These Seven Countries Will Grant You a Passport Based on Ancestry
There are a handful of ways to obtain dual citizenship in countries around the world, which allows you to carry two separate passports and enjoy the benefits of being a national of two different countries. One option is to spend a lot of money on a "golden passport," but another is to find out where your ancestors are from and if you qualify for citizenship by descent.
There are many countries around the world that use the principle of jus sanguinis, or "right of blood," to grant citizenship, most often based on the nationality of one or both parents (and sometimes with additional residency requirements). However, there are a handful that consider connections further back in your family line to qualify. If you have grandparents or other ancestors from the following countries, you may be eligible for citizenship too.
Croatia
Croatia offers citizenship by ancestry to descendants of anyone born in the territory now defined as the Republic of Croatia and who emigrated from the area before October 8, 1991. You can claim this based on your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, or further back. You don't need to speak the language, live in the country for any period 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 for which citizenship has been impacted (and complicated) by shifting borders, historical conflicts, and other impacts of globalization and politics. There are a handful of other nations that similarly grant citizenship by ancestry to those with ethnic ties—such as foreigners of Armenian, Lithuanian, or Bulgarian descent in their respective nations and ethnic Finns from the former Soviet Union—or whose ancestors were displaced from their homes (like those from Spain, which is covered below).
Hungary
If your parents or grandparents held Hungarian citizenship, you can apply for citizenship by descent (with a few specific exceptions). You don't need to speak Hungarian to be eligible. If your grandparents came from what is now Hungary but lost their citizenship due to treaties signed after WWI or WWII, you can apply for simplified naturalization. For the latter process, you do need to have "sufficient" proficiency in Hungarian.
Ireland
Ireland grants citizenship to anyone whose grandparents were born on the island of Ireland. You have to register with the Foreign Births Register, after which you can apply for an Irish passport. There is a list of required documents and a fee of 278 euro for applicants over age 18. According to the Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs, processing takes approximately nine months.
Italy
Individuals with Italian ancestors are eligible for Italian citizenship, even if that ancestor was multiple generations back. The qualifying ancestor has to have been born in the territory after the Kingdom of Italy was formed in 1861 and cannot have held any additional citizenship. An Italian citizenship application costs $643.70 as of Jan. 1, 2025.
Portugal
If your grandparents were born in Portugal and have or had Portuguese citizenship, you can apply for naturalization through ancestry. You must have proof of proficiency in Portuguese and provide documents like your parents' and grandparents' birth certificates. The application fee is 175 euro.
Spain
Spanish citizenship is granted to descendants of some people of Spanish origin under the relatively recent Grandchildren's Law. If your grandparent (or parent) was exiled, renounced, or lost their Spanish nationality or could not become a citizen, you may be eligible for a Spanish passport. However, you must renounce your original citizenship unless you are from certain Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, or are a Sephardic Jew of Spanish origin.
United Kingdom
The UK Ancestry visa doesn't grant full citizenship up front, but it does allow you to live, work, and/or study in the UK for up to five years (and to bring your partner and/or minor child with you). After this, you may be able to extend your stay for five more years or apply for "indefinite leave to remain," which can lead to citizenship eligibility after 12 months.
To qualify, you have to be a citizen of a Commonwealth country or Zimbabwe or be a British overseas citizen or national. You also have to prove that one of your grandparents was born in the UK, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man. An ancestry visa costs £637 and requires an application with extensive documentation.