Italy Cracks Down on Second Passports

In a shocking and unexpected move, Italy has announced severe restrictions on ancestral citizenship. This will affect millions of individuals worldwide who were formerly eligible.

Previously, individuals could claim Italian citizenship if they could prove descent from an Italian ancestor who was alive on or after March 17, 1861, when Italy became a unified nation. This allowed many to establish eligibility over multiple generations. Thousands of Americans have taken advantage of the opportunity to get an EU passport.

As of March 28, 2025, only individuals with at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy are eligible to apply for recognition of citizenship by descent. This excludes those whose Italian ancestry traces back further than two generations.

This will affect tens of millions of Americans and citizens of other countries whose ancestors emigrated between 1880 and 1920.

Even having qualifying ancestors will no longer be enough. To claim Italian citizenship, applicants will need to demonstrate an “effective bond” with Italy. This means the applicant must have lived in Italy for at least three years. They must also pass an Italian language test, which was previously not required.

The government cited concerns over exploitation of the previous system, which led to a flood of applications from countries with large Italian diaspora communities like Argentina and Brazil. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of Italians living abroad rose by 40%, from 4.6 million to 6.4 million.

Worryingly, citizenship applications will now be centralized in Rome. Previously, the process was initiated at an Italian consulate, allowing people to pursue recognition of Italian citizenship from all over the world. This will almost certainly lead to much longer processing times. The new process will also require direct documentation of ties to Italy. Sworn statements and testimonies will no longer be allowed.

Further restrictions lurk in the fine print.

People who obtain citizenship through ancestry must exercise the rights and duties of citizenship at least once every 25 years. This includes voting, renewing a passport, updating an identity card, or paying taxes.

Italian citizens born abroad must register their birth certificates before turning 25 or forfeit the right to apply for Italian citizenship. Foreign-born Italians can only pass on citizenship to their children if they have lived in Italy for at least two years.

Finally, to acquire Italian citizenship by marriage, it will now be necessary to live in Italy. Previously one could claim an Italian spouse passport regardless of where one lives.

The government claims this will limit citizenship to those with an immediate and tangible connection to the country. There is a rationale for this. Given that the previous regulations had no effective time limit on qualifying ancestry, the pool of individuals technically eligible to claim Italian citizenship grew exponentially every generation. As economic and political conditions have deteriorated in countries like Argentina and the United States with large Italian-descended populations, the immigration system has been overwhelmed.

The political background is also significant. Under the Brothers of Italy party—with roots in Italian fascism of the early 20th century—Italy’s government has embraced right-wing populism, Christian nationalism, and a strong emphasis on “traditional values.” Whereas previous governments were willing to integrate foreign-born Italians over time, Rome is now committed to eliminating foreign ideological influences over which it has no control.

Other pathways to Italian residency and citizenship remain unaffected. Italy offers retirement and digital nomad visas, as well as immediate residency in return for investment in Italian business. These pathways lead to Italian citizenship after 10 years, although one must remain in Italy to qualify.

This is a radical and consequential change. Italy has long had the most permissive ancestral citizenship rules in Europe.

But there is some slim hope. Several Italian organizations plan to take the government to court to block the decree. They point out that it must be validated by parliament within 60 days, at which point it might be amended. Even after that, it is subject to challenge in the Italian Supreme Court.

The question is whether this is a one-off event in response to changing political circumstances in one country, or a harbinger of an increasingly isolationist Europe.