Most people hear “second passport” and picture one of two extremes:

But there’s a third path that doesn’t get enough attention because it doesn’t sell the dream as aggressively:

Citizenship by descent.
Also known as jus sanguinis—“right of blood.”

And the punchline is this: for a lot of people, a second passport isn’t something you buy or earn later.
It’s something you might already be entitled to—because of who your grandparents were.

This isn’t a “hack.” It’s not a loophole. It’s literally how nationality law works in many countries: if citizenship can pass from parent to child, and you can prove the chain, you may be able to claim it today—even if the family has been gone for generations.

So let’s break down what this actually is, why it matters, and how to approach it without wasting months chasing the wrong country… or getting derailed by a missing accent mark on a 1932 birth certificate.

Citizenship by descent is the legal principle that citizenship can be inherited through lineage rather than birthplace.

So instead of jus soli (“right of soil”—citizenship based on where you’re born), this is jus sanguinis (“right of blood”—citizenship based on your family line).

Many countries built their nationality laws around emigration history. In other words, they expected people to leave—sometimes in huge waves—and wanted descendants to retain a legal connection.

That’s why this is especially common in:

And that’s why so many Americans, Canadians, Australians, and Latin Americans with European heritage may have a real claim sitting in their family tree.

A second passport isn’t just a travel flex. It’s a practical tool that changes your options in four major ways:

More visa-free access. More “visa on arrival” options. Fewer consulate appointments and fewer “prove your entire life story” applications.

This is the big one people miss. If the passport is from an EU country, you’re not just gaining access to that country—you’re gaining the right to live and work across the EU/EEA framework (with specifics depending on citizenship and local rules).

For many people, that’s the difference between:

If you secure citizenship, you may be able to pass it to your children. So you’re not just making your life easier—you’re setting up long-term mobility for your family line.

Different banking systems. Different business environments. Different education options. Sometimes scholarships, healthcare access, or simplified property rights.

This isn’t “get rich quick.”
It’s “get options permanently.”

And options are the real currency of living abroad.

This is where people either get excited… or waste a year doing paperwork for a country they don’t qualify for.

Every country has its own rules. Some are generous, some are strict, and some look generous until you hit one hidden clause that breaks the chain.

Here are a few common examples from your transcript (and how to think about them):

Italy is one of the most attractive citizenship-by-descent programs because it’s widely described as having “no generational limit.” That’s true in spirit, but the chain must be legally unbroken.

The big gotchas:

Translation: Italy can be incredible—but it can also become a paperwork chess match.

Ireland is often more straightforward:

Poland typically requires proving that citizenship continued uninterrupted through the line. This can mean deeper archival work.

Argentina can be compelling for children or grandchildren of Argentine citizens, sometimes with comparatively direct pathways.

The point isn’t which is “best.”
The point is: you don’t pick the country based on vibes.
You pick it based on your lineage facts and legal chain.

Citizenship by descent is not hard because it’s intellectually complex.
It’s hard because it’s administratively demanding.

You’re essentially building a legal bridge from you to an ancestor—document by document, name by name, date by date.

Expect to collect:

And not “a photocopy you found in a drawer.”
Official versions—often long-form.

This varies, but can include:

The most common chain-breaker is when an ancestor naturalized in another country before passing citizenship to the next generation (or formally renounced).

This is why timing matters:

Many countries require:

This is why people get stuck. They collect documents, but not in the right “legal posture.”

Here’s what a clean approach looks like:

Build your family tree with dates and places:

This is where most people should start: facts first, excitement second.

Start with the hardest items first:

Pro move: request multiple certified copies early. You’ll be surprised how often you need duplicates.

Tiny differences can delay things:

Some countries allow affidavits. Others require court orders. Either way: don’t wait until submission day to discover your great-grandmother has three different spellings.

Usually:

This is where following the target country’s current consulate instructions matters.

Some countries route you through consulates. Others allow in-country applications that can move faster—but may require travel and local support.

Processing times are real. Backlogs are real. And you want your file to be so clean that it doesn’t get kicked back for small issues.

Here’s what tends to kill applications:

Not “big” discrepancies—small ones. A missing accent. A shortened name. A typo that becomes a bureaucratic wall.

An ancestor naturalized early, and nobody noticed until the final review.

Old archives. Destroyed records. Unfindable town registries. In those cases, you may need alternative proof sources (church records, census records, archive reconstructions).

“Italy has no generational limit” is true and misleading if you don’t understand the unbroken-line requirement and special rules.

This isn’t a “$50 form and done” process.

Real costs can include:

Total range is often hundreds to several thousand depending on complexity.

Timelines vary wildly:

The big takeaway:
Most of the timeline is you collecting and cleaning documents.
The government processing time is only part of the story.

Imagine this: you discover you have an Italian-born great-grandfather who emigrated in 1910.

You spend time gathering records, proving the chain, doing translations, securing appointments.

It takes time. It’s tedious.

And then the result is… EU citizenship.

Now your children inherit the right.
Your mobility changes permanently.
Your “where could we live someday?” list expands dramatically.

That’s why people do it.

Not because it’s fun.
Because it’s transformational.

Citizenship by descent is one of the most powerful “Plan B” strategies that doesn’t require:

It requires something else instead:

proof, patience, and precision.

If you have the lineage, it can be one of the highest ROI moves you’ll ever make in terms of freedom and options.

And if this topic sparked something in your brain, the next step is understanding the other big route people use:

Naturalization timelines—how long it takes to go from a temporary visa to a passport, and how to avoid delays.

That’s coming next.