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Citizenship by descent checker

Rules verified 2026-10-26 · Informational only, not legal advice

What you need for each pathway

Ireland

Cost

EUR 278 for adults (EUR 270 + EUR 8 postage), EUR 153 under 18

Processing time

approximately 12 months, in date order

Official site

https://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/citizenship/born-abroad/registering-a-foreign-birth/

Documents:

• Online application form (fbr.dfa.ie), printed, signed and witnessed with the witness's stamp
• Your original civil birth certificate showing your parents
• Photocopy of your photo ID, certified by the same witness
• Two original proofs of your address
• Four colour passport photos, two signed and dated by the witness
• Your Irish-citizen parent's original civil birth certificate and certified ID (or death certificate if deceased)
• Your Irish-born grandparent's original civil birth certificate showing their parents, and certified ID or death certificate
• Marriage or name-change documents for anyone whose name changed

Watch out: Certificates must be original civil records: from the GRO in Ireland, or GRONI for Northern Ireland births. A printout of a free online record is not an original certificate. The witness must know you personally and be in a profession on the DFA's list. Everything is posted; there is no public office.

Canada

Cost

CAD 75 per person for a citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship)

Processing time

about 34 months for new applications as of October 2026 (IRCC figures reported by CIC News; about 10 months in March 2026). Add 3 to 4 months if filed through a mission outside Canada and the US. Check IRCC's processing-times tool for today's figure

Official site

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/proof-citizenship/about.html

Documents:

• Your birth certificate
• Your Canadian parent's or grandparent's birth or naturalization record
• Documents linking each generation in the chain
• Evidence of physical presence in Canada if the substantial-connection test applies

Watch out: Bill C-3 took effect 2025-12-15. For second-and-later-generation births after that date, the Canadian parent must show 1095 days of physical presence in Canada before the birth (any time, need not be consecutive). That test does not apply to children of Canadian Forces or public servants posted abroad. In June 2026 IRCC reviewed certificates issued under Bill C-3 and tightened document checks, so send complete civil records for every generation.

Not covered yet

Italy (jure sanguinis), Poland (confirmation of citizenship), Germany (StAG §15), Portugal (descent), United Kingdom (ancestry visa). For Italy, read the Italian citizenship by descent guide, and compare it with Ireland here.

Going further on Ireland: the Foreign Births Register guide.

Questions

Can I get Irish citizenship through my grandparent?

Yes, if your grandparent was born on the island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland. You apply through the Foreign Births Register. A great-grandparent only works if your parent was registered on the Foreign Births Register before you were born.

Can I get Canadian citizenship through my grandparent?

Since Bill C-3 took effect on 15 December 2025, the first-generation limit is gone, so many grandchildren of Canadians are now citizens. For people born after that date in the second or later generation, the Canadian parent must have spent 1,095 days in Canada before the birth.

Does this checker store my family details?

No. It asks for countries and years only, never names. The answer is computed and nothing is saved.

Which countries does it cover?

Ireland and Canada today. Italy (jure sanguinis), Poland (confirmation of citizenship), Germany (StAG §15), Portugal (descent), United Kingdom (ancestry visa) are in progress, and the checker says so rather than guessing.