Italian citizenship by descent: who is still eligible?
The Italian diaspora
Depending on what source you use (e.g. this or this), there are around 80-100 million people with Italian heritage around the world – more than how many people live in Italy, which is just short of 60 million. Italian descendants have traditionally close ties to Italian language and culture, and often live in close knit communities, however far from the motherland. As such, it made sense that they were all eligible for Italian citizenship without restrictions, and many dreamed of moving back to Italy one day.
Over the last 10 years, the number of citizenship applicants multiplied, and the number of Italian citizens residing abroad increased from 4.6 million to 6.4 million between 2014 and 2024. Of course, not all of this is due to citizenship applications: more than 150,000 Italians emigrated in 2024 alone, and more than 650,000 left the country between 2000 and 2024. In any case, consulates processed tens of thousands of applications a year, while regional courts were clogged with citizenship cases (since many had to sue the Italian State for discrimination if they wanted to base their application on a female ancestor, something that was not officially possible before 1948). As a result, while the Italian citizenship procedure officially took 2-3 years, waiting lists often stretched to close to 10 years.
Italian citizenship by descent severely restricted in 2025
The strain on consulates and courts, as well as a worry about the growing number of people with Italian passports who otherwise have no legal and financial ties to Italy were among the main reasons why the Italian government decided to introduce severe restrictions on citizenship applications in 2025, effective immediately. On March 28, 2025, consulates stopped not only accepting, but also processing applications, with 60,000 applications still pending. These were taken over by the national government in Italy, through in-person interviews (which rendered many applications unfeasible).
Most importantly, the new regulation introduced new conditions for Italian citizenship, which made it unobtainable to most Italian descendants living abroad. Right now, descendants can apply only if
- One of their parents were either born in Italy or lived there for at least 2 years before the applicant was born (adoptive parents also qualify);
- OR at least one of their grandparents was an Italian citizen born in Italy;
- AND the parent or grandparent held only Italian citizenship when the applicant was born;
- AND the parent or grandparent didn’t lose their Italian citizenship while the applicant was still a minor;
- AND the applicant speaks Italian (at least B1 language skills required).
To sum up, this means that Italian descendants around the world can base their Italian citizenship application only on their parents or grandparents. Additionally, the new rule excludes dual citizens from among the ancestors that count, since these parents or grandparents count only if they had no other citizenship but Italian when the applicant was born. The language requirement is also a new addition: previously it only applied for regular naturalization and in cases of naturalization through marriage.
Moreover, Italian dual nationals currently living abroad (which includes most of the Italian descendants who obtained citizenship up till now) will not be able to pass on their Italian citizenship to their children unless they have lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years.
Impact of the new regulation
The hurried introduction of the new law destroyed the plans and dreams of many. Since the application required extensive preparation, significant costs have been sunk in genealogy research, document acquisition, translation, and notarization, which will not produce any returns now that applications cannot be submitted anymore. In line with this, many trips have been canceled, and many property purchases have lost their value to new owners.
The new law has been contested, and several cases against it are in progress. Most recently, however, the Constitutional Court of Italy ruled in favor of it, confirming its applicability. As such, the law reducing eligibility for Italian citizenship by descent to just two generations remains in force for the foreseeable future.
Citizenship by descent in Europe: what options remain?
Up till recently,Italy was among the few nations that freely offered citizenship to any descendants of its former citizens – back to the 1861 Foundation of Italy as a sovereign state. Right now, only Hungary and Latvia offer citizenship to descendants of people who left the country in the 19th century or even earlier in some cases, and a few more countries let applicants trace back their family tree as far as the early 20th century.
If your goal is an EU passport but you cannot apply for Italian citizenship based on your ancestry anymore, it might be worth exploring whether you have any ties to another European country, including Hungary. Since parts of Italy were under Austrian influence throughout the 18th and 19th centuries similar to Hungary, and Hungarian citizenship law applies to descendants not only of present day Hungary but its historic territories, it is possible that you also had Hungarians among your ancestors, perhaps even one you are not even aware of. Hungary has no restrictions on the number of generations that passed between the two of you, and it is estimated that over 5 million people are eligible for Hungarian citizenship by heritage worldwide, with 1.5-2 million in the U.S. alone.
Explore your entire family tree
Even if your Italian heritage is an important part of your identity, your Hungarian roots are still worth exploring. You can discover a new country, new traditions, and possibly even long-lost relatives. You do not have to give up your Italian identity to add a new one, nor do you have to renounce your current citizenship – while taking advantage of one of the most accessible citizenship by descent options in the EU.
Got you interested? Get started here: take our free online eligibility test to see if you have any basis for a Hungarian citizenship application. It takes only a few minutes, and if the answer is yes, you can proceed with a personal consultation. We can also handle the entire application process for you. If it turns out you are not eligible, our team would be happy to look into residency options for you in Hungary or Italy.
Established in 2005, Helpers Hungary offers administrative assistance to international clients interested in living, working, and doing business in Hungary. We have a dedicated citizenship team working on cases of citizenship by descent, assisting applicants and their families with genealogy research, language learning, and the application. If you start this journey with us, you can count on our help all the way.
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