Italian Citizenship by Descent - Italian Citizenship Jure Sanguinis | IDC (2024)

Jure Sanguinis (or Jus Sanguinis) is Latin for “right of blood” and is synonymous with “by descent”. Italy has favorable laws regarding citizenship and considers those of Italian descent “family”. In many cases Italy allows those with Italian ancestors to claim Italian citizenship by descent (Jure Sanguinis). Once a person is granted Italian birthright citizenship, they are allowed all of the rights and privileges of those born in Italy and can obtain a European Union passport.

Do you qualify for Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis / law of blood)?

You very well could, as most people from Italian descent do qualify for Italian citizenship by birth. However, just having Italian ancestry is not enough. You must prove that citizenship,or more importantly the right to claim Italian citizenship, was transferred from your Italian-born ancestor to yourself within the Italian Laws. Until Aug. 15, 1992, Italian citizenship was exclusive, and attaining citizenship for another country meant an Italian-born citizen had to renounce their citizenship. Children born to Italian Citizens in the USA or other countries that recognize jure solis (by the soil) obtained foreign citizenship due to their place of birth. If you are trying to apply for citizenship by ancestry and are looking for a jure sanguinis service, our team can do the necessary background research free of both charge and obligation to tell you if you qualify for Italian citizenship by blood.

Before you can apply for Italian citizenship jure sanguinis, you must know some important information:

• Date of births for every relative between you and your Italian-born ancestor (you don’t need to know exact dates but the year is important)
• Date in which your ancestor naturalized to your country.

Before you can begin the Italian dual citizenship process, you should make sure your current citizenship is not affected by the Italian citizenship. In the USA, it is not. The USA and several other countries allow you to hold more than one passport simultaneously. If you are outside of the USA and are unsure about your countries laws with regard to holding dual citizenship, you can review your citizenship laws or we can do this for you during yourfree phone consultation.

Fourrequirements that must be metto be eligible for Italian citizenship through descent:

• The applicant must be born to an Italian citizen parent or to a parent who has the right to Italian citizenship “jure sanguinis.”
• The applicant must be in direct blood lineage and at least one of the applicants most recent Italian born ancestors did not naturalize as a citizen of another country prior the birth of the Italian born ancestors child next in the applicants bloodline.
• Applicant’s mother was Italian and the child was born after Jan. 1, 1948.
• Ancestors who naturalized before June 14, 1912 are unable to transfer their citizenship even to children who were born before they naturalized.

When you apply for Italian citizenship by descent, the conditions and requirements must be met by each person in direct lineage when obtaining Italian citizenship through ancestry. According toItalian Ministry of Interiorthere is no limit in the number of generations, but the relative who immigrated from the country must have died after March 17, 1861. A relative that died before this date is not considered a citizen as Italy was not yet a unified nation.

Your eligibility is affected by certain situations that fall under common categories. Bear in mind that some factors are not mentioned here and can positively affect eligibility for Italian citizenship. Even if your case doesn’t appear to fall within the eligibility criteria, you should still seek out professional assistance of anIDC team memberas there are a number of factors that could have a positive effect on your case allowing you to qualify. Everyone’s ancestry is unique and we’ve often helped people qualify for Italian citizenship that previously were told they were not eligible. TheItalian ConsulatesandEmbassycannot provide you with legal advice on obtaining Italian citizenship.

CLASS 1

When you were born, your father was a citizen of Italy. He did not naturalize as a citizen of any other country.

CLASS 2

When you were born, your mother was a citizen of Italy. She did not naturalize as a citizen of the US or any other country. Your birth-date was not before January 1st, 1948. It was after.

CLASS 3

Your father was not born in Italy, but his father or mother (your paternal grandfather or grandmother) was born in Italy and was a citizen of Italy or had rights to Italian citizenship jure sanguinis when your father was born.

CLASS 4

Your mother was not born in Italy, but her father or mother (your maternal grandfather or grandmother) was born in Italy and was a citizen of Italy or had rights to Italian citizenship jure sanguinis when your mother was born. Also, your birth-date cannot be before January 1st, 1948.

CLASS 5

Your paternal grandparent or maternal grandparent was not born in Italy. Your maternal and paternal great-grandfathers or great-grandmothers were born in Italy and were citizens of Italy or had rights to Italian citizenship jure sanguinis when your grandparents were born.

CLASS 6

Your paternal great-grandparent or maternal great-grandparent was not born in Italy. Your maternal and paternal great-great-grandfathers or great-great-grandmothers were born in Italy and were citizens of Italy or had rights to Italian citizenship jure sanguinis when your great-grandparents were born.

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