Brits seek EU passports after Brexit

Post offices in Ireland are running out of application forms for Irish passports. Photo / iStock

More UK citizens are researching their family histories online in the hopes of securing an EU passport, despite voting to Brexit.

The Sun reported that new trial memberships on genealogy website Ancestry surged by 40 per cent in the week after the UK voted to leave the European Union.

Sue Moncur, Ancestry UK country manager, told the Sun the website had also seen a 20 per cent rise in daily searches for Irish records after the referendum.

"The question of British identity has been brought into focus for many because of the referendum," she said.

"The spike in interest in people investigating their family history is likely linked to that, alongside a more general curiosity about European or international identity."

The trend followed a flood of applications for Irish passports by eligible UK citizens, with post offices in Northern Ireland struggling to keep the application forms in stock.

Six million Brits are reportedly eligible for Irish passports, but Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan urged people to only apply if they really needed to.

In order to qualify for Irish citizenship, a person must be born on the island of Ireland or have Irish parents. In some cases, those with an Irish grandparent are also eligible.

- nzherald.co.nz