Many people living in England have an Irish parent or grandparent and are applying to become Irish citizens, then for their first Irish passport. Both applications involve a form that has to be witnessed, and a notary public is one of the professionals the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs accepts as a witness. The two forms are different, and so is what the witness does.
- Foreign Births Registration form (FB1A): registering your birth so that you become an Irish citizen
- Passport Identity Verification Form: applying online for your first Irish passport
I do not advise on whether you are eligible or which documents apply to your family history. The Department sets that out on its registering a foreign birth and passport witnessing pages.
Foreign Births Registration: form FB1A
If your parent was an Irish citizen when you were born, or one of your grandparents was born in Ireland, you may be able to become an Irish citizen by entering your birth on the Foreign Births Register. You start the application online on the Department’s Foreign Birth Registration site, then print the FB1A form, sign it in front of your witness and post it with your supporting documents.
The Department asks the same witness to:
- witness your signature on the application form and stamp it
- sign and date two of your four photographs
- certify a photocopy of your passport or other state-issued photographic identity document as a true copy of the original
The Department also asks for a certified photocopy of the photographic identity document of the Irish citizen parent or grandparent, unless they have died, in which case it asks for the original death certificate. I can certify that copy from the original at the same appointment. Birth, marriage and naturalisation certificates are sent as originals and do not need certifying.
The Department states that a completed application takes around 12 months to process.
Your first Irish passport: Identity Verification Form
If you apply for your first Irish passport through the Department’s Passport Online service, you print an Identity Verification Form at the end of the online application. Your photograph is already printed on the form, so there are no separate photographs to sign. The witness has to be satisfied as to your identity and that the photograph is a true likeness of you, then completes, signs and stamps the witness section.
The form you bring must be a clear print of the original, not a photocopy or a scan, with its watermarks clearly visible. A faint or copied form may be rejected by the Department.
For both forms
Do not sign either form before the appointment. It has to be signed in front of the witness.
The Department asks for a witness who is satisfied as to your identity. Where we have not met before, I identify you fully from your original passport and proof of address before I witness anything, so I need to see those originals at the appointment.
For an FB1A, bring all four photographs with you, unsigned.
Cost
There is no VAT on my fees.
- Foreign Births Registration (FB1A): £200, covering everything I do for the application
- Passport Identity Verification Form: £160
The Department’s own fees are paid to it separately.
Before you get in touch
Email me to say which form you need witnessed and, for an FB1A, whose documents you will be bringing. Although I act independently as a notary, I am also a solicitor with the firm RWK Goodman and I use their offices for my notarial appointments. My professional practice rules require me to keep a copy of each notarised document, in most cases for 12 years but for a public form notarial act I have to keep a copy permanently, and I am also required to keep a copy of your identity documents for five years. Once I have those details I can confirm the position and we can take matters from there.
Malcolm GregoryNotary Public and Solicitor, in practice as a notary since 2006. Member of The Notaries Society, regulated through the Faculty Office. Ask Malcolm about your document
This guide is general information about notarial practice in England and Wales. It is not advice on your particular matter. The requirements of foreign governments and other receiving authorities are set by them and can change without notice, so check them with the authority before you act. I only act for you once I have confirmed your instructions and fees in writing. Fees and third-party charges were correct when written and can change.