Stronger Ties Needed for Italian Citizenship
Published at: 06/06/2025 10:03 am
The most important change in the law is that Italy only allows Italian descendants to apply for citizenship if their father or grandfather was an Italian citizen. It is vital because before, there was no limit on how far back in the family tree you could trace your Italian roots to claim citizenship. Applicants also must present relevant ties to the country. Another crucial detail to note is that citizenship through the maternal line is only applicable if the mother (a woman with Italian citizenship) was born after 1947.
The tightened naturalization rule also requires that the applicant's parent or adoptive parent must have been a resident of Italy for two years before the applicant's birth or adoption. The objective is to tighten the rules, as many applicants for Italian citizenship have only genealogical ties to the country.
Tightening the rules did not meet the will of the population, so there will be a popular vote on the new law on the first weekend of June 2025.
Which countries primarily follow Jus sanguinis? (citizenship by descent)
- Europe: Germany, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ireland, and Austria.
- Asia: Japan, Turkey, Lebanon, Armenia, and Israel.
- North America: Canada and the United States.
- South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Uruguay.
What is Jus sanguinis - citizenship by descent
Right of blood (Latin Jus sanguinis) refers to a legal principle where citizenship is determined by descent, meaning a child automatically inherits citizenship based on the nationality of one or both parents. The degree of descent is determined by the laws of each country. For example, in the case of Hungary, those who emigrated from the territory of the former Kingdom of Hungary can obtain citizenship. This practically applies to the territories of neighboring countries as well, since they once belonged to Hungary.
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