Italy has tightened its citizenship-by-descent rules, and the change is already splitting families with Italian ancestry across the globe. A new decree restricting jure sanguinis (citizenship by bloodline) claims took effect in 2025, ending a long-standing pathway used by millions of descendants of Italian emigrants, particularly in Canada, the United States, Argentina, and Brazil.

Under the previous framework, a person who could prove an unbroken chain of descent from an Italian ancestor — in many cases one who emigrated generations ago — could apply for Italian citizenship, provided no ancestor in the line had renounced it before passing it on. The new decree sharply narrows that pathway. Applicants may now claim citizenship by descent only up to two generations: through a parent or, under stricter conditions, a grandparent. Claims based on great-grandparents and more remote ancestors no longer qualify under the general rule.

The change was introduced by decree through the Council of Ministers and anchored in decree-law provisions on citizenship that the government framed as a matter of public order and administrative sustainability. Government officials argued the old system had produced a surge in applications, long backlogs at consulates, and inconsistent court rulings that stretched the concept of transmission across unlimited generations.

For affected families, the measure arrived with little warning. People who had spent years assembling parish records, naturalization documents, and certified translations discovered that their eligibility could vanish before their applications were filed. Married couples where one spouse qualifies and the other does not now face a practical choice: pursue citizenship for some family members only, or abandon the plan altogether. Children in the same household may end up with different legal statuses depending on when they were born and which ancestor anchors their claim.

“It’s about equality,” one affected family member told CTV News, describing the sense that siblings and cousins within the same family are now treated differently depending on the timing and structure of their applications. Several families interviewed described the change as having “ripped apart” plans built over years, including relocations, property purchases in Italy, and dual-career arrangements built on the assumption of eventual recognition.

Who is affected, concretely:

• Applicants with Italian great-grandparents or more distant ancestors. These claims, previously recognized when the documentary chain was intact, are excluded under the two-generation cap.
• Families mid-process. Those who had not yet formally filed before the cutoff face the new rules, regardless of how long they had been preparing documentation.
• Spouses and minor children whose derivative or connected claims depended on a primary applicant who no longer qualifies.
• Descendants of female ancestors in older lines, whose cases already depended on court interpretation of pre-1948 transmission rules, face a doubly restricted path.

Who is generally not affected: people who already hold recognized Italian citizenship, and those with an Italian parent, whose claims remain the most direct under the new framework. Grandparent-line claims remain possible but must meet the stricter conditions set out in the decree.

The steps that change are significant. Previously, an applicant filed either at the consular jurisdiction of residence or through an Italian court, submitting a full genealogical dossier. Consular processing times often ran several years, which is why many applicants turned to the courts. Under the new framework, eligibility screening happens earlier and the applicant bears the burden of showing the line fits within the permitted generations before any filing is accepted.

Anyone with a pending or planned application should verify the current text of the decree and related implementing guidance through official channels: the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Italian Ministry of the Interior, and the consular network. Italy's consulates publish updated requirements on their official websites, and the Gazzetta Ufficiale carries the authoritative text of the decree-law and any conversion legislation passed by Parliament. Because decree-laws must be converted into law by Parliament within the constitutional deadline, the final wording and any transitional provisions should be checked directly against the most recent official publication rather than secondhand summaries.

This publication reports on immigration policy changes and does not provide individual legal advice. Readers with pending citizenship-by-descent cases should consult the official sources above or a qualified professional before making decisions based on their specific circumstances.