Irish civil records come from the General Register Office in Ireland, which issues birth, marriage and death certificates and accepts applications from abroad. Missions in the United States do not keep a parallel register, and a birth here is not registered with an Irish consulate.
Quick facts
Instead of consular registration, Ireland uses the foreign birth register, which is a citizenship procedure rather than a civil-status one. It is covered on the citizenship page below, and it is where most American families end up.
Fees breakdown
| Service | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Irish birth, marriage or death certificate | Charged in Ireland | General Register Office |
| Foreign birth registration | Published fee | Applied for online, documents to Dublin |
| U.S. long-form certificate | $15–$50 | State vital records office |
| Apostille where required | $3–$25 | Secretary of State |
| Tracked postage | You supply it | Originals travel both ways |
Marrying in Ireland has its own notice requirements, with a minimum period before the ceremony, and they are handled by the register office there rather than by a consulate.
How to file
- Identify which certificates you need and from which country.
- Order Irish certificates from the General Register Office, which serves overseas applicants.
- Order U.S. certificates in long form, showing parents’ details.
- Check whether apostilles are needed for the use you have in mind.
- Keep originals safe: Irish files ask for them and return them.
- For a child born here, go to the foreign birth register rather than looking for a consular registration.
Required documents
- Long-form birth certificates for each person in the chain.
- Marriage certificates covering every name change.
- Death certificates where a person in the chain has died.
- Photo identification.
- Proof of address.
- Apostilles where the receiving office requires them.
Where to file
With the General Register Office in Ireland for certificates, and through the foreign birth register for citizenship by descent.
Consulate General of Ireland
View details →AustinConsulate General of Ireland - Austin
View details →BostonConsulate General of Ireland
View details →ChicagoConsulate General of Ireland
View details →DenverIrish Consulate
View details →Los AngelesConsulate General of Ireland
View details →New YorkPermanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations
View details →New YorkIrish Consulate
View details →New YorkConsulate General of Ireland
View details →San FranciscoConsulate General of Ireland
View details →WashingtonEmbassy of Ireland
View details →Additional notes
There is no consular birth registration
People search for it constantly. Ireland does not do it: descent is handled through the foreign birth register, which is a different thing with different consequences.
Church records are not civil records
Baptismal certificates are useful for genealogy and for locating an entry, but the register office certificate is what a citizenship file needs.
Records before 1864
Civil registration of births began in Ireland in 1864. Earlier generations are traced through parish records, which is genealogy rather than administration.
Northern Ireland is separate
Certificates for events in Northern Ireland come from the registry there, not from the office in Dublin.