Italy slams the door on distant ancestry citizenship claims in 2026
Italy has tightened its citizenship rules, ending a long-standing policy that allowed descendants of Italian emigrants to claim citizenship through distant ancestry. The reforms, passed in March 2025 and confirmed in 2026, mark a major shift in how the country grants citizenship by descent. Many in the Italian diaspora will now find their eligibility cut off under the new requirements. Before the changes, Italy’s Jure Sanguinis (right of blood) policy had no generational limit. Anyone with an Italian-born ancestor alive in 1861 could apply, even if their family had lived abroad for generations. This open approach led to a surge in applications from descendants worldwide.
The new laws—Law No. 74/2025 and Citizenship Decree No. 36/2025—introduce stricter conditions. As of 2026, applicants must prove that a parent or grandparent was an Italian citizen at birth and held no other nationality. Alternatively, they can qualify if one parent lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years after obtaining citizenship and before the applicant’s birth. The Constitutional Court upheld these amendments in March 2026, stating they would strengthen genuine connections to Italy. The reforms effectively close the door for those relying on ancestors from the 19th or early 20th centuries. Italy still offers citizenship through marriage, naturalisation, and—now more limited—descent.
The changes will reduce the number of people eligible for Italian citizenship by descent. Those with recent family ties to Italy may still qualify, but distant descendants no longer have a claim. The government has framed the reform as a way to ensure citizenship reflects a closer bond with the country.
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