The proposals went to Cabinet in September. Nothing is law yet, and the detail that matters most has not been drafted.
In early September, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan brought proposals to Cabinet for the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026. The headline change was a residency requirement of eight years before applying for naturalisation, up from five, with a language test, a civics requirement, an income condition and new powers to revoke citizenship on national security grounds.
What was proposed
Eight years’ residence, structured as two years continuous immediately before applying plus six of the previous ten. Proficiency in Irish, English or Irish Sign Language, with a waiver for vulnerable applicants. Foundational knowledge of Irish society, government and the Constitution. A requirement to be economically self-sufficient, with the Minister able to set an income level by reference to CSO earnings data. No social welfare or housing support at any point during the application process. And a streamlined process for revoking naturalised citizenship on public order or national security grounds.
Time spent in Ireland under the Temporary Protection Directive, which covers Ukrainians, would not count. Citizenship by descent is unaffected.
The process from here
The Government’s stated route is priority drafting, publication of a general scheme, and pre-legislative scrutiny by the Oireachtas justice committee. That scrutiny stage is where the detail is tested: the income threshold, the transitional arrangements, and the revocation procedure. Amendments at that stage are common.
The unanswered question
Roughly 61,000 people were waiting for a citizenship decision when the proposals were announced. Whether the eight-year rule applies to them, to applications made after the law commences, or to some intermediate group, has not been stated. For tens of thousands of households, that single drafting decision matters more than any other.
The reaction
Doras described the proposals as harsh and unnecessary, pointing to applicants who lose work through illness or reach pension age. Labour’s justice spokesperson called for the eight-year figure to be dropped. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission had already raised concerns about the November 2025 changes to family reunification and the increase from three to five years for refugees.
For anyone in the system
Nothing has changed yet. The current five-year rule applies to applications made now. Anyone close to eligibility should take advice on their own timeline rather than on headlines. We will report the published Bill when it appears.
