Citizenship by descent rules by country
Every rule Rootdossier applies is a row with its source, the edition or date of that source, and the day we read it. 45 rules, last reviewed 28 September 2026; 4 of them are settings we could not confirm at a primary source, marked as such.
Organiser, not legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the consulate or a lawyer.
German citizenship by descent: the rules we apply
Three routes: the section 5 declaration for people the old sex-discriminating rules left out (deadline 19 August 2031), restoration for descendants of people persecuted from 1933 to 1945, and ordinary descent through an unbroken line.
Irish citizenship by descent: the rules we apply
A parent born on the island of Ireland makes you Irish already. A grandparent born there opens the Foreign Births Register, and you become Irish on the day you are entered.
Polish citizenship by descent: the rules we apply
Confirmation of citizenship through unbroken descent: no ancestor in the line may have lost Polish citizenship before the next birth, and under the 1920 Act a father's loss extended to his minor children. Applications in Polish, translations by a sworn translator.
Canadian citizenship by descent: the rules we apply
Since 15 December 2025, citizenship by descent reaches beyond the first generation born abroad. Births before that date are automatic; later births depend on the parent's time in Canada.
Italian citizenship by descent after Law 74/2025
Narrowed by Law 74/2025: only a parent or grandparent who held Italian citizenship alone, or a parent who lived in Italy two years before your birth, still opens the route. Pending files and court cases sit in a legacy module. The 2025 limit itself is pending before the EU Court of Justice on a referral deposited on 23 July 2026.
Put the rules to work
Pick the country and the route, add the people in your line, and the register lists each document with the rule behind it. For background, read the guides.