According to a spokesman for UK Post Office, the majority of the people seeking Irish passports is British nationals residing in Northern Ireland.
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Foreign affairs minister Charlie Flanagan urged British citizens with the right to an Irish passport to apply only if it was necessary as the service was struggling to cope.
Post offices ran out of forms and the embassy fielded more than 4000 passport enquiries compared to the 200 a day it usually gets, a diplomatic source told Reuters.
They are entitled to the same public healthcare as Irish citizens, do not need an employment or residency permit, and can travel back to the United Kingdom without a visa or passport.
The citizens of 28 European Union nations enjoy free movement rights in the member states, as well as they can seek employment without the need for a work permit and use healthcare facilities.
“At the same time, the referendum has not in any way changed the entitlement to an Irish passport which extends to those born on the island of Ireland and those claiming citizenship through parents or grandparents born in Ireland”. I want to state clearly that this is not the case.
Flanagan warned that an unnecessary surge in applications would place significant pressure on turnaround times at passport offices and could affect those with imminent travel plans.
Ireland’s embassy in Paris has also been dealing with a record number of requests, Reuters reports.
Seamus Leheny, Freight Transport Association’s Policy and Membership Manager for Northern Ireland, said: “Coming out of the union risks new costs, restrictions and bureaucratic requirements being imposed on moving goods in and out of Europe”.
Elsewhere, views are mixed among the estimated 400,000 British expatriates entitled to dual citizenship if they have lived in France for five years or have a French spouse.
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Discussion about applying for an Irish passport has been rife on social media. It’s happening particularly in Northern Ireland, where most of the population qualifies, and where, unlike England, nearly 56 percent of voters chose to remain in the EU. “I’ve applied for an Irish passport and now have bought an Irish football top”. I want to stay in the European Union and I don’t know what the limitations will be.
