Free tool
Citizenship by Descent Eligibility Checker
A second passport through an ancestor is often faster and cheaper than any visa, and it does not require you to move first. Answer three questions to see whether you may have a claim. Covers Ireland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Portugal, and Canada with current rules.
Closest relative who was a citizen there
Did any relative in that line take another country's citizenship before the next person was born?
For example, a grandparent who emigrated and naturalised before your parent was born.
Answer the three questions to check whether you may have a citizenship-by-descent claim.
Frequently asked questions
▸What is citizenship by descent?
Citizenship by descent (jus sanguinis) is the right to a country's citizenship through an ancestor, usually a parent or grandparent, rather than through residence or naturalisation. It is often far faster and cheaper than a visa, and it does not require you to move first.
▸Which countries does this checker cover?
Ireland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Portugal, and Canada. These are the routes asked about most often and the ones with significant recent rule changes (Italy's 2025 reform, Canada's 2025 first-generation-limit removal, Germany's declaration route).
▸Is a great-grandparent enough to qualify?
It depends on the country. Ireland can work through a great-grandparent only if your parent was registered on the Foreign Births Register before you were born. Italy capped new claims at a grandparent in 2025. Poland has no generational limit if the chain is unbroken. The checker reflects each country's current rule.
▸What breaks a citizenship-by-descent claim?
Most often, an ancestor who voluntarily took another country's citizenship before the next person in the family line was born. This commonly ends Italian and Polish claims. Date-based rules also matter, such as Poland's 1951 cutoff and Germany's pre-1975 and pre-1993 gender gaps.
▸Is this checker legal advice?
No. It is informational and points you to the official government source for each country. Nationality law is full of edge cases, so for anything beyond a clean parent or grandparent claim it is worth confirming with the relevant authority or an immigration attorney.