our part. Certificate fees and the DFA fee are separate and paid by you directly. You'll get a short intake form after payment.
Start my application prep, £99UK residents only
Refund: if the DFA returns your application for a reason on our pre-post checklist, we refund the £99 in full. How refunds work