By rikififi90 
Italy’s government took a bold step on Friday, March 28, by approving a decree that reshapes the rules for citizenship by descent, known as “jus sanguinis.” Under the leadership of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the new measure limits automatic citizenship to children and grandchildren of Italians born in the country, ending the previous no-generation-limit policy. This shift directly impacts millions of descendants worldwide, particularly in Brazil and Argentina, where Italian heritage runs deep. Effective immediately for new applications, the decree spares only those who filed before the cutoff, leaving countless others to reassess their plans. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani framed the change as a move to curb the “commercialization” of Italian passports and ease the strain on consular services.
The decision aligns with Meloni’s broader anti-immigration stance, a cornerstone of her right-wing coalition since taking office in 2022. Beyond citizenship, the same day saw Italy repurpose two Albanian facilities into deportation centers, signaling a tougher approach to migration control. In Brazil, home to an estimated 30 million people of Italian descent, the news has sparked immediate concern, with consulates halting application processing pending further guidance. For many, the Italian passport was a gateway to the European Union and global mobility—now, that door is narrowing.
For decades, Italy’s citizenship policy celebrated its diaspora, but the new restrictions mark a pivot toward tighter national boundaries. The decree, valid for 60 days unless overturned by Parliament, seems secure given Meloni’s legislative majority. Descendants beyond the second generation face a redefined reality, one where ancestral ties alone no longer suffice.
How the old citizenship system worked
Italy’s previous framework for citizenship by descent was remarkably open, rooted in the “jus sanguinis” principle—citizenship through bloodline. Anyone able to trace an Italian ancestor alive after March 17, 1861, the date of the Kingdom of Italy’s unification, could apply, regardless of how many generations had passed. This system honored the mass emigration of Italians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when millions sought new lives in South America, notably Brazil and Argentina. In Brazil, regions like São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul became hubs of Italian culture, with surnames like Rossi and Bianchi still common today.
The process required proving lineage through documents such as birth and marriage certificates, often a daunting task given the age of the records. Despite bureaucratic hurdles—waiting lists at consulates could stretch over a decade—the policy fueled a steady rise in applications. The appeal was clear: an Italian passport offered visa-free access to over 190 countries and the right to live and work across the EU, a prize that grew more coveted amid economic and political instability in applicants’ home nations.
That openness, however, came under scrutiny as numbers soared. What began as a way to reconnect with the diaspora evolved into a global phenomenon, with descendants from distant generations claiming citizenship without ever setting foot in Italy.
What the new decree changes
Signed into law on March 28, the decree specifies that only children and grandchildren of Italians born on Italian soil can claim citizenship automatically. Gone is the ability for great-grandchildren or beyond to qualify unless their parents or grandparents were born in Italy. For instance, a Brazilian whose great-grandfather emigrated but whose grandparents and parents were born in Brazil no longer meets the criteria, even if earlier generations secured citizenship.
The rule took effect at midnight Italian time on March 28—7 p.m. on March 27 in Brazil—drawing a sharp line between old and new applications. Requests submitted before the deadline remain under the prior system, while consulates in cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have paused processing until Rome provides clarity. Current passport holders and recognized citizens face no changes, preserving their status amid the overhaul.
This shift redraws eligibility boundaries, targeting a system the government says had grown unwieldy. It’s a pragmatic move, but one that leaves many descendants scrambling to understand their next steps.
Numbers driving the reform
Behind the decree lies a surge in citizenship claims that alarmed Italian officials. Over the past decade, the number of Italians registered abroad climbed 40%, from 4.6 million to 6.4 million. In South America, recognized descendants more than doubled in 20 years, jumping from 800,000 to over 2 million.
- Brazil saw approvals rise from 14,000 in 2022 to 20,000 in 2023.
- Argentina recorded 20,000 approvals in 2023, surging to 30,000 in 2024.
- Venezuela granted nearly 8,000 citizenships in 2023 alone.
This boom reflects both the allure of EU citizenship and regional challenges pushing people to seek options abroad. With an estimated 60 to 80 million potentially eligible under the old rules—far exceeding Italy’s 59 million residents—the government saw an urgent need to tighten access.
Early reactions in Brazil and South America
News of the decree hit hard in Brazil, where Italian ancestry is a point of pride and practicality. In São Paulo, genealogy firms report a flood of inquiries as families gauge their options. The sudden cutoff has left many who were mid-process—or about to start—reeling, with consulates offering little beyond a wait-and-see stance.
Argentina, with one of the world’s largest Italian-descended populations, mirrors this unrest. Applications there spiked in recent years, driven by economic woes and a younger generation eyeing Europe. The new limit threatens to strand those outside the two-generation rule, forcing a pivot to costlier alternatives like work visas.
Legal experts predict challenges ahead. Some argue the decree could face court battles, potentially breaching Italy’s constitutional guarantees of equal citizenship rights—a debate that may play out in the coming months.
Why Italy made this move
Under Giorgia Meloni’s leadership, Italy has embraced a nationalist agenda, and the citizenship reform fits squarely within it. Since her 2022 election, Meloni has pushed to secure borders and redefine Italian identity, a stance echoed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. He criticized the passport’s use as a “tool” for travel perks, like trips to Miami, and condemned agencies profiting from ancestry searches that clog municipal archives.
Administrative strain also factored in. With over 60,000 applications pending, consulates and small Italian towns struggled to keep up, especially as demand for century-old records soared. The decree aims to streamline this chaos, prioritizing those with closer ties to Italy over distant claimants.
Meloni’s coalition, bolstered by a parliamentary majority, sees the change as a defense of sovereignty. It’s a stance that resonates with her base, wary of globalization’s impact on national cohesion.
Next steps in the reform
The decree is just the beginning. A proposed bill will require Italians abroad to prove “real ties” to the country every 25 years—details remain vague, but it hints at stricter oversight. Another measure will centralize applications at the Foreign Ministry in Rome, phasing out consular processing over the next year or so.
Both initiatives await parliamentary approval, though Meloni’s control of the legislature suggests smooth passage. Until then, consulates worldwide, including in Brazil, have frozen new requests, leaving applicants in limbo as the transition unfolds.
Strain on consular services
Consulates have long grappled with overwhelming demand, nowhere more so than in Brazil. In São Paulo, monthly applications hovered around 1,000, while Rio de Janeiro handled 500 and Porto Alegre about 300. Wait times often stretched into years, frustrating applicants and staff alike.
- São Paulo: Up to 12-year delays in peak periods.
- Rio de Janeiro: Average waits of 5 to 7 years.
- Curitiba: Backlogs stretching a decade.
Centralizing in Rome may cut these bottlenecks for eligible applicants, but the shift raises questions about capacity at the ministry level.
Meloni’s broader political vision
The citizenship crackdown coincides with other hardline moves. On March 28, Italy repurposed Albanian centers—originally for asylum processing—into deportation hubs. Launched in October, these facilities now aim to repatriate migrants, a shift watched closely by the EU.
Meloni’s policies have already slashed migrant arrivals from 160,000 in 2023 to 53,000 through October 2024, thanks to deals with Tunisia and Libya. The citizenship reform complements this, tightening who can claim Italian status from within and without.
Scale of the change in numbers
Italy’s population of 59 million shrinks annually, yet its diaspora balloons. Up to 80 million could have qualified under the old system—a figure now slashed by the two-generation cap. In Brazil, roughly 500,000 were in the citizenship pipeline; in Argentina, over 1 million. The reform redraws that map significantly.
Timeline of upcoming changes
Italy’s reform unfolds in stages, with key dates shaping its impact:
- March 28, 2025: Decree takes effect, capping citizenship at two generations.
- May 27, 2025: Parliament’s 60-day window to uphold or reject the decree closes.
- 2026: Rome’s centralized office begins, with a year-long rollout.
- TBD: “Real ties” bill implementation, pending legislative action.
Adjustments may follow, depending on political and logistical developments.
Options for affected descendants
Those cut off from citizenship by blood still have paths, albeit steeper. Residency-based naturalization requires 10 years in Italy (3 for direct descendants), while marriage to an Italian citizen shortens it to 2 years with residency. Both demand significant commitment, resources, and time—barriers many can’t easily overcome.
Italy’s government took a bold step on Friday, March 28, by approving a decree that reshapes the rules for citizenship by descent, known as “jus sanguinis.” Under the leadership of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the new measure limits automatic citizenship to children and grandchildren of Italians born in the country, ending the previous no-generation-limit policy. This shift directly impacts millions of descendants worldwide, particularly in Brazil and Argentina, where Italian heritage runs deep. Effective immediately for new applications, the decree spares only those who filed before the cutoff, leaving countless others to reassess their plans. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani framed the change as a move to curb the “commercialization” of Italian passports and ease the strain on consular services.
The decision aligns with Meloni’s broader anti-immigration stance, a cornerstone of her right-wing coalition since taking office in 2022. Beyond citizenship, the same day saw Italy repurpose two Albanian facilities into deportation centers, signaling a tougher approach to migration control. In Brazil, home to an estimated 30 million people of Italian descent, the news has sparked immediate concern, with consulates halting application processing pending further guidance. For many, the Italian passport was a gateway to the European Union and global mobility—now, that door is narrowing.
For decades, Italy’s citizenship policy celebrated its diaspora, but the new restrictions mark a pivot toward tighter national boundaries. The decree, valid for 60 days unless overturned by Parliament, seems secure given Meloni’s legislative majority. Descendants beyond the second generation face a redefined reality, one where ancestral ties alone no longer suffice.
How the old citizenship system worked
Italy’s previous framework for citizenship by descent was remarkably open, rooted in the “jus sanguinis” principle—citizenship through bloodline. Anyone able to trace an Italian ancestor alive after March 17, 1861, the date of the Kingdom of Italy’s unification, could apply, regardless of how many generations had passed. This system honored the mass emigration of Italians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when millions sought new lives in South America, notably Brazil and Argentina. In Brazil, regions like São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul became hubs of Italian culture, with surnames like Rossi and Bianchi still common today.
The process required proving lineage through documents such as birth and marriage certificates, often a daunting task given the age of the records. Despite bureaucratic hurdles—waiting lists at consulates could stretch over a decade—the policy fueled a steady rise in applications. The appeal was clear: an Italian passport offered visa-free access to over 190 countries and the right to live and work across the EU, a prize that grew more coveted amid economic and political instability in applicants’ home nations.
That openness, however, came under scrutiny as numbers soared. What began as a way to reconnect with the diaspora evolved into a global phenomenon, with descendants from distant generations claiming citizenship without ever setting foot in Italy.
What the new decree changes
Signed into law on March 28, the decree specifies that only children and grandchildren of Italians born on Italian soil can claim citizenship automatically. Gone is the ability for great-grandchildren or beyond to qualify unless their parents or grandparents were born in Italy. For instance, a Brazilian whose great-grandfather emigrated but whose grandparents and parents were born in Brazil no longer meets the criteria, even if earlier generations secured citizenship.
The rule took effect at midnight Italian time on March 28—7 p.m. on March 27 in Brazil—drawing a sharp line between old and new applications. Requests submitted before the deadline remain under the prior system, while consulates in cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have paused processing until Rome provides clarity. Current passport holders and recognized citizens face no changes, preserving their status amid the overhaul.
This shift redraws eligibility boundaries, targeting a system the government says had grown unwieldy. It’s a pragmatic move, but one that leaves many descendants scrambling to understand their next steps.
Numbers driving the reform
Behind the decree lies a surge in citizenship claims that alarmed Italian officials. Over the past decade, the number of Italians registered abroad climbed 40%, from 4.6 million to 6.4 million. In South America, recognized descendants more than doubled in 20 years, jumping from 800,000 to over 2 million.
- Brazil saw approvals rise from 14,000 in 2022 to 20,000 in 2023.
- Argentina recorded 20,000 approvals in 2023, surging to 30,000 in 2024.
- Venezuela granted nearly 8,000 citizenships in 2023 alone.
This boom reflects both the allure of EU citizenship and regional challenges pushing people to seek options abroad. With an estimated 60 to 80 million potentially eligible under the old rules—far exceeding Italy’s 59 million residents—the government saw an urgent need to tighten access.
Early reactions in Brazil and South America
News of the decree hit hard in Brazil, where Italian ancestry is a point of pride and practicality. In São Paulo, genealogy firms report a flood of inquiries as families gauge their options. The sudden cutoff has left many who were mid-process—or about to start—reeling, with consulates offering little beyond a wait-and-see stance.
Argentina, with one of the world’s largest Italian-descended populations, mirrors this unrest. Applications there spiked in recent years, driven by economic woes and a younger generation eyeing Europe. The new limit threatens to strand those outside the two-generation rule, forcing a pivot to costlier alternatives like work visas.
Legal experts predict challenges ahead. Some argue the decree could face court battles, potentially breaching Italy’s constitutional guarantees of equal citizenship rights—a debate that may play out in the coming months.
Why Italy made this move
Under Giorgia Meloni’s leadership, Italy has embraced a nationalist agenda, and the citizenship reform fits squarely within it. Since her 2022 election, Meloni has pushed to secure borders and redefine Italian identity, a stance echoed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. He criticized the passport’s use as a “tool” for travel perks, like trips to Miami, and condemned agencies profiting from ancestry searches that clog municipal archives.
Administrative strain also factored in. With over 60,000 applications pending, consulates and small Italian towns struggled to keep up, especially as demand for century-old records soared. The decree aims to streamline this chaos, prioritizing those with closer ties to Italy over distant claimants.
Meloni’s coalition, bolstered by a parliamentary majority, sees the change as a defense of sovereignty. It’s a stance that resonates with her base, wary of globalization’s impact on national cohesion.
Next steps in the reform
The decree is just the beginning. A proposed bill will require Italians abroad to prove “real ties” to the country every 25 years—details remain vague, but it hints at stricter oversight. Another measure will centralize applications at the Foreign Ministry in Rome, phasing out consular processing over the next year or so.
Both initiatives await parliamentary approval, though Meloni’s control of the legislature suggests smooth passage. Until then, consulates worldwide, including in Brazil, have frozen new requests, leaving applicants in limbo as the transition unfolds.
Strain on consular services
Consulates have long grappled with overwhelming demand, nowhere more so than in Brazil. In São Paulo, monthly applications hovered around 1,000, while Rio de Janeiro handled 500 and Porto Alegre about 300. Wait times often stretched into years, frustrating applicants and staff alike.
- São Paulo: Up to 12-year delays in peak periods.
- Rio de Janeiro: Average waits of 5 to 7 years.
- Curitiba: Backlogs stretching a decade.
Centralizing in Rome may cut these bottlenecks for eligible applicants, but the shift raises questions about capacity at the ministry level.
Meloni’s broader political vision
The citizenship crackdown coincides with other hardline moves. On March 28, Italy repurposed Albanian centers—originally for asylum processing—into deportation hubs. Launched in October, these facilities now aim to repatriate migrants, a shift watched closely by the EU.
Meloni’s policies have already slashed migrant arrivals from 160,000 in 2023 to 53,000 through October 2024, thanks to deals with Tunisia and Libya. The citizenship reform complements this, tightening who can claim Italian status from within and without.
Scale of the change in numbers
Italy’s population of 59 million shrinks annually, yet its diaspora balloons. Up to 80 million could have qualified under the old system—a figure now slashed by the two-generation cap. In Brazil, roughly 500,000 were in the citizenship pipeline; in Argentina, over 1 million. The reform redraws that map significantly.
Timeline of upcoming changes
Italy’s reform unfolds in stages, with key dates shaping its impact:
- March 28, 2025: Decree takes effect, capping citizenship at two generations.
- May 27, 2025: Parliament’s 60-day window to uphold or reject the decree closes.
- 2026: Rome’s centralized office begins, with a year-long rollout.
- TBD: “Real ties” bill implementation, pending legislative action.
Adjustments may follow, depending on political and logistical developments.
Options for affected descendants
Those cut off from citizenship by blood still have paths, albeit steeper. Residency-based naturalization requires 10 years in Italy (3 for direct descendants), while marriage to an Italian citizen shortens it to 2 years with residency. Both demand significant commitment, resources, and time—barriers many can’t easily overcome.
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