Nationality Guidance
The ‘Civil Service Nationality Rules’ determine who the Northern Ireland Civil Service can open posts to. All Candidate Information Booklets set out the nationality requirements of specific posts.
The posts will be described as being 'Reserved' or 'non-Reserved'. If a post is described as ‘Reserved’, then you must be a UK national to be able to apply.
If a post is described as 'non-Reserved', you are eligible to apply if you are a:
(i) UK national; or
(ii) National of a Commonwealth country; or
(iii) National of the Republic of Ireland; or
(iv) EEA nationals with (or eligible for) status under the EU Settlement Scheme; or
(v) Relevant EEA or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service; or
(vi) Relevant EEA or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service; or
(vii) Certain family members of the relevant EEA & Turkish nationals
(i) ‘UK National’ means a person who is a British citizen (including persons from the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man), a British subject under Part IV of the British Nationality Act 1981 having the right of abode in the UK or a British Dependent Territories citizen acquiring his/her citizenship from connection with Gibraltar.
(ii) ‘Commonwealth Citizen’ means any person who has the status of a Commonwealth citizen under the British Nationality Act 1981, not covered by the ‘UK Nationality’ definition above. This includes British Dependent Territories citizens (other than Gibraltarians), British Overseas citizens, and from 1986 those persons in the category British National (Overseas).
(iii) ‘British Protected Person’ means a member of any class of persons declared to be British Protected Persons by Order in Council under the British Nationality Act 1981, or by virtue of the Solomon Islands Act 1978.
(iv) ‘EEA National’ means a national of one of the following countries:
Austria Finland Latvia Portugal
Belgium France Liechtenstein Romania
Bulgaria Germany Lithuania Slovakia
**Croatia Greece Luxembourg Slovenia
Cyprus Hungary Malta Spain
Czech Republic Iceland Netherlands Sweden
Denmark Ireland Norway
Estonia Italy Poland
N.B. Nationals from Switzerland also have the same free movement and employment rights.
‘Family member of the relevant EU or Turkish nationals’ means:
(i) That national’s spouse*; or
(ii) A direct descendant (child, grandchild etc.) of that national or his/her spouse who is under 21 years of age or is their dependent; or
(iii) A dependent relative in the ascending line (parent, grandparent etc.) of the EEA national or his/her spouse.
*Note: ‘Spouse’ does not include a party to a marriage of convenience and in the case of EEA national vocational students family members are restricted to spouses and dependent children only.
Further guidance on nationality can be obtained at www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk