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Welcome to Passport Genealogy
Map of Irish immigration to the U.S.
Are you interested in getting a second passport in one of the 27 countries of the European Union, the United Kingdom, or elsewhere? If so, you've come to the right place. Our research team has more than 20 years' worth of experience in helping people like you get a second passport in places like Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and elsewhere through the process of jure sanguinis, or citizenship by descent.
Citizenship by descent, also known as jure sanguinis or jus sanguinis, is the process by which a person acquires citizenship through their ancestors, as opposed to jus soli, or citizenship by birthright. The legal terminology for this process derives from Latin and roughly translates as "right of blood," with your citizenship rights essentially being acquired through your lineage, as opposed to your birthplace. Some other ways that people acquire a second citizenship include naturalization, marriage, and residency visas, but many people are ineligible for these options, which often require long periods of residency in their new country of choice.
Many people are unaware of the fact that they are eligible for a second passport through their grandparents or other ancestors, or that their home country even allows second citizenship. For example, there are no laws in the U.S., Canada, UK, or Italy restricting their citizens from holding dual citizenship, and many people in these countries are already dual British-American, Canadian-American, or Italian-American citizens, who derive their citizenship by right of birth, or by descent through their parents and other close relatives.
To gather the required documentation for your citizenship application, your might need the help of professional genealogists, lawyers, and translators who can assist you in gathering the checklist of records for your case. Although the process might seem relatively straightforward, as you would probably be applying through your grandparents or great-grandparents, a citizenship by descent case is usually quite labor-intensive and challenging, as the various consulates and courts receiving applications are usually quite selective about the records they accept. For example, applications can be rejected if records are missing that substantiate the direct chain of evidence between you and your qualifying ancestors, and locating these specific records can often take many hours to locate, as your ancestors likely lived in many different jurisdictions. Moreover, these applications often include a substantial amount of documentation that must be certified and apostilled, including ships' passenger lists, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, church parish records, naturalization files, censuses, and other types of records. In addition to this, these records would need to gathered from many different government offices, libraries, archives, and other repositories to help save time and expedite the research process, and in-person visits to these locations are often required as the research can't always be done by mail or online research.
Citizenship by descent, also known as jure sanguinis or jus sanguinis, is the process by which a person acquires citizenship through their ancestors, as opposed to jus soli, or citizenship by birthright. The legal terminology for this process derives from Latin and roughly translates as "right of blood," with your citizenship rights essentially being acquired through your lineage, as opposed to your birthplace. Some other ways that people acquire a second citizenship include naturalization, marriage, and residency visas, but many people are ineligible for these options, which often require long periods of residency in their new country of choice.
Many people are unaware of the fact that they are eligible for a second passport through their grandparents or other ancestors, or that their home country even allows second citizenship. For example, there are no laws in the U.S., Canada, UK, or Italy restricting their citizens from holding dual citizenship, and many people in these countries are already dual British-American, Canadian-American, or Italian-American citizens, who derive their citizenship by right of birth, or by descent through their parents and other close relatives.
To gather the required documentation for your citizenship application, your might need the help of professional genealogists, lawyers, and translators who can assist you in gathering the checklist of records for your case. Although the process might seem relatively straightforward, as you would probably be applying through your grandparents or great-grandparents, a citizenship by descent case is usually quite labor-intensive and challenging, as the various consulates and courts receiving applications are usually quite selective about the records they accept. For example, applications can be rejected if records are missing that substantiate the direct chain of evidence between you and your qualifying ancestors, and locating these specific records can often take many hours to locate, as your ancestors likely lived in many different jurisdictions. Moreover, these applications often include a substantial amount of documentation that must be certified and apostilled, including ships' passenger lists, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, church parish records, naturalization files, censuses, and other types of records. In addition to this, these records would need to gathered from many different government offices, libraries, archives, and other repositories to help save time and expedite the research process, and in-person visits to these locations are often required as the research can't always be done by mail or online research.
Eligibility for Citizenship by Descent
To determine if you are eligible for a second passport through the process of citizenship by descent, you must first document your pedigree through genealogical research to see which ancestors might qualify for the process. For example, it's possible that you have more than one ancestor through whom you could apply, and the countries they originated from would have their own unique rules and regulations regarding eligibility. For example, many Americans, Canadians, and Australians are eligible for jure sanguinis through ancestors originating in multiple countries like Ireland, Italy, Spain, Poland, and elsewhere, so it would be important to help expedite your application by determining which of these ancestors might be the easiest to apply through. It is also important to know if any of these ancestors lost their rights to citizenship through the process of naturalization, or if they might have difficult pedigrees to document because of the unavailability of records in countries like Ireland, where many records were lost over the centuries due to a variety of unfortunate events.
Benefits of a Second Passport
Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires
There are many benefits to acquiring a second citizenship through the process of jure sanguinis, which has become increasingly popular in an ever-changing world of political and economic uncertainty, and having a second passport allows you and your family access to many interesting and beneficial opportunities in terms of residency, education, health care, political freedom, property ownership, and economic possibilities. For UK citizens, who after the Brexit vote in 2016 lost visa-free access to the European Union, a second citizenship in countries like Italy, France, or Spain provides them with much-needed options for visa-free travel, work, study, and residency in the 27-member bloc of the European Union.
Another thing to consider with countries like Ireland, Italy, or Poland is that having a second citizenship in these countries also accords you the rights and privileges enjoyed by member countries in the European Union, allowing you to freely travel and reside in any of the bloc's 27 member countries after getting your passport. There are many countries currently offering citizenship by descent in the European Union, which you might be interested in applying to, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
In addition to the above countries, there are several Schengen Area countries in Europe offering citizenship by descent including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. These countries, although not members of the European Union, are members of the Schengen Treaty, which allows their citizens additional rights and privileges to work, reside, travel, and study in EU member states. Moreover, there are also several Non-EU and Non-Schengen Area countries in Europe such as Albania, Serbia, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine which also offer citizenship by descent.
Another thing to consider with countries like Ireland, Italy, or Poland is that having a second citizenship in these countries also accords you the rights and privileges enjoyed by member countries in the European Union, allowing you to freely travel and reside in any of the bloc's 27 member countries after getting your passport. There are many countries currently offering citizenship by descent in the European Union, which you might be interested in applying to, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
In addition to the above countries, there are several Schengen Area countries in Europe offering citizenship by descent including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. These countries, although not members of the European Union, are members of the Schengen Treaty, which allows their citizens additional rights and privileges to work, reside, travel, and study in EU member states. Moreover, there are also several Non-EU and Non-Schengen Area countries in Europe such as Albania, Serbia, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine which also offer citizenship by descent.
Documents Needed for Citizenship
1894 passenger log book for the Cunard Line
To gather documentation needed for your citizenship application, you'll need the help of professional genealogists who can assist you in locating records such as ships' passenger lists, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, church parish records, obituaries, cemetery records, military records, naturalization files, censuses, and other types of records. You will most likely also have to hire a professional translator to translate these documents into the language of the country where you will be applying for citizenship. Most countries offering citizenship require an unbroken chain of evidence between yourself and your qualifying ancestor. These records would generally include the following:
A government issued ID for yourself, which would include documents like a passport or driver’s license
A birth certificate for yourself, which would need to be an official paper copy with a raised seal and accompanying apostille for international records
If married, an official copy of your marriage certificate
If applying with family members, official copies of the birth, marriage, and other vital records would be required for your spouse, children, and other close relatives
Birth certificates (official paper copies, not digital ones) for your parents
Parents' marriage certificates (including those for multiple marriages, which would have to be official paper copies)
If applicable, official death certificates for your parents
Passenger lists for your immigrant ancestors which show their date of arrival to the country they emigrated to. Official copies of these records would need to be ordered from repositories like the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives of the UK, Library and Archives of Canada, and National Archives of Australia.
Ancestor’s petition for naturalization and associated documentation in their new country of residence, which might have been recorded at a local court or civil registry office
Naturalization certificate for your gateway ancestor (i.e. qualifying ancestor, immigrant ancestor)
Translations of any international records into the language of the country to which you’re applying. For example, Italy requires that all American records be translated into Italian by an accredited translator.
Apostilles of international records for the country to which you’re applying. An apostille is an official certification, usually offered by your country’s Secretary of State, that is recognized by the Hague Convention, an international treaty that has allowed for international authentication of records since 1961. This would be a second certification in addition to those already provided as an embossed or raised seal, as offered by various public health departments and other government agencies.
A government issued ID for yourself, which would include documents like a passport or driver’s license
A birth certificate for yourself, which would need to be an official paper copy with a raised seal and accompanying apostille for international records
If married, an official copy of your marriage certificate
If applying with family members, official copies of the birth, marriage, and other vital records would be required for your spouse, children, and other close relatives
Birth certificates (official paper copies, not digital ones) for your parents
Parents' marriage certificates (including those for multiple marriages, which would have to be official paper copies)
If applicable, official death certificates for your parents
Passenger lists for your immigrant ancestors which show their date of arrival to the country they emigrated to. Official copies of these records would need to be ordered from repositories like the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives of the UK, Library and Archives of Canada, and National Archives of Australia.
Ancestor’s petition for naturalization and associated documentation in their new country of residence, which might have been recorded at a local court or civil registry office
Naturalization certificate for your gateway ancestor (i.e. qualifying ancestor, immigrant ancestor)
Translations of any international records into the language of the country to which you’re applying. For example, Italy requires that all American records be translated into Italian by an accredited translator.
Apostilles of international records for the country to which you’re applying. An apostille is an official certification, usually offered by your country’s Secretary of State, that is recognized by the Hague Convention, an international treaty that has allowed for international authentication of records since 1961. This would be a second certification in addition to those already provided as an embossed or raised seal, as offered by various public health departments and other government agencies.
Countries Offering Passports through Genealogy Option
Countries have varying laws relating to persons eligible for citizenship through the process of jure de sanguinis, or citizenship by descent. Generally, the number of generations between yourself and your qualifying ancestor would be defined as follows:
1st generation – eligibility through one’s parents
2nd generation – eligibility through one’s grandparents
3rd generation – eligibility through one’s great-grandparents. Countries that offer this option include Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, and Slovakia.
4th generation – eligibility through a person’s 2nd great-grandparents or more distant ancestors. There are only a few countries offering this option, which would include Greece and Italy.
1st generation – eligibility through one’s parents
2nd generation – eligibility through one’s grandparents
3rd generation – eligibility through one’s great-grandparents. Countries that offer this option include Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, and Slovakia.
4th generation – eligibility through a person’s 2nd great-grandparents or more distant ancestors. There are only a few countries offering this option, which would include Greece and Italy.
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Countries with Jure Sanguinis
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Poland
Portugal
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom
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Allowed Number of Generations
Grandparents
Parents
Great-grandparents
Great-grandparents
Great-grandparents
Great-grandparents
Great-grandparents
Great-grandparents
Great-grandparents
Grandparents
Grandparents
Grandparents
Parents
Parents
Grandparents
Grandparents
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Application Processing Time
6-12 months
2-3 years
18-24 months
2-3 years
6-24 months
1-2 years
6-12 months
6-24 months
1-2 years
6 months-2 years
1-2 years
6 months-2 years
3 years
6-12 months
6-12 months
1-3 years
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Allows Dual Citizenship
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
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Residency Requirement
No
No
1 year
3 years
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
1 year
5 years
10 years
No
No
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Language Requirement
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
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Member of European Union
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
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