Citizenship by descent, explained
Find out if your family tree gives you a second passport
Step-by-step guides for Americans with roots in Europe and Canada: who qualifies, which records you need, how consulates handle it, and what changed recently. Every rule links to the official source.
Start with your ancestor's country
Canada
Proof of citizenship (citizenship certificate) after Bill C-3
Grandparent, great-grandparent and beyond, for people born before December 15, 2025
Germany
Citizenship by birth, §5 StAG declaration, and restoration (Art. 116(2) GG / §15 StAG)
Depends on the route. The restoration routes cover all descendants.
Ireland
Foreign Births Register (FBR)
Grandparent born in Ireland (parent born in Ireland means you are already a citizen)
Italy
Jure sanguinis recognition
Parent or grandparent (for applications filed after March 27, 2025)
Poland
Confirmation of Polish citizenship
No fixed limit. The ancestor must have held Polish citizenship after the modern state was founded (1920 law).
More countries
Austria
§58c declaration for persecuted persons and their direct descendants
All direct descendants (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and beyond)
Greece
Municipal registry recognition or Article 10 naturalization (Greek origin abroad)
Usually parent or grandparent; further back if every link is documented
Hungary
Simplified naturalization (or verification, if you are already Hungarian)
No fixed limit, if the ancestor was a Hungarian citizen and the line is documented
Lithuania
Reinstatement of Lithuanian citizenship
Unlimited, if the ancestor was a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania before June 15, 1940
Slovakia
Citizenship for descendants of Czechoslovak citizens
Parent, grandparent or great-grandparent
Portugal
Nationality by attribution for grandchildren
Grandchildren, who must show an effective connection to Portugal. Great-grandchildren only after legal residence.
Spain
Democratic Memory Law option ("Grandchildren's Law") — closed
The window for grandchildren closed on October 22, 2025
Recent law changes
- July 23, 2026Italy: EU-law questions referred to the Court of Justice of the EU (Order No. 147/2026)
- July 15, 2026Slovakia: Slovakia eases the descendants route (reported)
- May 19, 2026Portugal: Portugal's nationality reform takes effect
- April 30, 2026Italy: Constitutional Court upholds Law 74/2025 (Judgment No. 63/2026)