Jure Sanguinis (Latin for “right of blood”) is the principle according to which Italian
citizenship is inherited through ancestry and bloodline rather than birthplace. Unlike
naturalization, which requires residency, Jure Sanguinis allows individuals with Italian-born ancestors to claim citizenship—often without ever having lived in Italy.

However, recent changes to Italian citizenship law under Law 74/2025 (formerly Decree Law No. 36/2025) have introduced significant new restrictions that may affect individuals’ eligibility. For many years, there were no generational limits, and applicants could often claim citizenship through great-grandparents or even earlier ancestors.

That has now changed as a consequence of Law 74/2025. Effective May 24, 2025, Italy enacted stricter eligibility rules for jure sanguinis claims. These rules require applicants born abroad to prove a direct and exclusive connection to Italy.

1. Applicants can now only claim citizenship by descent through a parent or grandparent (no longer through great-grandparents or earlier generations);
2. Applicants Italian parent or grandparent must have held only Italian citizenship (not, for instance, U.S./Italian dual citizenship) at the time of applicant birth or, if deceased, at the time of parent or grandparent death;
3. If the applicant was born abroad and hold another citizenship, applicant may still qualify for Italian citizenship if his/her parent or adoptive parent was legally and continuously residing in Italy for at least two years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the applicant birth or adoption;
4. Children are no longer automatically considered citizens unless a parent formally
   declares citizenship at the consulate within 1 year of the child’s birth (or by May 31, 2026, for those born on or before March 27, 2025). If that deadline is missed, the child will need to reside in Italy for 2 years and meet Italian language requirements in order to apply;
5. Applicants who submitted their full application by March 27, 2025—including all required documents—are still processed under the old law.

In the light of the above, applicants may still qualify if they meet the updated eligibility rules under Italian citizenship law. Those include:

• Applicants are of Italian descent and can prove an unbroken line of citizenship
• Applicants parent or grandparent was born in Italy and was an Italian citizen at the time of applicant birth (or their death, if they died before applicants’ birth)
• Applicants parent or grandparent was exclusively Italian (not naturalized elsewhere) at the time of applicants’ birth or at the time of their death (if they died before applicants were born)
• Applicants have the required birth records, naturalization records, and other
  documentation to support their claim
• Applicants or their parent were born after January 1, 1948, if the claim is through a maternal line. If applicant Italian ancestor is a woman born before January 1, 1948, she cannot pass on citizenship to children born before that date. The new law does not eliminate this gender-based restriction.