The number of Britons applying for Irish passports has increased by more than two-thirds, at least partly because of Brexit, Ireland’s foreign minister has said.

Charlie Flanagan said he was very concerned about the impact of the UK’s impending departure from the European Union.

His department said 51,079 people from Great Britain and Northern Ireland applied for passports in the first quarter of 2017, compared with 30,303 during the same period last year. It received 250,000 passport applications from across the world in the same quarter.

British citizens told the Guardian last year that they were applying for Irish citizenship to “eliminate any hassle in employment” and ensure they can travel freely after Brexit.



“It’s reasonable to suggest that Brexit is a factor in what are record numbers of applications,” said Flanagan of the ruling Fine Gael party.

“I think it’s also reasonable to assume that there are large numbers of people of Irish descent who now feel that they would like to remain as EU citizens in what is a changing time in relations between Ireland and the UK.”

Under the Good Friday agreement, the 1.8 million people resident in Northern Ireland are entitled to Irish and EU citizenship.

Flanagan’s department issued 733,060 passports last year, up 9% on 2015. About 65,000 were given to Britons, a 42% rise on 2015.

According to the 2016 Irish census, nearly 5 million people live in Ireland.

The department is hiring extra staff and has launched an online passport renewal service to handle the number of applications.

Less than four days after the Brexit vote last June, Flanagan said there had been a surge in applications because of a “sense of concern”. Applications from the UK for Irish passports rose 83% in the three months after the referendum.

Whether British citizens will retain their right to freedom of movement after Brexit is still unclear, but Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, has said he will try to persuade EU leaders to make that the case.

Flanagan said: “I am very concerned about the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on our economy here in Ireland, and I am really anxious to make sure the Good Friday agreement is not disturbed.

“I am saddened that the UK is leaving the EU formally, but I of course very much accept the desire and will of the majority in the UK.”

A spokesman for Flanagan’s department said: “The increase in application numbers is attributable to a variety of causes, including an expanding population and a significant increase in outbound travel in recent years.

“The decision by the UK to leave the EU may have also had some impact, although the department does not ask people why they are applying for a passport, only whether or not they are eligible.”