Can I apply to become Irish yet?

The rule this applies

Five years reckonable residence in the nine years before applying: one year of continuous reckonable residence immediately before the date of application, and four years in the eight years before that. Up to 70 days outside the State are allowed in that final year, with up to 30 more in exceptional circumstances. Time on student permission (Stamp 2 or 2A), time undocumented and time as an international protection applicant are not reckonable.

Read the rule in full (opens in a new tab)

Only the Department of Justice can decide your case. Check with them before acting on this.

Why another figure might differ

The Department of Justice's own Naturalisation Residency Calculator may give a lower figure. Theirs works from your registration records and answers for the date you use it. This one answers "from when", so it still gives you an answer when you are not there yet — and it takes input from EU citizens, who have no registration records to enter.

What this assumes

• It counts five calendar years of reckonable residence from the date you entered — 1,826 or 1,827 days, because leap years add a day — and postpones that date by any time that was never reckonable.
• The five years must fall inside the nine years before you apply, so residence older than that is not counted. If you left Ireland and came back, enter the date you came back.
• Reckonable residence is counted from immigration permission, not from physical presence, so a holiday inside a valid permission still counts. Only the final twelve months carry an absence limit.
• It does not model the three-year route for the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen, the young adult route, or the Minister’s power to waive conditions.
• An EU, EEA, UK or Swiss citizen who has held that nationality for five years or less is assessed under the non-EEA rules, so this counts their residence the same way.
• It assumes your residence was lawful throughout. Time undocumented, on student permission, or awaiting an international protection decision is not reckonable.