Citizenship ceremonies will be temporarily replaced during the COVID-19 pandemic with a requirement for citizenship applicants to instead sign an affidavit declaring loyalty to the State, the Government has announced.
Following the return of a fully completed declaration, applicants will receive a certificate of naturalisation from the Department of Justice.
In line with the move towards providing an online citizenship application process by mid-2021, eTax-clearance and eVetting for citizenship applicants will also be introduced.
These changes will come into effect after the Minister of Justice signs a statutory instrument to the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956.
The Department noted that there are currently in excess of 21,000 citizenship applications on hand and waiting until large in-person citizenship ceremonies could take place again is not an option.
Media release: ‘Citizenship applicants to sign affidavit of loyalty under temporary COVID-19 measures announced by Minister McEntee’
