Citizenship by Descent

Citizenship is a basic right that’s existed for millennia – the very concept dates to Ancient Greece. It provides those that hold it the right to be active participants in their community, through owning property, contributing economically, and being involved in political and administrative affairs – whether by running directly or merely voting in the process.

Most countries’ citizenship laws operate under the principles of jure soli (Latin for by right of the soil) or jure sanguinis (Latin for by right of the blood). In jure soli countries such as the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, and other New World nations, they bestow citizenship upon anyone who is born within their borders regardless of parentage.

In Old World countries such as Poland, Italy, Austria, and others, the concept of jure sanguinis citizenship reigns. This means that simply being born within a nation’s borders is not enough to acquire citizenship at birth. Instead, a child is only a national of said country if a parent is also a national. This concept also holds true to children born abroad. For example, a child born in the United States to an Italian parent is a U.S. citizen jure soli and an Italian citizen jure sanguinis.

In many cases, Citizenship by descent can pass down through an unlimited number of generations, allowing people with descent in a number of European countries the opportunity to obtain a second passport thanks to their family history.

Most European nations which practice the legal concept of jure sanguinis citizenship offer some form of citizenship by descent, but each program has its own restrictions.

While many countries provide citizenship by descent, it’s crucial to note that each country has its unique set of requirements and regulations to become a citizen. For instance, certain countries permit tracing back up to three generations, while others only allow one generation. Some countries like Hungary and Italy allow you to go back an unlimited number of generations to qualify.

The likes of Austria, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Portugal run popular citizenship-by-descent programs. So, it is worth exploring your family tree for Austrian, Irish, Italian, Polish, and Portuguese ancestors.

You need to be able to provide evidence that demonstrates your lineage to the ancestor whose citizenship you’re looking to obtain. Depending on the country in which you’re applying to become a citizen, this will require you to provide birth certificates, passports, marriage certificates, address registers, naturalization documents, and essentially anything that can legally support your claim.

The key with citizenship-by-descent applications is to prove two things: the existence of a qualifying ancestor and your relationship to them.