Italy has reformed its traditionally generous citizenship law, significantly restricting the acquisition of Italian citizenship through descent. A corresponding legislative change was passed in spring 2025 and later confirmed by parliament. Since then, the so-called ius sanguinis, that is, the passing of citizenship through ancestry, has been interpreted far more narrowly.
The end of a far-reaching rule
For a long time, Italy was considered one of the countries with the most generous rules on citizenship by descent. Anyone who could prove a direct line to an Italian ancestor was in principle entitled to an Italian passport, even if that ancestor was several generations back. This option was used by many people, particularly in South America. Countries such as Argentina and Brazil have an especially large Italian diaspora, as millions of Italians emigrated there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Government aims to curb abuse
With this reform, the government wants to tie access to citizenship more closely to a genuine connection to Italy. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated after the Council of Ministers' decision that the principle of ius sanguinis would remain in place but needed to be clearly limited in order to prevent abuse and the commercialization of Italian passports. This was also reported by ANSA.
Going forward, limited to parents or grandparents
The core of the reform is a significant restriction on the automatic transmission of citizenship. According to ANSA , the ius sanguinis will in principle apply to only two generationsgoing forward: Italian citizenship by birth will now be granted only to those who have at least one parent or one grandparent born in Italy. Corriere della Sera also reported immediately after the cabinet decision that applications under the old rules were no longer possible from that point on, and that citizenship would only be passed down as far as the grandparents' generation .
Reform sparks fierce debate in Italy
The reform immediately sparked a political debate in Italy. As La Repubblica reported, the government framed the new rules as a safeguard against sprawling claims with no genuine connection to Italy. At the same time, criticism emerged, particularly regarding descendants of Italian emigrants whose family roots do lie in Italy but reach further back. That the issue was also contentious within the governing majority was evident from a further report by La Repubblica, which noted tensions within the center-right camp. In May 2025, the decree was ultimately converted into law in its final form, as reported again by ANSA. This officially sealed the tightening of access to citizenship.
Millions of descendants could be affected
For many descendants of Italian emigrants, the reform is likely to have far-reaching consequences. Those who can trace their Italian roots only through more distant generations will now have considerably lower chances of obtaining an Italian passport. This affects people in countries with large Italian diaspora communities, such as Argentina, Brazil, and the United States, particularly strongly. Those who have already been recognized as Italian citizens retain their status. For new applicants, however, the path to Italian citizenship has become significantly narrower since the reform.