Do you qualify for European
citizenship by descent?
Answer a few guided questions about your ancestry and find out if you may be entitled to a second passport through your family heritage.
How it works
Three simple steps to find out if your family history could entitle you to a European passport.
Choose a country
Select which European country you want to explore and which ancestor you are claiming through.
Answer questions
We show only the questions relevant to your situation — no irrelevant forms, no personal data collected.
Get your result
See whether you likely qualify and what documents you will need to start the process.
About Heritage Passport Finder
Heritage Passport Finder is a free, educational tool that helps people with European ancestry understand whether they may qualify for citizenship by descent. Many European countries allow descendants of former citizens to reclaim nationality — but the rules vary widely and the process can be confusing.
This is not a government site and does not collect personal data. Your answers stay on your device. Always consult an immigration attorney for your specific situation.
Eligibility Checker
Select a country and answer a few questions. Takes under 2 minutes.
🔒 Your answers are never stored or transmitted. Everything stays in your browser.
Country Guides
In-depth eligibility guides and official resources for each country.
Italy
Jure sanguinis — no generational limit
Read full guideIreland
Foreign Births Register — grandparent route
Read full guideGermany
Art. 116 restoration & declaration remedy
Read full guidePoland
Citizenship confirmation via voivode
Read full guideGreece
Dimotologio registration & omogenis path
Read full guideSpain
Democratic Memory Law — grandchildren of exiles
Read full guidePortugal
Grandchild route with A2 Portuguese
Read full guideLithuania
Citizenship restoration for pre-1940 descendants
Read full guideHungary
Simplified naturalization — no generational limit
Read full guideEstonia
Pre-1940 citizenship restoration route
Read full guideLatvia
People's Register descendants — June 17, 1940
Read full guideCzech Republic
Descent & declaration route for expellees
Read full guideSlovakia
Czechoslovak heritage via Slovak-born ancestor
Read full guideLuxembourg
Reacquisition route — multiple citizenship allowed
Read full guideFrance
Jure sanguinis — no generational limit, dual citizenship allowed
Read full guideRomania
EU passport via descent or Communist-era repatriation route
Read full guideCroatia
All descendants of Croatian emigrants — EU & Schengen passport
Read full guideBulgaria
EU passport — descent or ethnic Bulgarian pathway
Read full guideSweden
Auto-transmission to children of Swedish parents, dual allowed
Read full guideDenmark
EU passport by descent — dual allowed since 2015
Read full guideFinland
Auto-transmission to children of Finnish parents, dual allowed
Read full guideNetherlands
Dutch citizenship by descent — beware the 10-year loss rule
Read full guideBelgium
EU passport by descent — file conservation declaration by age 28
Read full guideSlovenia
4-generation diaspora route — EU & Schengen passport
Read full guideAustria
Standard descent or §58c pathway for Nazi persecution descendants
Read full guideCyprus
EU & Commonwealth passport via Cypriot parentage
Read full guideMalta
EU, Schengen & Commonwealth passport via Maltese heritage
Read full guideUnited Kingdom
British citizenship by descent — one-generation abroad cutoff
Read full guideUkraine
Dual citizenship legal since June 2025 — descent route available
Read full guideNorway
Dual citizenship permitted since 2020 — reclaim lost citizenship by declaration
Read full guideSwitzerland
Swiss citizenship by descent — act before age 25 to retain
Read full guideIceland
Nordic Schengen passport — act before age 22 to retain
Read full guideSerbia
EU candidate — citizenship by descent, dual permitted
Read full guideMontenegro
EU candidate — descent route requires renouncing existing citizenship
Read full guideAlbania
EU candidate — descent plus grandparent reduced naturalization route
Read full guideBosnia & Herzegovina
Restrictive rules — no dual citizenship, statelessness condition
Read full guideNorth Macedonia
EU & NATO candidate — descent route, dual citizenship allowed
Read full guideKosovo
Partially recognized state — Schengen visa-free since 2024
Read full guideMoldova
EU candidate — dual citizenship allowed, ethnic Moldovans may also claim Romanian citizenship
Read full guideGeorgia
EU candidate — descent route through Georgian parent, ethnic Georgian pathway available
Read full guideArmenia
Diaspora-friendly — open ethnic pathway, Genocide descendants route, dual citizenship allowed
Read full guideBelarus
Descent route through Belarusian parent — no dual citizenship, renunciation required
Read full guideSan Marino
World's oldest republic — descent route, dual citizenship now permitted
Read full guideMonaco
One of the rarest citizenships — descent route, absolutely no dual citizenship
Read full guideLiechtenstein
EEA/Schengen microstate — descent route, dual citizenship permitted for CBD
Read full guideAndorra
Pyrenean microstate — one-parent descent route, no dual citizenship
Read full guideVatican City
No citizenship by descent — functional citizenship for clergy and Vatican workers only
Read full guideGenealogy Research Guide
How to use Ancestry.com and other resources to build your document chain.
Create an Ancestry account
Sign up at Ancestry.com and start a family tree with everything you already know about names, birthplaces, and dates for parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.
Search vital records
Use Ancestry databases to find birth, marriage, and death certificates. These are essential for proving your lineage and eligibility for citizenship by descent.
Explore immigration records
Look for ship manifests, immigration documents, and naturalization records. These establish when ancestors moved and their citizenship status at the time.
Review census data
Census records provide clues about family relationships, places of birth, and citizenship changes over time, often filling in gaps where vital records are missing.
Collaborate and verify
Connect with distant relatives who may have already done research. Always cross-reference against official government sources before relying on any record.
Organize your chain
Save certified copies and organize documents by generation and type (birth, marriage, naturalization) to build a clear, provable chain from ancestor to you.
Translate and apostille
Most countries require certified translations and apostilles on foreign documents. Plan for this cost and time when preparing your application.
Assess and apply
Once you have a complete chain, consult the consulate for application instructions. Consider a citizenship attorney for complex cases or large families.
Research Tips
Key steps to trace your family citizenship path.
Start with what you know
Gather full names, birthplaces, and dates for parents and grandparents. Old letters, photos, and family records can fill in gaps.
Collect civil records first
Find birth, marriage, and death certificates in your home country, then search national or church archives for ancestors born abroad.
Trace immigration
Search passenger lists, Ellis Island manifests, and census data to see when and where your ancestors moved.
Find naturalization dates
The exact date an ancestor naturalized abroad can make or break your eligibility claim. Check national archives and local court records.
Confirm citizenship retention
Determine if European ancestors lost citizenship through foreign service, marriage, or renunciation — this affects the chain.
Organize your lineage chain
Each link from your ancestor to you must be evidenced with a civil document. Do not assume — prove it.
Translate and legalize
Budget for certified translations and apostilles. Most countries require these before accepting foreign documents.
