IrishConsulSeattle.com

Consulate of Ireland, Seattle

with responsibility for Washington State

John Keane

Honorary Consul of Ireland

Seán Ó Catháin

Consal Oinigh na hÉireann

John.Keane@honoraryconsul.ie

7511 210th St SW, Unit 1

Edmonds, WA 98026

206-387-1970

Office meetings by appointment only

The role of an Honorary Consul of Ireland

An Honorary Consul is a private citizen who agrees to serve without pay to support the activities of the Irish government in areas where Ireland doesn't have a formal Consulate. The principal role of the Honorary Consul in Seattle is to assist the Irish Embassy in Washington, DC, through the Irish Consulate in San Francisco, in promoting contacts between Washington State and Ireland, in facilitating business and official visitors from Ireland, in supplying information on Ireland, and in providing consular services to Irish citizens who are visiting or who reside in Washington State. If you need assistance or have questions, please don't hesitate to use the contact information above.

Consulate General of Ireland San Francisco

One Post Street, Suite 2300

San Francisco, CA 94104

415-392-4214

ireland.ie/sanfrancisco/

Embassy of Ireland Washington, DC

2234 Massachusetts Ave NW

Washington, DC 20008

202-462-3939

Ireland.ie/washington

Irish Passports

Irish citizens who wish to apply for a first-time Irish passport, or to renew an old or expiring Irish passport, must apply online at passportonline.dfa.ie. Applications on paper forms are no longer accepted.

The online passport application process is very easy to use, the prompts are self-explanatory and easy to follow; the passport photo can be taken by a family member or friend using a smartphone; submitting the application normally takes 15-20 minutes to complete; the fee is paid via credit card; while the standard processing time is anywhere from 4-8 weeks depending on the complexity of the application.

Please note that you must follow the photo guidelines at photo-guidelines as the photo pose required is not a standard US-style passport photo pose.

When supporting documents are required, they must be mailed to the address in Ireland listed on the Application. For a list of supporting documents required, visit Ireland.ie/PassportsDocuments..

You cannot apply for an Irish passport unless you are an Irish citizen. If you're unsure as to whether you are an Irish citizen, or for more information, contact John.Keane@honoraryconsul.ie. Include details as to how you think you qualify for Irish citizenship.

Emergency Travel / Lost Passport?

An Emergency Travel Document can sometimes be issued to an Irish citizen in documented emergencies requiring urgent travel if a person's passport is lost or stolen or expired. Contact John.Keane@honoraryconsul.ie or 206-387-1970 for more details.

Irish Citizenship

Are you eligible to claim Irish Citizenship (a/k/a FBR or Foreign Births Registration)?

* A child whose father or mother was born on the island of Ireland, is an Irish citizen at birth and is eligible to apply for an Irish passport. Foreign Births Registration does not apply to them.

* A child whose non-Irish-born father or mother was an Irish citizen at the time of the child's birth, is eligible to apply for Irish citizenship, and ultimately an Irish passport.

* A child who has at least one grandparent who was born on the island of Ireland, is eligible to apply for Irish citizenship, and ultimately an Irish passport.

* A child whose great-grandfather or great-grandmother was born in Ireland qualifies to apply for Irish citizenship by descent ONLY if one of the child's parents had become an Irish citizen before the date of the child's birth.

FBR PROCESSING

Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic caused serious delays in the processing of FBR applications which now take approximately 24 months. For updates on the situation, visit the FBR website at Ireland.ie/dfa/citizenship.

NOTE - you are not eligible to claim Irish citizenship by descent unless you can prove:

1. At least one of your four grandparents was born on the island of Ireland

2. At the time of your birth, one of your parents already was an Irish citizen (for example, if before you were born, one of your parents had received Irish citizenship by descent from their Irish-born grandparent).

You can check the detailed requirements for Irish citizenship at Ireland.ie/dfa/citizenship.

Irish Birth/Marriage/Death Certificates

Original long-form Irish BMD (birth, marriage, death) certificates dating to 1864 can be ordered online for about $25 each (including postage) at certificates.ie. If the BMD happened in Northern Ireland after 1921, go to nidirect.gov.uk/gro. For UK BMD certificates, go to gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate, and for US BMD certificates, go to vitalchek.com.

Original state certified long-form civil certificates are ones that have been directly issued by a government body (e.g., not a church), regardless of when issued. Long form certificates are required as they have additional information that is often not provided on short-form certificates. For example, long form birth certificates normally list the names and places of birth of the person's parents. Any certificates or other original documents submitted with an application will be returned upon approval or denial of the application.

Irish Visas

Irish Visas cannot be issued by the Honorary Consul in Seattle.

US citizens carrying a valid US passport do not normally require an Irish visa to visit Ireland for up to 90 days in a calendar year.

If you are not a US citizen, whether you have a US Green Card or not has no bearing on your qualifications to receive a visa to travel to Ireland. Read the Irish Visa Details on the San Francisco Irish Consulate website for information about who determining if you need a visa to visit or to work in Ireland, how to apply, etc. Whether or not you need a visa depends on citizenship - what valid passport will you carry when traveling to Ireland?

After completing the online application, the signed paper application and supporting documentation must be submitted via mail to the San Francisco Irish Consulate. An office visit is not normally required. The Fee for a single-entry visa is $102 or $157 for multiple entry.

The normal processing time for an Irish visa is about 3 weeks once the online application and required documentation has been received at the Irish Consulate in San Francisco. However, please do anticipate the possibility of additional delays and submit your application early.

Contact John.Keane@honoraryconsul.ie for more details.

Students' Working Holiday Visa (WHA)

US citizen college students or recent graduates (within the past 12 months) may qualify to work in Ireland for up to 12 months through the US-Ireland Working Holiday Program. For the specific eligibility requirements, and also a link to the application form, see the San Francisco Consulate website at Working Holiday Authorization.

For additional information, contact:

John Keane | Honorary Consul of Ireland

John.Keane@honoraryconsul.ie