Citizenship by descentYour family’s story could come with a European passport.

Citizenship by descent (jus sanguinis, or jure sanguinis in Italy) is citizenship you hold or can claim because a parent, grandparent or earlier ancestor was a citizen. Unlike naturalization or citizenship by investment, it isn't earned through residence or bought — it is inherited, as long as the line between your ancestor and you was never broken.

It depends on the country and whether the citizenship chain was broken by naturalization. Rules vary widely — since its 2025 reform, Italy limits new claims by people born abroad to those with a parent or grandparent who held only Italian citizenship (or a parent who lived in Italy for two years before their birth), while Ireland goes to grandparent level and others (Hungary, Poland) have no fixed generational limit — Hungary also offers simplified naturalization to descendants whose line was broken. Use the checker above to see your specific situation.

Often, but not always — it depends on the country and the law in force at the time. In Italy, Germany, Poland and Luxembourg, naturalizing elsewhere before the next generation was born generally broke the line. In Hungary, the 1879 citizenship law didn't list foreign naturalization itself as a ground for loss, so the authority has to look at the dates. Separate routes exist for many broken lines — such as the Czech declaration, Slovakia's ancestry grant, Luxembourg's Article 23 option, Germany's restoration routes and Hungary's simplified naturalization — each with its own conditions.

Before January 1, 1948, Italian law only allowed citizenship to pass through the male line. If your claim passes through a female Italian ancestor and the next child in your line was born before that date, you cannot use the standard consular process. You must file a lawsuit in Italy — since June 2022, in the court covering the comune where the ancestor was born — relying on gender-equality precedents established since the 1980s. Cases filed after 27 March 2025 must also meet the 2025 reform's conditions.

Most EU countries on this site allow dual citizenship for descent claimants — including Italy, Ireland, Germany (since 2024), Poland, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Luxembourg and Croatia. Some attach conditions: Lithuania allows it mainly if the family left before 11 March 1990, Latvia for exiles' descendants and for citizens of EU, EFTA or NATO countries, and Estonia tolerates it for citizens by birth. Watch the rules on acquiring a second nationality later: Slovakia and Austria, for example, can strip citizenship from their own citizens who later naturalise elsewhere, although descent claimants keep the citizenship they already hold. Always verify the specific dual citizenship rules with the relevant consulate before starting your application.

The core requirement across all countries is a chain of vital records — birth, marriage, and death certificates — for every generation from your European ancestor to you. You also typically need proof the ancestor held citizenship (not residency only) and, for countries with naturalization chain-break rules, evidence of when or whether naturalization occurred. All foreign documents usually require an apostille seal and a certified translation into the target country's language.

Timelines vary significantly. Irish Foreign Births Register applications currently take around 12 months. Italian consulate appointments in the US can have long backlogs (and since 2025 most great-grandchildren no longer qualify); applying while resident in Italy is usually faster. German recognition typically takes 12–24 months. Polish confirmation takes 6–12 months. Document preparation — gathering, apostilling, and translating records — can add 3–12 months on top of government processing time.

No. Citizenship-by-Descent.com is a free educational tool, not a government service. It does not submit applications, store your data, or provide legal advice. Results are for informational purposes only. Always confirm your eligibility directly with the relevant consulate or embassy, and consider consulting a qualified immigration attorney for complex cases.