Charlie Flanagan has pleaded with British nationals to stop applying for Irish passports as the system struggles to cope with huge demand post-Brexit.
Advertisement
In a statement, Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade stressed that there was plenty of time before any eventual changes: “The UK is not leaving the European Union immediately and that all arrangements, rights and facilities linked to European Union membership still apply in full”.
Following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, the number of applications for Irish passports in Britain has witnessed a surge, officials said.
Anybody born in the Irish Republic or Northern Ireland, or with an Irish parent or grandparent, is entitled to an Irish passport.
“Due to the increased demand for Irish Passport Forms we have now run out”. A negotiation process will get underway and will take a minimum of two years prior to a United Kingdom exit. They can enjoy free movement rights, seek employment in other European Union states without having a work permit, use public healthcare facilities across the bloc and benefit from welfare and other rights.
Owner Gavin Emerson said: “Almost as soon as Brexit was announced we had an influx of people asking about Irish passports”.
He warned that the sudden and unnecessary increase in applications would significantly increase pressure on turnaround times at passport offices. I want to state clearly that this is not the case.
Anyone born on the island of Ireland before January 1, 2005 is entitled to Irish citizenship.
People have been advised to consult the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s website for information on passport entitlements and procedures.
In response to calls for a passport office in Belfast, Minister Flanagan said the majority of people applying do so via the post office network – and that this is the most convenient and cost-effective way to apply.
Post offices ran out of forms and the embassy fielded more than 4,000 passport enquiries compared to the 200 a day it usually gets, a diplomatic source told Reuters.
“There are passport offices in Dublin and Cork which can deal with emergency applications and, given the size of the island, people in Northern Ireland are not unduly disadvantaged”, he added. Other questions relate to foreign direct investment, Border controls and travel restrictions and a Border poll on a united Ireland in the coming years.
Advertisement
But he said the criteria for holding such a poll had not been triggered.
