LONDON/DUBLIN — Applications for an Irish passport from people living in the UK reached a post-Brexit record high last year, driven primarily by the desire of UK residents to retain EU citizenship benefits lost after the UK’s formal departure from the bloc.
Figures released by the Department of Foreign Affairs show that a total of 242,772 people in the UK applied for an Irish passport in 2024, the highest number since the UK formally left the European Union. While applications peaked slightly higher in 2019 (244,976), the 2024 number signifies a substantial resurgence following a drop-off during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020 and 2021.
Key Trends
- Northern Ireland Dominance: More than half (53%) of all applications came from people living in Northern Ireland.
- Foreign Births Register Surge: The number of applications via the ‘Foreign Births Register’ (FBR)—the route for those in mainland Britain with an Irish parent or grandparent—reached a record 23,456 last year. This figure is a sharp increase from the pre-referendum level of just 873 in 2015, highlighting the impact of Brexit on those with Irish heritage.
Motivations: EU Rights and Future Planning
Immigration experts and applicants cite regaining EU freedom of movement as a primary motivator.
- Future Planning: Carol Sinnott, Chair of the Irish Immigration Lawyers Association, noted a trend of “future planning,” where people in their 20s and 30s are applying before having children. This is done to ensure their children will also be citizens of the European Union—a right that requires the parent to be an Irish citizen before the child is born.
- Reclaiming EU Status: For applicants like Joe Brindle, whose grandmother was from Co Kerry, the Irish passport is a way of reclaiming EU citizenship which he regretted losing due to Brexit.
- Practical Travel Benefits: Other applicants, like Alison O’Sullivan, whose family already holds Irish passports, admit that avoiding the post-Brexit travel complications and faster queues at airport passport control are also motivating factors.
Brian Dalton, CEO of Irish in Britain, views the surge as evidence of the deep intergenerational diaspora and an opportunity for reconnection. He stated the number of applicants shows “an awful lot of people here who have Irish heritage,” and encouraged new passport holders to “dive as deep as you want” in connecting with the Irish community.
