Question 1

What is citizenship by descent?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

Which countries does this checker cover?

Accepted Answer

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).

Question 3

Is a great-grandparent enough to qualify?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

What breaks a citizenship-by-descent claim?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 5

Is this checker legal advice?

Accepted Answer

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.

Citizenship by Descent Eligibility Checker

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