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Before investing for a second citizenship, check your family tree. Five European countries recognise citizenship through ancestors, and each has rules that changed recently or have deadlines.
Italy: now limited to close family ties
Since 28 March 2025, and under Law 74 of 23 May 2025, people born abroad with another citizenship qualify only if a parent or grandparent held only Italian citizenship, or an Italian parent lived in Italy for two consecutive years before their birth. Complete applications filed by 27 March 2025 are judged under the old rules. Legal commentary reports that Italy's Constitutional Court upheld the new limits in March 2026. From 2029, adult applications from abroad move to a central office in Rome.
Ireland: a grandparent born on the island
If a grandparent was born on the island of Ireland, or a parent was an Irish citizen when you were born, you can apply to the Foreign Births Register. The fee is EUR 278 for adults and processing takes about 12 months. Citizenship starts on the date you are entered on the register, not when you apply, and only children born after that date can follow.
Portugal: grandchildren must now show real ties
Portugal's new nationality law took effect on 19 May 2026. Grandchildren of Portuguese citizens can still apply, but must now show knowledge of Portuguese culture, history and civic life, and a clean criminal record; nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries are presumed to speak the language. Applications filed before 19 May 2026 are judged under the old law.
Germany: a declaration window until 2031
People born after 23 May 1949 who missed out on German citizenship because of old rules that treated mothers and fathers differently, and their descendants, can claim it by declaration. The declaration must reach the authority by 19 August 2031. A separate route restores citizenship to descendants of people deprived of it by the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945.
Poland: proving an unbroken line
Poland confirms the citizenship of people descended from Polish citizens, with no fixed limit on generations. The ancestor must have held citizenship after 1920 and not lost it, for example through foreign military service before 1951. Applicants supply the records, apply through a regional office in Poland and, if they live abroad, need a representative there.
Where to start
Gather birth, marriage and naturalisation records for each generation, with dates. The dates decide most cases: when an ancestor naturalised elsewhere, when a child was born and which law applied then. A descent claim can take one to two years, so it is worth checking before committing to an investment programme.
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General information only — not legal, tax or financial advice.
