Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ
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LEGAL

The Claim

Brazilian citizens can obtain Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) under current Italian law.

The Short Version

Italian law still permits some Brazilian citizens to obtain citizenship by descent, so the statement is not unsupported. However, the 2025 reform drastically narrowed eligibility: most Brazilian descendants who already hold Brazilian citizenship no longer qualify unless they fit narrow exceptions, typically tied to an Italian-only parent or grandparent, transitional status, or a parent’s qualifying residence in Italy.

Caveats

  • The 2025 reform substantially restricted jure sanguinis for people born abroad who already hold another citizenship, so older guidance is often outdated.
  • Brazilian nationality is not itself disqualifying; eligibility now turns on specific statutory exceptions, family line, and in some cases parental residence in Italy.
  • The practical takeaway is not that the route remains broadly available to Brazilians; for many descendants beyond parent or grandparent lines, it has effectively been closed.

The Receipts

  1. Citizenship Jure sanguinis / by descent

    Consolato Generale d'Italia a Chicago

  2. Legge 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91

    Normattiva

  3. Decreto-legge 28 marzo 2025, n. 36

    Gazzetta Ufficiale

  4. Legge 23 maggio 2025, n. 74

    Gazzetta Ufficiale

  5. LEGGE 23 maggio 2025, n. 74

    Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana

  6. Cittadinanza iure sanguinis – NUOVA DISCIPLINA

    Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale - Consolato Generale d'Italia a Londra

  7. How to apply for citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis)

    Consolato Generale d’Italia New York (esteri.it)

  8. Citizenship by Descent “Jure Sanguinis”

    Consolato Generale d'Italia Los Angeles (esteri.it)

  9. Legge 24 aprile 2025, n. 74 – Conversione in legge, con modificazioni, del decreto-legge 29 febbraio 2025, n. 36, recante disposizioni urgenti in materia di cittadinanza

    Gazzetta Ufficiale

  10. Italy tightens citizenship rules for descendants of immigrants

    Reuters

+ 21 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

BrazilItalian Citizenship By Descent (Jure Sanguinis)Italy

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