Eligibility for Membership of the European Parliament
Information
The European Parliament is the institution that represents the citizens of the Member States. To be eligible for election as a member of the European Parliament (i.e., an MEP), there are certain criteria you must fulfil:
- You must be a citizen of Ireland or a resident EU citizen
- You must be over 21 years of age and
- You must not be disqualified from election to the Dáil
To stand for election, you must be nominated for election.
Rules
You are disqualified from membership of the European Parliament if:
- you are not a citizen of Ireland or a national of another Member State in the EU
- you have not yet reached 21 years of age
- you are a candidate for election in another member state
- you are a national of another Member State and you may not stand as a candidate for election in that Member State because of a law in that Member State
- you are a judge or the Comptroller and Auditor General
- you are a member of the Garda Siochana
- you are a whole-time member of the Defence Forces
- you are a civil servant and it does not specifically state in your contract of employment that you may be a member of the European Parliament
- you are a person of unsound mind
- you are presently in prison serving a term greater than 6 months
- you are an undischarged bankrupt.
If you are the Attorney General, the Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil, the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad or a Minister of State and you are elected to the European Parliament, you will cease to hold your original post on the day you are elected to the European Parliament.
View a list of existing Members of the European Parliament (MEP's) here.
Language
Related Documents
- Eligibility for Membership of Dáil Eireann
This document describes the eligibility criteria in order to qualify for membership of Dáil Eireann (house of the Irish parliament). - Nomination of Candidates for Membership of Dail Eireann
To be nominated for membership of the Dáil (a house of Irish Parliament), you may either nominate yourself or a Dáil elector may nominate you - European elections
Direct elections to the European Parliament take place every 5 years throughout the European Union.
Contact Us
If you have a question relating to this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0761 07 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm) or you can visit your local Citizens Information Centre.