Private business, not a government website. Irish Roots Pack is not part of the Irish government. Everything on this page is free to use, and you can apply directly on the official Department of Foreign Affairs page without paying anyone.
Foreign Births Register cost and processing time
Last checked 30 October 2026 against the official DFA page. Rules and fees can change: always check the DFA page before you post.
The full cost of registering from the UK, from the DFA fee to each certificate, and a realistic timeline from first order to registration.
In short
- DFA fee: €278 if you're 18 or over, €153 if you're under 18. Paid online.
- On top of that you pay for certificates: £12.50 each from the GRO in England and Wales, £12 from Scotland's People, £15 from GRONI and €20 from the HSE in Ireland (prices checked 30 October 2026).
- The DFA currently takes about 12 months, processing applications in strict date order. Nobody outside the DFA can speed it up.
The DFA fee
| 18 and over | Under 18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Registration plus certificate | €270 | €145 |
| Postage and handling (non-refundable) | €8 | €8 |
| Total | €278 | €153 |
You pay online when you submit the form. The DFA says the fee includes postage for returning your certificates, which is why you don't send a return envelope.
Certificate costs
You order certificates yourself from the official offices. Prices below are from each office's own page, checked on 30 October 2026:
| Where the event was registered | Office | Standard price | Timing and extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | General Register Office (GOV.UK) | £12.50 | GOV.UK says certificates are sent 4 days after you apply. Without a GRO index reference number it's £3.50 extra per search and they're sent 15 working days after you apply. Priority service £38.50, sent the next working day if you order by 4pm. |
| Scotland | Scotland's People (National Records of Scotland) | £12 | Extra copies of the same certificate £10. Standard dispatch within 15 working days; priority next-day dispatch costs extra. |
| Northern Ireland | GRONI (nidirect) | £15 | Includes a £7 search fee that's kept if the record isn't found. Extra copies ordered at the same time £8. Priority certificate £20; Special Delivery in the UK £6.20. |
| Republic of Ireland | HSE civil registration (certificates.ie) | €20 | Full standard birth certificate. Postage to Great Britain or Northern Ireland €5. Phone orders take around 5 working days to process. |
A worked example
Say you live in Leeds, your mother was born in Manchester and your grandmother was born in County Mayo. Your grandmother has died. On the grandparent route you'd typically need:
- Your full birth certificate (GRO): £12.50
- Your mother's full birth certificate (GRO): £12.50
- Your mother's marriage certificate, if her surname changed (GRO): £12.50
- Your grandmother's Irish birth certificate (HSE): €20 plus €5 postage
- Your grandmother's marriage certificate, to link her maiden name (wherever she married)
- Your grandmother's death certificate (wherever she died)
That's roughly six certificates before the DFA fee. If you already hold some originals, you may not need to order them again. This is an illustration, not a quote: what you need depends on your family.
Other small costs
- 4 colour photographs (and 4 of yourself if you're applying for a child)
- Recorded post to Ireland
- Optional help, such as our £99 preparation service. It's not required: you can do the whole thing yourself.
How long it takes
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Ordering UK certificates | From a few days (GRO with an index number) to around 15 working days (GRO without an index number, Scotland's People standard) |
| Ordering Irish certificates | Around 5 working days to process a phone order, plus postage |
| Witnessing and posting | Depends on you and your witness |
| DFA processing | About 12 months, in strict date order |
Both the DFA and Citizens Information currently give about 12 months. You may see older pages quoting 9 months: the current DFA page says 12. The DFA will contact you if it needs more documents, and its citizenship page says applications needing clarification or further documents take longer.
Can it be speeded up? No. The DFA processes applications in strict date order. The one exception it mentions is expectant parents whose baby may be born before the application is processed. They can contact the Customer Service Hub and should mark this clearly on the application.
When does citizenship start? On the date you're entered on the register, not your date of birth (Citizens Information). That matters if you're planning a family: children born before your registration date can't qualify through you.
Sources
- Department of Foreign Affairs – Registering a foreign birth (ireland.ie)
- Department of Foreign Affairs – Citizenship (ireland.ie)
- Citizens Information – Foreign Births Register
- Citizens Information – Irish citizenship through birth or descent
- GOV.UK – Order a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate
- Scotland's People – Order a certificate
- nidirect – Ordering life event certificates
- HSE – Order an Irish birth certificate
Facts on this page come from the official pages above, checked on 30 October 2026. Where we give our own practical tips, we say so. This guide is not legal advice.