Countries that issue passports based on ancestry

Passport requirements vary by country. If your grandparents were born in these countries, you may be eligible for citizenship in the countries below.

 

There are a number of ways to obtain dual citizenship in countries around the world, allowing you to carry two separate passports and enjoy the benefits of being a citizen of two different countries. One popular option is to spend a lot of money on a 'golden passport,' but another option is to find out where your ancestors came from and whether you qualify for citizenship by descent.

Many countries around the world use the principle of jus sanguinis, or 'right of blood,' to grant citizenship, usually based on the nationality of one or both parents (and sometimes with additional residency requirements). However, a small number of countries consider more distant family relationships to qualify. If you have grandparents or ancestors from the following countries, you may also be eligible for citizenship.

 

Croatia

Croatia offers citizenship by ancestry to the descendants of anyone born in the territory now known as the Republic of Croatia and who emigrated from the area before October 8, 1991. You can claim it through your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, or further back. You don't have to speak the language, live in the country for any length of time, or have the same last name as your ancestors to qualify—however, the process can take several years.

Croatia is one of many countries where citizenship is affected (and complicated) by shifting borders, historical conflicts, and other forces of globalization & politics. A handful of other countries also grant citizenship by descent to people with ethnic ties – such as foreigners of Armenian, Lithuanian or Bulgarian descent in their respective countries and Finns from the former Soviet Union – or those whose ancestors were displaced from their homeland.

Hungary

If your parents or grandparents are Hungarian citizens, you can apply for citizenship by descent. You do not need to speak Hungarian to qualify. If your grandparents were from what is now Hungary but lost their citizenship due to treaties signed after World War I or World War II, you can apply for simplified naturalization. For the latter process, you must be fluent in Hungarian.

 

Ireland

Ireland grants citizenship to anyone whose grandparents were born on the island. You must register with the Foreign Births Registry, then apply for an Irish passport. There is a list of required documents, with a fee of €278 for applicants over 18. According to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, the process takes about nine months.

IDEA

Individuals with Italian ancestry are eligible for Italian citizenship, even if that ancestor lived many generations ago. Qualifying ancestors must have been born in the territory after the Kingdom of Italy was established in 1861 and must not have held any other citizenship. The application for Italian citizenship costs $643.70 as of January 1, 2025.

Portugal

If your grandparents were born here and have or had Portuguese citizenship, you can apply for citizenship through descent. You must have proof of your Portuguese language skills and provide documents such as birth certificates of your parents and grandparents. The application fee is 175 euros.

 

Spain

Spanish citizenship is granted to descendants of certain people of Spanish descent under the relatively new Grandchildren's Law. If your grandparents (or parents) were exiled, renounced or lost their Spanish citizenship, or were unable to become citizens, you may be eligible to apply for a Spanish passport. However, you must renounce your original nationality unless you are from certain Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, or are Sephardic Jews of Spanish descent.

United Kingdom

The UK Ancestry Visa does not grant full citizenship from the start, but it does allow you to live, work and/or study in the UK for up to five years. You can then extend your stay for a further five years or apply for 'indefinite leave to remain', which can lead to citizenship eligibility after 12 months.

To be eligible, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country or Zimbabwe, or a British Overseas Citizen or National. You must also prove that one of your grandparents was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. The Ancestry Visa costs £637 and requires a number of documents to be submitted along with the application.

Israel

Israel grants citizenship to people of Jewish descent under the Law of Return. If you have Jewish grandparents—even if they are not Israeli citizens—you can apply for citizenship. The Law of Return also applies to anyone who has Jewish parents or converts to Judaism. To get this passport, you must go through an identity verification process when you arrive in Israel.