British Nationality Law and The Republic of Ireland - Ireland Act 1949

Ireland Act 1949

The United Kingdom's Ireland Act 1949 came into force on 18 April 1949 and recognised the end of the Irish state's status as a British dominion, which had been effected under the Irish parliament's Republic of Ireland Act 1948 which was brought into force in 1949. The 1949 Act provided that "citizens of the Republic of Ireland" (the new British nomenclature adopted under the Act) would continue to be treated on a par with those from Commonwealth countries and would not be treated as aliens in the United Kingdom.

Section 5 of the 1949 Act conferred Citizenship of the UK and Colonies (CUKC) on any Irish-born person meeting all the following criteria:

1. was born before 6 December 1922 in what became the Republic of Ireland;
2. was domiciled outside the Republic of Ireland on 6 December 1922;
3. was ordinarily resident outside the Republic of Ireland from 1935 to 1948; and
4. was not registered as an Irish citizen under Irish legislation.