Citizenship by Descent Requirements by Country
Compare citizenship by descent eligibility rules across 14 European countries. Find key facts — generation limits, dual citizenship policies, typical costs, processing times, and the governing law — all in one place.
Michael Soucek·Last reviewed: October 2026
Educational information only — not legal advice. Always verify requirements with the relevant government authority, consulate, or registry office.
| Country | Generation Limit | Dual Citizenship | Cost Range | Timeline | Primary Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | Parent or grandparent who held only Italian citizenship (Law 74/2025); unlimited only for filings by 27 Mar 2025 | Yes Fully permits multiple citizenship since 1992 | €300–€2,000+ | Months to 2+ years, depending on the consulate | Law 91/1992, as amended by Law 74/2025 |
| Ireland | Parent (automatic) or grandparent (FBR registration) | Yes No restrictions on holding other nationality | €400–€700 | Around 12 months (FBR application) | Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 |
| Germany | Unbroken chain (§4); §5 gender-remedy declaration until Aug 2031; unlimited for Art. 116(2) / §15 restoration | Yes Permitted since June 2024 StAG reform | €300–€1,200 | 12–24 months | Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG); GG Art. 116(2) |
| Poland | Unlimited (while chain unbroken) | Yes Allowed; Poland treats you as solely Polish in its own dealings with you | €300–€900 | 6–24 months | Act on Polish Citizenship 2009 |
| Hungary | Unlimited (verification if the chain is unbroken; simplified naturalization if not) | Yes No restrictions on dual or multiple citizenship | €300–€700 | Several months to a year | Act LV of 1993 (with 2010 amendment) |
| Spain | Child of a Spaniard (grandchild DML route closed 22 Oct 2025) | Limited Permitted for EU/Ibero-American treaty countries; restrictions for others | €300–€1,500 | 6–12 months | Código Civil Arts. 17–28; Law 20/2022 (DML) |
| Portugal | Grandchild from abroad (A2 Portuguese); great-grandchild only with 5 years in Portugal | Yes Fully permits multiple nationality | €500–€1,500 | 12–18 months | Lei 37/81, amended by Lei Orgânica 1/2026 |
| Greece | Parent (automatic); grandparent+ via omogenis naturalization | Yes No restrictions on dual or multiple citizenship | €300–€700 | 6–24 months | Greek Citizenship Code — Law 3284/2004 |
| Czech Republic | Parent (automatic); grandchild (declaration, any loss before 2014) | Yes Fully permitted since 1 Jan 2014 | €200–€900 | 3–18 months | Act No. 186/2013, §31(3) (2019 amendment) |
| Slovakia | Up to great-grandparent born in Slovakia (grant, no residence permit since July 2026) | Limited Permitted by birth, adoption, marriage, or 5+ years foreign residence; otherwise lost upon voluntary foreign naturalisation | €300–€1,000 | Up to 24 months (Ministry of Interior) | Act No. 40/1993, §7(2)(j) (2022), amended 2026 |
| Luxembourg | Parent or grandparent who ever held Luxembourg nationality (Article 23 option); 1900-ancestor route closed 31 Dec 2025 | Yes Permitted since 2009; no renunciation required | Free declaration + documents and travel | About 4 months after the declaration | Loi du 8 mars 2017 sur la nationalité luxembourgeoise |
| Lithuania | Up to great-grandchild of a pre-15 June 1940 citizen | Limited Allowed if the ancestor left 1918–1990 and not willingly to the USSR | €300–€800 | 6–12 months | Law on Citizenship (2016 version, as amended) |
| Latvia | None — descendants of 17 June 1940 citizens | Yes Any country for exile descendants; EU, EFTA, NATO, Australia, Brazil, NZ for others | €500–€1,000 | A few months once the file is complete | Citizenship Law (Pilsonības likums) 1994, amended 2013 |
| Estonia | Descendants of pre-1940 citizens (documented chain) | Limited Officially banned, but citizenship by birth cannot be taken away (Constitution Art. 8) | €400–€900 | 6–12 months | Citizenship Act (Kodakondsuse seadus) 1995 |
- Generations:
- Parent or grandparent who held only Italian citizenship (Law 74/2025); unlimited only for filings by 27 Mar 2025
- Dual citizenship:
- YesFully permits multiple citizenship since 1992
- Cost range:
- €300–€2,000+
- Timeline:
- Months to 2+ years, depending on the consulate
- Primary law:
- Law 91/1992, as amended by Law 74/2025
- Generations:
- Parent (automatic) or grandparent (FBR registration)
- Dual citizenship:
- YesNo restrictions on holding other nationality
- Cost range:
- €400–€700
- Timeline:
- Around 12 months (FBR application)
- Primary law:
- Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956
- Generations:
- Unbroken chain (§4); §5 gender-remedy declaration until Aug 2031; unlimited for Art. 116(2) / §15 restoration
- Dual citizenship:
- YesPermitted since June 2024 StAG reform
- Cost range:
- €300–€1,200
- Timeline:
- 12–24 months
- Primary law:
- Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz (StAG); GG Art. 116(2)
- Generations:
- Unlimited (while chain unbroken)
- Dual citizenship:
- YesAllowed; Poland treats you as solely Polish in its own dealings with you
- Cost range:
- €300–€900
- Timeline:
- 6–24 months
- Primary law:
- Act on Polish Citizenship 2009
- Generations:
- Unlimited (verification if the chain is unbroken; simplified naturalization if not)
- Dual citizenship:
- YesNo restrictions on dual or multiple citizenship
- Cost range:
- €300–€700
- Timeline:
- Several months to a year
- Primary law:
- Act LV of 1993 (with 2010 amendment)
- Generations:
- Child of a Spaniard (grandchild DML route closed 22 Oct 2025)
- Dual citizenship:
- LimitedPermitted for EU/Ibero-American treaty countries; restrictions for others
- Cost range:
- €300–€1,500
- Timeline:
- 6–12 months
- Primary law:
- Código Civil Arts. 17–28; Law 20/2022 (DML)
- Generations:
- Grandchild from abroad (A2 Portuguese); great-grandchild only with 5 years in Portugal
- Dual citizenship:
- YesFully permits multiple nationality
- Cost range:
- €500–€1,500
- Timeline:
- 12–18 months
- Primary law:
- Lei 37/81, amended by Lei Orgânica 1/2026
- Generations:
- Parent (automatic); grandparent+ via omogenis naturalization
- Dual citizenship:
- YesNo restrictions on dual or multiple citizenship
- Cost range:
- €300–€700
- Timeline:
- 6–24 months
- Primary law:
- Greek Citizenship Code — Law 3284/2004
- Generations:
- Parent (automatic); grandchild (declaration, any loss before 2014)
- Dual citizenship:
- YesFully permitted since 1 Jan 2014
- Cost range:
- €200–€900
- Timeline:
- 3–18 months
- Primary law:
- Act No. 186/2013, §31(3) (2019 amendment)
- Generations:
- Up to great-grandparent born in Slovakia (grant, no residence permit since July 2026)
- Dual citizenship:
- LimitedPermitted by birth, adoption, marriage, or 5+ years foreign residence; otherwise lost upon voluntary foreign naturalisation
- Cost range:
- €300–€1,000
- Timeline:
- Up to 24 months (Ministry of Interior)
- Primary law:
- Act No. 40/1993, §7(2)(j) (2022), amended 2026
- Generations:
- Parent or grandparent who ever held Luxembourg nationality (Article 23 option); 1900-ancestor route closed 31 Dec 2025
- Dual citizenship:
- YesPermitted since 2009; no renunciation required
- Cost range:
- Free declaration + documents and travel
- Timeline:
- About 4 months after the declaration
- Primary law:
- Loi du 8 mars 2017 sur la nationalité luxembourgeoise
- Generations:
- Up to great-grandchild of a pre-15 June 1940 citizen
- Dual citizenship:
- LimitedAllowed if the ancestor left 1918–1990 and not willingly to the USSR
- Cost range:
- €300–€800
- Timeline:
- 6–12 months
- Primary law:
- Law on Citizenship (2016 version, as amended)
- Generations:
- None — descendants of 17 June 1940 citizens
- Dual citizenship:
- YesAny country for exile descendants; EU, EFTA, NATO, Australia, Brazil, NZ for others
- Cost range:
- €500–€1,000
- Timeline:
- A few months once the file is complete
- Primary law:
- Citizenship Law (Pilsonības likums) 1994, amended 2013
- Generations:
- Descendants of pre-1940 citizens (documented chain)
- Dual citizenship:
- LimitedOfficially banned, but citizenship by birth cannot be taken away (Constitution Art. 8)
- Cost range:
- €400–€900
- Timeline:
- 6–12 months
- Primary law:
- Citizenship Act (Kodakondsuse seadus) 1995
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Start Free Eligibility CheckCommon Questions About European Citizenship by Descent
Which European country has the most generous citizenship by descent rules?
Italy and Poland both allow unlimited generational claims as long as the direct bloodline chain remains unbroken. Hungary's simplified naturalization has no generation limit either, though it adds a basic language interview. Luxembourg's reacquisition route is similarly unlimited by generation — any descendant, however distant, of a Luxembourg-born male ancestor who emigrated between 1815 and 1943 can apply, as long as the unbroken patrilineal chain is fully documented.
Which countries allow dual citizenship after claiming European ancestry?
Italy, Ireland, Germany (since 2024), Poland, Hungary, Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic, and Luxembourg all fully permit dual or multiple citizenship. Spain permits it for most EU and Latin American nationals but has restrictions for others. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have "limited" dual citizenship — diaspora restoration claimants are typically exempt from the prohibition, but general rules are stricter. Slovakia is conditional: voluntarily acquiring another nationality causes automatic loss of Slovak citizenship unless the foreign citizenship was gained by birth, adoption, marriage, or after at least five years of registered foreign residence — an important exception added by a 2022 reform.
How much does citizenship by descent typically cost?
Most European citizenship by descent applications cost €300–€1,000 in document-related expenses (apostilles, translations, certified copies) when done independently. Application fees are often low or free. Italy is unique in that attorney-assisted consular-route packages regularly cost $2,000–$8,000 USD, and court-route 1948 cases exceed €10,000 in legal fees. Hungary is one of the cheapest options — the application is free and total costs rarely exceed €700 even with a language tutor.
What is the fastest European citizenship by descent to obtain?
Latvia and Hungary can process applications in as little as 3–6 months once a complete application is submitted. Italy's in-country residency route (applying at a local comune) also completes in 3–6 months, while the consular route can take years. Ireland, Germany, and Italy via consulate are among the slower processes due to backlogs and document volumes.