7 Citizenship by descent countries with no generational limit

Most citizenship by descent programs come with a cutoff. Ireland stops at grandparents. Germany generally stops at parents. The UK requires a parent born there. If your family left more than two or three generations ago, you're out of luck in most of the world.

But a handful of countries don't draw that line. If you can document the chain from yourself back to an ancestor who held citizenship, no matter how many generations back, you qualify. For people with roots in Central and Eastern Europe especially, this is a real path to a second passport and EU membership.

This guide breaks down the countries where there is no generational limit on citizenship by descent, what each program actually requires, and why Croatia's version is one of the most practical options available right now.

What "no generational limit" actually means

In most citizenship by descent systems, the government defines a maximum number of generations you can reach back. Ireland, for instance, lets you go back to a grandparent. Slovakia extended its program to great-grandparents in 2022. Go further back and you're disqualified regardless of documentation.

Countries with no generational limit work differently. They don't care whether your ancestor left 50 years ago or 150 years ago. What matters is that you can prove a direct-line connection to a person who held citizenship (or who would have been recognized as a citizen under the country's laws at the relevant time). The documentation burden gets heavier the further back you go, and there are sometimes additional requirements like proving cultural ties, but the door stays open.

That's a big deal for diaspora communities in the Americas and Australia, where large waves of immigration from Central and Eastern Europe happened in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A Croatian-American whose great-great-grandparents arrived at Ellis Island in 1905 can, in theory, claim Croatian citizenship today. The same is true for descendants of Polish, Hungarian, and Bulgarian emigrants from the same era.

Croatia: the standout option

Croatia is worth discussing first because it combines no generational limit with requirements that are, compared to most programs, pretty simple. Since a major reform in January 2020, Croatia has officially removed all restrictions on how far back applicants can trace their ancestry.

Who qualifies

You need a direct-line Croatian ancestor who permanently left Croatia to live abroad. "Direct-line" means parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent, and so on. There's no cap.

There is one important condition: your ancestor must have left Croatian territory to live outside of Yugoslavia, not just moved to another Yugoslav republic like Serbia or Bosnia. If your great-grandfather moved from Zagreb to Belgrade, that doesn't count. If he moved from Zagreb to Chicago, it does.

The ancestor must also have left before October 8, 1991, which is Croatia's independence day. This is broadly interpreted. Most applicants are tracing back to ancestors who left in the late 1800s or early-to-mid 1900s, well before that date was relevant.

What you don't need

This is where Croatia pulls ahead of many alternatives. There is no language test. There is no residency requirement. You do not need to live in Croatia, visit Croatia, or speak a word of Croatian to get your citizenship confirmed. Croatia also allows dual citizenship, so you won't be asked to renounce your current nationality.

Compare this to Hungary, where you need to demonstrate basic Hungarian language skills in an interview, or to countries like Germany, where the residency and language requirements for most applicants are far more demanding.

Documentation

You'll need to build a paper trail connecting yourself to your Croatian ancestor through every generation in between. That means birth certificates, marriage certificates, and in some cases death certificates for each link in the chain. Your Croatian ancestor's original birth record (often a church record from a Croatian parish) is the anchor document.

All foreign documents need certified Croatian translations and apostilles or legalization. For ancestors who left in the 1800s, tracking down parish records can take some digging, but Croatian archives are reasonably well organized and many church records have been digitized.

For applicants going back more than two generations, Croatia also asks for evidence of belonging to the "Croatian nation." This sounds vague, and it can be. Usually it means showing that your ancestor (or their immediate descendants) participated in Croatian community life abroad. Membership records from Croatian cultural clubs, fraternal organizations, or churches can satisfy this. Letters, newspaper clippings, or other historical evidence of Croatian identity also work.

Cost and timeline

If you handle the process yourself, expect to spend somewhere between $500 and $1,000 on document retrieval, translations, apostilles, and application fees. If you hire a service to manage it, that typically runs $1,500 to $2,500.

Processing times vary. Most applications take 12 to 24 months, though some move faster and others get delayed, particularly when documents need to be located in archives.

Why it matters

Croatian citizenship is EU citizenship. Once approved, you can live and work anywhere in the European Union, access EU healthcare systems, and pass citizenship to your children. For Americans, Canadians, or Australians with Croatian roots, this is one of the most direct paths to an EU passport that exists. No investment needed, no residency needed, and it doesn't expire after a generation.

Croatia also introduced a new residence program in 2025 specifically aimed at diaspora descendants. If you're waiting on a lengthy consular appointment (a common frustration in the US, Canada, and Australia), you can now relocate to Croatia on a two-year residence permit and submit your citizenship application directly in-country. This cuts out the consular bottleneck entirely for people willing to spend some time in Croatia while their application processes.

Poland: deep roots, broad eligibility

Poland is another country with no generational limit on citizenship by descent, and it has one of the largest potential applicant pools in the world. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people worldwide could qualify.

Polish citizenship law follows the principle of jus sanguinis (right of blood). If your ancestor was a Polish citizen and did not voluntarily renounce or otherwise lose that citizenship before your parent was born, the citizenship passed down automatically through each generation. There's no cap on how many generations this can cover.

The 1920 threshold

The key date in Polish citizenship by descent is 1920. Poland was re-established as a sovereign state in 1918, and the first citizenship law took effect in 1920. To claim Polish citizenship by descent, you generally need to show that your ancestor was recognized as a Polish citizen on or after that date. If your family left the territory that became Poland before 1920 (when it was part of the Russian, Austro-Hungarian, or Prussian empires), the picture gets more complicated but isn't necessarily impossible.

The "loss of citizenship" question

The biggest trap in Polish citizenship by descent is whether your ancestor lost their citizenship at some point. Poland had various laws over the decades that could strip citizenship under specific circumstances. Taking citizenship in another country, for example, could result in loss of Polish citizenship under certain historical laws. If any link in the chain lost their citizenship before their child was born, the chain breaks and subsequent generations don't qualify.

This is where things get research-intensive. You need to demonstrate not just that your ancestor was Polish, but that they (and each subsequent generation) didn't do anything that triggered a loss of citizenship under the laws applicable at the time.

Requirements

Like Croatia, Poland does not require language skills or residency for citizenship by descent. You submit an application to the relevant voivode (provincial governor) either in person, through a Polish consulate, or through a legal representative. Processing takes about a year. Documentation requirements are similar to Croatia: birth and marriage certificates for every link in the chain, with sworn translations.

Poland made some procedural changes in 2025 that sped up processing, particularly for descendants of Polish emigrants who left during World War II.

Hungary: no generation limit, but you need to speak Hungarian

Hungary's simplified naturalization program, introduced in 2010, has processed over a million applications and counting. Like Poland and Croatia, Hungary places no formal limit on how many generations back you can trace your ancestry. If you can demonstrate that an ancestor was a Hungarian citizen, you can apply.

The catch is the language requirement. While Hungary doesn't administer a formal written exam, applicants must demonstrate basic Hungarian proficiency during an in-person interview at a Hungarian consulate. The interviewer will ask you questions about yourself, your family, and your reasons for seeking citizenship, all in Hungarian. You need to hold up your end of the conversation.

Hungarian is notoriously difficult for English speakers. It's a Uralic language with no close relatives among major European languages. The grammar is agglutinative, meaning words are built by stacking suffixes, and the vocabulary shares almost nothing with Romance or Germanic languages. Most applicants spend months or years studying before their interview. Some consulates are reportedly more lenient than others, but you shouldn't count on skating by with a few memorized phrases.

Documentation

The documentation requirements are similar to other programs: birth and marriage certificates tracing your lineage back to a Hungarian ancestor, proof of that ancestor's citizenship, and a clean criminal record. Applications can only be submitted in person at a consulate (no mail-in option), though Hungary does allow you to pre-fill forms online through the "Konzinfo" system before your appointment.

Timeline and advantages

Processing usually takes six months to a year, which is faster than most competitors. Hungarian citizenship is EU citizenship, with all the same benefits as Croatian citizenship in terms of freedom of movement and right to work across the bloc. Hungary also allows dual citizenship.

The simplified naturalization route bypasses the standard path, which requires eight years of residency. For people willing to invest the time in learning Hungarian, it is a practical option. For everyone else, the language barrier is real and shouldn't be underestimated.

Bulgaria: citizenship through ethnic origin

Bulgaria's approach is somewhat different. Rather than tracing a specific chain of citizenship through each generation, Bulgaria's Citizenship Act (Section 15) allows anyone who can prove they are "of Bulgarian origin" to apply for citizenship. There's no generational limit, but the concept being proven is ethnic heritage rather than an unbroken chain of legal citizenship.

What that means in practice: you need to show that at least one ancestor was Bulgarian. Documentation can include historical records, church records, or other evidence of Bulgarian ethnic identity. The Bulgarian State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad evaluates applications and issues certificates of Bulgarian origin, which are then used in the citizenship application.

The process is less structured than Croatia's or Poland's, and outcomes can be harder to predict. Some applicants get approved without much hassle; others describe long delays and requests for additional documentation. Bulgaria does not require language skills or residency for citizenship through ethnic origin.

Bulgarian citizenship grants EU rights, though Bulgaria is not yet a full member of the Schengen zone (it joined the Schengen area for air and sea borders in 2024, with land borders expected to follow).

Latvia: broad eligibility for diaspora

Latvia offers citizenship recovery (not "by descent" in the strict sense, but functionally similar) to people who belong to the Latvian or Liv ethnic groups, as well as descendants of those who were exiled from Latvia during the Soviet and Nazi occupations. The law doesn't specify a generational limit.

Eligibility is somewhat narrower than Croatia or Poland because Latvia's focus is specifically on ethnic Latvians and Livs, plus descendants of people forcibly removed from Latvia. If your ancestor left Latvia voluntarily, the path is less clear. But for families displaced during World War II or the Soviet period, Latvia offers a way back in.

The documentation requirements include proving your ancestor's Latvian identity and the circumstances of their departure. Latvia does have a language requirement for citizenship through standard naturalization, but the rules for diaspora citizens recovering their status are different and generally less demanding.

Italy: the cautionary tale

Italy deserves a mention here not because it still has no generational limit, but because it did until very recently, and its experience illustrates why these programs can change.

For decades, Italy was the gold standard for unlimited citizenship by descent. Under the 1912 citizenship law, anyone who could trace their lineage to an Italian ancestor through an unbroken chain of citizenship could claim Italian nationality. There was no generational limit, no residency requirement, and no language test. Hundreds of thousands of people in the Americas, particularly in Argentina, Brazil, and the United States, pursued Italian citizenship through ancestors who left Italy in the late 1800s.

Then, in March 2025, Italy passed Law 74/2025 (the Tajani Decree), which imposed a strict two-generation limit. Now, only people with an Italian-born parent or grandparent qualify. Great-grandchildren and beyond are out.

Applications filed before the March 27, 2025 cutoff continue under the old rules, and Italy's Constitutional Court upheld the new limits in March 2026. But the unlimited era is over.

The lesson for anyone considering citizenship by descent through a no-limit country: these laws can change. Programs that exist today are not guaranteed to exist tomorrow in the same form. Italy went from the world's most generous jure sanguinis program to one of the more restrictive in the span of a single legislative session. If you qualify under a current no-limit program, waiting carries real risk.

Other countries worth knowing about

A few other countries offer citizenship by descent with generous (though not unlimited) generational reach:

Ireland lets you claim citizenship through a grandparent. If your parent registered on the Foreign Births Register before you were born, great-grandchildren can also qualify. It's a two-generation program with a workaround that extends it to three in some cases.

Romania includes great-grandchildren of former Romanian citizens, giving it a three-generation reach. The process involves proving your ancestor held Romanian citizenship, and there's no language or residency requirement.

Slovakia expanded its program in 2022 to cover great-grandchildren, also three generations. Like Romania, it requires documentation but no language skills.

Armenia offers citizenship to anyone of Armenian descent, regardless of generation. The definition of "Armenian descent" is interpreted broadly and doesn't require an unbroken chain of legal citizenship.

Greece allows citizenship claims by individuals with a Greek parent, but also offers paths for ethnic Greeks from diaspora communities. The rules are complex and vary depending on when and where your ancestor lived.

Comparing the no-limit countries at a glance

If you're trying to decide which program fits your situation, the practical differences between these countries come down to a few factors: language requirements, documentation complexity, processing time, and how predictable the outcome is.

Croatia and Poland are the most accessible for English speakers. Neither requires you to learn the language, live in the country, or even visit. You put together your documents, submit the application, and wait. Hungary offers the same unlimited generational reach, but you need to be conversational in Hungarian before you apply. That's a real barrier, and for many people it turns what would otherwise be a 12-month process into a multi-year project.

Bulgaria's ethnic-origin approach is the most flexible on paper, since you don't need an unbroken chain of legal citizenship. But the process is less predictable. Approval timelines and documentation standards vary, and some applicants report inconsistent outcomes depending on which officials review their case.

Latvia is the narrowest of the group. If your family was forcibly displaced during the Soviet or Nazi occupations, the path is clear. If they left voluntarily, it's much less certain.

For most people exploring these options for the first time, Croatia and Poland are the best places to start looking. Both have large diaspora populations and a track record of approving claims that go back four, five, or even six generations.

How to figure out if you qualify

If you're reading this and wondering whether any of these programs apply to you, start with a conversation. Talk to your family. Find out where your ancestors came from and roughly when they left. Even vague information helps. "My great-grandmother was from somewhere in Croatia" is enough to get going.

From there, check the basics: was your ancestor from one of these countries? Did they leave to go abroad (not just to a neighboring region within the same country)? Is there a paper trail connecting you to them?

Then start gathering documents. Begin with yourself and work backward. Your birth certificate, your parents' birth and marriage certificates, their parents' records, and so on. Every link in the chain needs documentation.

Once you have a rough picture, contact the relevant consulate or embassy. Most have dedicated citizenship departments and can tell you what they require. Some will even do a preliminary assessment to let you know whether your case looks viable before you invest heavily in document retrieval.

Finally, decide whether to hire help. For simpler cases — one or two generations back, documents readily available — doing it yourself is entirely feasible. For complex cases with many generations, missing records, or ancestors from regions that changed national borders multiple times, a specialized lawyer or citizenship service can save months of dead ends.

Why people pursue this

The reasons are all over the map. Plenty of people want an EU passport for the obvious practical benefits: living and working across 27 countries, accessing public healthcare, visa-free travel to 180-plus destinations. Remote workers especially like the idea of not having to think about visa runs ever again.

But a lot of applicants are driven by something less tangible. They want to reconnect with the place their family came from. Some end up learning the language, visiting the village where their great-grandmother was born, and getting to know distant cousins they didn't know existed.

And then there's the planning-ahead crowd. A second passport is insurance. Political uncertainty, travel restrictions, economic volatility - having a backup plan costs relatively little and could matter a lot someday.

Getting started

If you have roots in Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, or Latvia, the first step is research. Find out what you can about your family's history, check whether the documentation exists, and get a sense of the timeline and costs involved.

For Croatian citizenship by descent specifically, citizenX publishes a detailed guide to the process, eligibility requirements, and documentation needed. It's a good place to start, especially if you're unsure whether your family history qualifies.

These programs won't last forever in their current form. Italy proved that. If you think you might qualify, don't sit on it.