The Department of Justice in Ireland has announced significant changes to the citizenship application process. These changes include new passport requirements and a scorecard approach for establishing identity and residency.
Under the new passport requirements, new applicants for citizenship are no longer required to submit their original passport with the initial application. Instead, they can provide a certified full-color copy of their entire passport, including all previous passports containing stamps that contribute to the applicant’s period of residency claimed.
The color copy of the passport must be certified by a solicitor, commissioner for oaths, or notary public. This requires checking the original passport’s front and back, comparing the biometric page(s) to the applicant, and initialing and stamping all color copy pages with a short letter confirming its authenticity.
Regarding the scorecard approach, applicants must now accumulate a total of 150 points for establishing identity and a score of 150 points for each year of residency claimed. Applicants can achieve these scores by submitting proofs with predetermined point values until they reach the required score for each year.
In the event that an applicant is unable to achieve 150 points, they should contact the Department of Justice for assistance. These new changes are expected to streamline the citizenship application process and make it more efficient.