Reference
Citizenship by descent across Europe: the complete list
A plain-language orientation map. "Reach" is the practical generational limit for most applicants; nearly every country has narrower exceptions and special restoration routes.
| Country | Practical reach | Language? | Status & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | No limit if chain unbroken | No | Open. Our specialty, firsthand experience. |
| Romania | Great-grandchildren (Art. 11) | B1 required (exemptions apply) | Open with language requirement. Our specialty, firsthand experience. |
| Italy | Parent / grandparent | No | Restricted 2025; upheld by Constitutional Court 2026. |
| Ireland | Grandparent (FBR) | No | Stable; great-grandparent only via pre-birth registration. |
| Germany | Chain-based + restoration routes | No (restoration) | Open; one restoration route has a 2031 deadline. |
| Hungary | No formal limit | Yes, Hungarian | Open but language-gated. |
| Czech Republic | Grandchildren | No | Open by declaration since 2019. |
| Slovakia | Great-grandchildren | No | Open since 2021 amendment. |
| Lithuania | Great-grandchildren (pre-1940) | No | Open; dual citizenship limited to descent cases. |
| Latvia | Pre-occupation descendants | No | Open; exile provisions. |
| Croatia | No explicit limit | No (descent) | Open; documentation-heavy. |
| Portugal | Grandparent (standard) | Basic (standard route) | Sephardic route closed to new applicants May 2026; standard descent stable. |
| Austria | Persecution-restoration route | No (restoration) | Open for descendants of those who fled between 1933 and 1955. |
| Greece | Parent / grandparent | No formal exam | Open; registration-chain required, slow. |
| Spain | Parent / grandparent | No (descent) | Democratic Memory Law application window closed 22 Oct 2025; Sephardic window closed 2019. |
| Bulgaria | Bulgarian origin, flexible | No | Open; origin-based with caveats. |
| Luxembourg | Ancestor citizen on 1 Jan 1900 | No (reclaim route) | Reclaim window has had deadlines; verify current status. |
| France | Parent | No | Primarily direct parentage. |
| Netherlands | Parent | n/a | Ancestry alone insufficient beyond a parent. |
| Sweden | Parent | n/a | Parent-based only. |
| Denmark | Parent | n/a | Parent-based only. |
| Finland | Parent | n/a | Parent-based only. |
| Estonia | Parent / pre-1940 descent | No (descent) | Descent from pre-occupation citizens recognized. |
| Slovenia | Parent, sometimes grandparent | No (descent) | Narrow but real. |
| Malta | Parent (some grandparent routes) | No | Limited descent provisions. |
| Norway / Iceland / Switzerland | Parent | Varies | Non-EU; restrictive, parent-focused. |
Summarized as of mid-2026 for orientation only. Not legal advice, and rules change quickly (Italy's did overnight). Verify with the relevant government authority, and treat any consultant or firm presenting these rules as permanent with suspicion.