Italy
curbs citizenship rules to end tenuous descendant claims
By Angelo
Amante
March 28,
20255:03 PM GMT+1Updated 5 days ago
Summary
Italy had
lenient rules on ancestry-based citizenship
Government
says system was abused, imposes restrictions
Move aims
at freeing up swamped consulates
ROME, March
28 (Reuters) - Italy's government tightened its citizenship laws on Friday,
preventing people from delving deep back into their family history to try to
claim a much sought-after Italian passport.
Under
existing rules, anyone who can prove they had an Italian ancestor who was alive
after March 17, 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was created, can seek
citizenship.
However,
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the system was being abused, with would-be
Italians swamping consulates abroad for requests for passports, which provide
visa-free entry to more countries than almost any other nationality.
As a result,
in future only individuals with at least one parent or grandparent born in
Italy, a European Union member state, will automatically qualify for
citizenship by descent.
"Being
an Italian citizen is a serious thing. It's not a game to get a passport that
allows you to go shopping in Miami," Tajani told a press conference.
The foreign
ministry said there had been a surge in people abroad being granted
citizenship, particularly in South America, where millions of Italians
emigrated in the 19th and 20th centuries, often to escape grinding poverty back
home.
Between 2014
and 2024, the number of Italians living abroad rose by 40%, from 4.6 million to
6.4 million, many registering thanks to their newfound nationality. In
Argentina alone, citizenship recognitions jumped to 30,000 in 2024 from 20,000
in 2023, while Brazil saw a rise to 20,000 from 14,000.
Tajani said
companies were making a fortune by helping people track down their
long-forgotten ancestors and seek birth certificates needed for applications -
clogging up municipal offices with their demands for documentation.
"We are
striking down very hard against those who want to make money from the
opportunity of becoming an Italian citizen," Tajani said, adding that in
future, nationality requests would be handled directly in Rome to free up
overburdened consulates.
'Well, this
scheme is essentially a border security measure. So we are taking details in
advance from everybody who's not a UK or Irish citizen
Italy has a
population of around 59 million, which has been shrinking for the past decade.
The foreign ministry has estimated that under the old rules, 60 to 80 million
people worldwide were eligible for citizenship.
Prime
Minister Giorgia Meloni has previously suggested that Italy could overcome its
demographic decline by seeking Christians of Italian ancestry from nations like
Venezuela.
Critics of
ancestry-based citizenship say it is grossly unfair, offering nationality to
people who had no meaningful connection with Italy.
By contrast,
the children of migrants born and raised in Italy who speak Italian fluently,
have to wait until they are 18 before being able to apply for a passport.
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