Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis)
Potential Italian (EU) citizenship through an Italian-born parent or grandparent, under the post-2025 two-generation rule.
Italian citizenship by descent — jure sanguinis — is often the lowest-cost path to an EU passport for people with an Italian parent or grandparent. It is paperwork-heavy rather than investment-heavy: there is no six-figure contribution, but the rules tightened materially in 2025, and that is the part to get right.
The 2025 change that resets eligibility
Law 74/2025 (converting Decree-Law 36/2025, published May 2025) limits eligibility to two generations. For applications filed after 27 March 2025 you generally need:
- an Italian parent or grandparent born in Italy, or
- an Italian parent who resided in Italy for two consecutive years before your birth.
Claims resting on a great-grandparent alone — the route many diaspora families relied on — are generally no longer accepted unless your recognition was already underway before the cut-off. If you were told years ago that a great-great-grandparent qualified you, that advice may now be out of date.
What actually decides your case: the documents
Because eligibility is about an unbroken Italian line, document work is the whole game:
- birth, marriage, and death certificates connecting you to the Italian-born ancestor;
- apostilles and certified Italian translations;
- evidence the ancestor had not naturalized elsewhere before the next person in the line was born (a common break point).
Cost and timeline in context
Compared with citizenship-by-investment (six figures), descent is inexpensive — mostly document-gathering, translation, and consular fees. The cost is time and patience: consular and municipal queues often run a year or more, and a single missing certificate can stall everything. An EU passport at the end is worth the diligence, but go in expecting a marathon.
A tax note (informational, not advice)
Becoming an Italian citizen does not by itself make you an Italian tax resident — tax residence follows where you live and your day-counts. But an EU passport changes where you can live and work, which can have downstream tax effects. Take qualified advice before relocating.
The structured rule behind this page (generations, conditions, documents) comes from pass2port's sourced descent record. This is informational — consular officers decide eligibility on the evidence you submit.
Confirmedesteri.itchecked Jun 2026
Who may qualify
Eligibility is typically through a grandparent born in Italy (or otherwise meeting continuity-of-citizenship rules), documented with official records.
Citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis). Law 74/2025 (in force for applications filed after 27 Mar 2025) limits eligibility to TWO generations: you need an Italian parent OR grandparent born in Italy (or an Italian parent who resided in Italy for two consecutive years before your birth). Great-grandparent claims under the old unlimited rule are no longer accepted unless recognized before the cut-off.
Documents typically required
Birth/marriage/death certificates establishing the unbroken Italian line; apostilles; certified translations; proof the ancestor had not naturalized elsewhere before the next-in-line's birth.
Realistic timeline
Roughly 18 months in our sourced estimate — consular queues vary.
What a Italy passport unlocks
Visa-free or visa-on-arrival to 185 destinations
Ranked 3 of the 44 nationalities pass2port currently covers
View Italy Mobility IndexCommon questions
- How far back can I claim Italian citizenship by descent?
- Law 74/2025 limits new applications to two generations — a parent or grandparent born in Italy (or a parent who meets specific Italian-residence conditions). Great-grandparent claims under the old unlimited rule are generally no longer accepted for filings after the 27 March 2025 cut-off unless recognition was already underway.
- Do I need to speak Italian for citizenship by descent?
- Jure sanguinis recognition is based on documenting the bloodline, not a language test — but consular processing times and document standards vary. Confirm current practice with the relevant consulate.
- Can I keep my current citizenship if Italy grants mine?
- Italy generally allows dual citizenship. Whether you can keep your existing nationality depends on your home country's rules — India, for example, does not permit dual citizenship, and Pakistan only with designated countries.
Related nationality guides
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