The House of Representatives of Italy approved, on Tuesday (20), a project that consolidates restrictions on access to Italian citizenship-a measure that affects millions of Brazilians.
There were 137 votes in favor, 83 opposites and two abstentions.
The text, which follows for presidential sanction, makes the changes determined in a signed government decree the Parliament had until May 27 to prevent the measure from expiring.
By the previous rule, anyone proving to have an Italian ancestor who lived after March 17, 1861 (official date of the unification of Italy) could request citizenship. It is the so -called principle of “jus bloodinis” (“right of blood”).
The decree-law began to restrict the law only to grandchildren of a citizen born in Italian territory-that is, it was necessary to have at least one of the Italian parents or grandparents.
An amendment approved in the Senate withdrew the mention of the place of birth of the ancestor, but introduced that the ancestry of the first or maximum degree must have, or even had death, exclusively to Italian citizenship.
The Government’s goal was to prevent foreigners from seeking a distant family history to
“Being an Italian citizen is serious. It’s not a game to get a passport that allows you to shop in Miami,” said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in March this year.
Matheus Reis, an expert in Italian citizenship, clarified the CNN that those who started the process of citizenship recognition before the new rules – that is, until March 27 – will not be affected by the new legislation.
Italy’s embassy in Brazil estimates that 32 million Italian descendants live in Brazil.
According to data from February 2023, 730,000 Brazilians already have Italian citizenship – representing more than 10% of about six and a half million Italian citizens living outside Italy.
Rafael Gianesini, CEO of Citizenship4U, a company specializing in European Citizenship of Latin America,
“Boom” of requests for Italian citizenship
The Italian Foreign Ministry said there was an increase in the number of people abroad receiving citizenship, particularly in South America, where millions of Italians emigrated in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Between 2014 and 2024, the number of Italians living abroad increased by 40%, from 4.6 million to 6.4 million, many registering thanks to the new nationality.
In Argentina alone, citizenship recognitions jumped from 20,000 by 2023 to 30,000 in 2024, while Brazil saw an increase from 14,000 to 20,000.
Tajani said companies were making a fortune helping people track their forgotten ancestors and seek birth certificates for requests – clogging the municipal offices with their demands for documentation.
“We are hard attacking those who want to make money from the opportunity to become Italian citizens,” Tajani said, adding that in the future, requests for nationality would be treated directly in Rome to release overloaded consulates.
Italy has a population of about 59 million, which has been decreasing in the last decade. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimated that, under ancient rules, 60 to 80 million people worldwide were eligible for citizenship.
