THE number of Irish passports being sought in the north has outstripped applications for British passports for the first time.
In 2020, more people in the north applied for an Irish passport than a British one, figures obtained by The Irish Times show.
A total of 48,555 people in Northern Ireland applied for a UK passport in 2020 - at least 356 fewer than those who opted for an Irish passport the same year (48,911).
The figures for last year show UK passport applications (63,774) were higher than for Irish passports (56,709).
But figures for this year so far show applications for Irish passports are outstripping British ones.
In January, London processed 6,148 UK passport applications for the north - an average of 198 a day.
Applications for an Irish passport, through post offices and online, numbered 24,643 during January and February - an average of 419 a day.
The 2016 Brexit referendum sparked an increase in the number of people in the north who are opting to travel on Irish passports.
An Irish passport allows the holder to travel freely within the EU.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, people born in the north can identify as either Irish, British or both.
The right allows people to carry both Irish and UK passports.
More than a third of the north's population holds an Irish passport.
