Searches For “How to Get an Irish Passport” Surge as Travellers Look for a Second Passport
Global Work and Travel - Report
(Text Copyright Sophie Chanel & Global Work and Travel who provided the data, reproduced with kind permission)
New search data shows interest in Irish passports is up 28% year-on-year, with 9,000 searches in the past month alone
Searches for “how to get an Irish passport” have risen by 28% year-on-year, as more Brits and Americans look for ways to secure EU rights, travel flexibility and a long-term “Plan B”.
Data from Google trends, analyzed by Global Work & Travel shows the search term reached 9,000 searches in the past month, with a notable spike around October and November 2025, when interest climbed sharply before easing again in early 2026.
According to Global Work & Travel, the rise reflects a growing shift in how people view second passports. For many, an Irish passport is no longer seen as just a family heritage document, but as a practical route to more freedom, especially for those with Irish parents or grandparents.
Irish citizenship by descent can be available through an Irish-born parent or grandparent, with eligible applicants registering through Ireland’s Foreign Births Register before applying for a passport. Once someone is entered onto the register, they are an Irish citizen and can apply for an Irish passport.
Jürgen Himmelmann, travel expert at Global Work & Travel, said:
“An Irish passport has become one of the most sought-after second passports because it gives people something many now feel they have lost or want to protect: options.
For Brits, Brexit is still the big driver. An Irish passport can restore the right to live, work and study across the EU, which is why so many people with Irish parents or grandparents are now looking into whether they qualify.
For Americans, the motivation is slightly different. It is often about ancestry, lifestyle, education, healthcare, travel and having a genuine Plan B. A second passport can feel like a safety net, especially when politics, cost of living and global uncertainty are making people think more seriously about where they could live in the future.
The spike we saw towards the end of 2025 is interesting because it suggests people are not just casually curious. They are actively searching for the process, which usually means they are checking eligibility, documents and timelines.”
Official figures reported in November 2025 showed 242,772 people applied for an Irish passport in 2024, with more than half coming from Northern Ireland. The number of people living in Britain who applied via the Foreign Births Register reached 23,456 in 2024, the highest since the Brexit referendum.
Interest is also rising in the United States. Recent reports show American applications for Irish citizenship through ancestry rose 63% in 2025, from 11,601 in 2024 to 18,910.
Jürgen added:
“The biggest mistake people make is assuming Irish ancestry automatically means they can get a passport tomorrow. In reality, people need to prove the family link with the right documents, and if they are applying through a grandparent, they usually need to complete Foreign Birth Registration first.
It is not instant, but for eligible travellers, workers, students and families, it can be life-changing. An Irish passport can open the door to Ireland, the wider EU and a different level of long-term travel freedom.”
Expert Comment Source
Search data source: Google trends, “how to get an Irish passport”, five-year monthly search trend.
Expert comment: Jürgen Himmelmann, Global Work & Travel: https://www.globalworkandtravel.com/
