How Americans Can Get a European Passport: Ancestry Routes and Moving Abroad

An EU passport is arguably the most valuable travel document on Earth — not because of visa-free travel (the US passport already gets you most places), but because of one thing the American passport will never give you: the right to live and work in 27 countries without asking anyone's permission.

In 2025 and 2026, a record number of Americans are pursuing exactly this. A Harris poll found that nearly half of all Americans — and two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennials — are interested in dual citizenship. Applications from Americans to immigration firms surged 183% between 2024 and 2025. Inquiries to Henley & Partners jumped 67% in just the first half of 2025. The reasons vary — political uncertainty, access to healthcare, wanting options for their kids — but the desire is the same: a second passport, a plan B, a door that stays open.

The good news: for many Americans, that door may already be unlocked. An estimated 133 million Americans are potentially eligible through ancestry alone. Others can earn citizenship by spending 5 years in the right EU country. Here's what the landscape actually looks like in 2026 — including several important law changes that closed doors that were open just a year ago.

Why an EU Passport?

Before getting into the how, it's worth being specific about what you're actually getting.

Freedom of movement across 27 countries. Under EU Free Movement Directive 2004/38/EC, EU citizens can live in any member state for up to 3 months with no paperwork, and indefinitely if working, studying, or financially self-sufficient. An Irish passport lets you move to Germany, Portugal, Spain, or France — without a visa, work permit, or employer sponsorship. After 5 years in any EU country, you earn permanent residency unconditionally.

Visa-free travel. Top EU passports grant visa-free access to 173+ countries. The US passport currently reaches 170, but has slipped out of the global top 10 for the first time in decades. EU citizens are also exempt from the forthcoming ETIAS travel authorization — the €20 pre-check that non-EU visitors to the Schengen Area will need starting late 2026.

Healthcare, education, and business. Access to national healthcare systems at local rates. Heavily subsidized university education for your children across the EU. The right to open businesses and bank accounts without "foreign buyer" restrictions that apply to non-citizens in many countries.

Inheritance. EU citizenship passes to your children regardless of where they're born. One passport becomes a generational asset.

Path 1: Citizenship by Ancestry (Jure Sanguinis)

This is the fastest route for those who qualify. No residency required. No language test in most cases. You claim citizenship based on your bloodline, and after processing, you receive a passport as if you'd been a citizen your whole life — because legally, under most countries' laws, you have been.

Ireland — The Most Accessible Ancestry Route

Ireland is the most popular ancestry citizenship route for Americans, and for good reason: it's simple, there's no language test, and the country is English-speaking.

Who qualifies:

Parent born in Ireland: you're automatically Irish at birth
Grandparent born in Ireland: you can register in the Foreign Births Register (FBR) — no residency required
Great-grandparent born in Ireland: eligible only if your parent had already registered in the FBR before your birth

Process: Apply to register in the Foreign Births Register with the Department of Foreign Affairs. You'll need birth and marriage certificates tracing the chain from you back to your Irish-born ancestor. Processing currently takes 9–24 months.

No language test. No residency requirement. Dual citizenship is permitted.

An estimated 7+ million Americans have qualifying Irish ancestry. If the famine-era or early 20th century waves of emigration are part of your family story, it's worth a serious look.

Italy — Critical: Law Changed in May 2025

Italy used to be the crown jewel of citizenship-by-descent programs — no generational limit whatsoever, meaning Americans could claim citizenship tracing back to ancestors born in the 1800s. Tens of millions qualified. An entire industry of Italian citizenship specialists emerged to serve them.

That changed in May 2025. Law 74/2025 (effective May 24, 2025) introduced a two-generation limit:

You now qualify only if a parent or grandparent was born an Italian citizen
Great-grandparent claims are no longer automatically recognized
Applications submitted (or appointment slots confirmed) before March 27, 2025 at midnight Rome time are still processed under the old rules
Application fees doubled from €300 to €600

If you had an Italian great-grandparent who emigrated before 1940 — the most common American-Italian profile — the path has narrowed significantly. If you have an Italian grandparent, you still qualify cleanly.

Also important (October 2024): New guidance clarified that if an Italian ancestor naturalized as an American citizen while their children were still minors, it may break the citizenship transmission chain — affecting some previously assumed-valid claims.

If Italian ancestry is in your family, verify your lineage carefully with a qualified immigration lawyer before assuming you qualify under the new rules.

Poland — 7+ Million Americans Potentially Eligible

Poland may have the largest American ancestry pool after Italy — an estimated 7+ million Americans have Polish roots. The citizenship-by-descent route exists but has nuance:

No strict generational limit, but the ancestor must have been a Polish citizen after 1920 (when modern Polish nationality law was established)
The chain must be unbroken: ancestors who voluntarily acquired foreign citizenship (especially before 1951) may have extinguished the transmission
Under pre-1951 rules, a parent naturalizing abroad could terminate citizenship for their minor children automatically
Processing takes approximately 12 months
Dual citizenship is permitted

The key question is whether each person in your family chain maintained Polish citizenship or formally renounced it. This often requires research into records held by Polish state archives.

Greece — Up to Great-Grandparents, 3 Million Americans Eligible

Greece allows citizenship-by-descent extending practically to great-grandparents, with no strict generational cutoff — though proving beyond great-grandparents becomes very difficult in practice.

Ancestor must be traceable to a Greek municipal registry
Approximately 3 million Americans are estimated to have qualifying Greek ancestry
Processing: 12–18 months
Dual citizenship allowed, no language test for descent claims

Greek-Americans with roots in the major emigration waves of the early 20th century — particularly from islands and rural mainland communities — have a strong candidate profile.

Lithuania and Latvia — Pre-1940 Ancestry

Both Baltic states offer citizenship to descendants of nationals who held citizenship before Soviet occupation (June 1940). These routes apply to:

Descendants of those who were citizens before occupation, or
Those who were forced to flee or were exiled during Soviet rule (1940–1990)
Claims typically extend to grandparents and great-grandparents

Latvia uniquely permits dual citizenship with EU, EFTA, and NATO member states, as well as Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand — making it one of the more permissive dual-nationality regimes among EU countries.

These routes are particularly relevant for Jewish Americans with Baltic ancestry, as well as Lithuanian and Latvian-American communities from the early emigration waves.

Romania — Three Generations, But Language Now Required

Romania covers descendants up to great-grandparents and also covers former Romanian territories (modern Moldova, parts of Ukraine and Bukovina), making it relevant for a diverse range of Eastern European-American families.

Key 2025 change: Law 14/2025 (effective March 15, 2025) introduced a mandatory B1-level Romanian language requirement for most applicants. B1 is intermediate — significantly more demanding than, say, Portugal's A2. Exemptions exist for those over 65 and former Romanian citizens reacquiring nationality.

Romania joined the Schengen Area on January 1, 2025, which meaningfully increased the passport's practical value. The descent route still makes sense for those with Romanian heritage, but the new language bar is a real commitment.

Germany — Strict Chain, Special Window for Persecution Descendants

German citizenship-by-descent requires an unbroken transmission chain through each generation. Historically, citizenship passed through fathers only before January 1, 1975, which complicates many claims.

Special window (2021–2031): Descendants of people persecuted by the Nazi regime can apply for citizenship by declaration — with no generational limit and a simplified process. This applies to those stripped of citizenship on political, racial, or religious grounds between 1933 and 1945, and their descendants.

Germany generally discourages dual citizenship, though descent-based claims operate somewhat differently. If an ancestor naturalized as American before 1914, that likely ended German citizenship transmission.

Path 2: Move There and Earn It

No European ancestry? There's still a clean path — but it requires actually moving and living there. Here's where Americans have the most accessible routes in 2026.

Ireland — 5 Years, No Language Test, English-Speaking

Ireland is the only EU country where naturalization requires zero language testing. Combined with the fact that English is the primary language, this makes it uniquely accessible for Americans who want to earn citizenship through residency.

Requirements:

5 years of legal residence in Ireland in the 8 years before applying (with at least 1 year continuous immediately before application)
Good character (no serious criminal history)
Declaration of intent to continue residing in or maintaining connection to Ireland

No language test. No civics exam. Dual citizenship permitted.

The path: get a visa or permit to live in Ireland (work visa, self-employment, student), live there for 5 years, and apply. EU citizenship follows — and you keep your American passport.

Malta — English as an Official Language

Malta is the only EU country where English is an official language alongside Maltese. For naturalization purposes, knowledge of English or Maltese is accepted — meaning Americans face no meaningful language barrier.

Standard naturalization: 5 years of permanent residency (which itself typically requires 5 prior years of legal residence — plan for roughly 10 years total)
Malta also offers citizenship by descent if a grandparent was born in Malta (parent must have been alive on August 1, 2007)
The investment citizenship program (the "golden passport" route) was ruled illegal by the European Court of Justice in April 2025

Malta is small (400,000 people), has a Mediterranean climate, and is a full EU member with English widely spoken across the island.

Belgium — 5 Years, Social Integration Emphasis

Belgium offers a 5-year path to citizenship with a different approach to language: you must demonstrate knowledge of one of the three national languages (Dutch, French, or German), but this can be shown through work history and participation in civic programs rather than a formal academic exam.

Brussels is effectively the capital of the EU, with massive international expat communities and strong English fluency. Learning conversational French or Dutch opens the formal path, and the bar is practical rather than academic.

Portugal — Now 10 Years (Was 5)

Portugal was for years the top choice for Americans seeking a naturalization path — clear rules, an A2-level language requirement (very basic Portuguese), and a 5-year residency. The NHR tax regime and Golden Visa attracted thousands of American applicants annually.

In October 2025, Portugal increased the residency requirement to 10 years for most non-EU applicants. Applications already submitted before the law's publication remain under the 5-year regime, but new applicants face a decade-long commitment.

The language requirement — the A2 CIPLE exam — remains in place but is genuinely accessible: most learners pass it with 3–6 months of part-time study. If you're planning a genuine long-term move, Portugal remains one of Europe's most liveable countries. But the doubled timeline is a significant deterrent for those primarily seeking a passport.

Best Routes for Americans: 2026 Summary

Route	Who It's For	Timeline	Language	Key Caveat
Irish ancestry (grandparent)	Irish-American families	9–24 months processing	None	Must prove unbroken chain
Italian ancestry (grandparent)	Italian-Americans	12–24 months	None	Law changed May 2025 — grandparent required
Polish ancestry	Polish-Americans	~12 months	None	Pre-1951 naturalization may break chain
Greek ancestry	Greek-Americans	12–18 months	None	Need municipal registry records
Lithuanian/Latvian ancestry	Baltic diaspora	12–24 months	None	Pre-1940 citizenship required
Romanian ancestry	Eastern European families	6–24 months	B1 Romanian	Language bar added March 2025
Move to Ireland	Anyone willing to relocate	5 years + processing	None	Must actually live there
Move to Belgium	Anyone willing to relocate	5 years	French/Dutch/German	Social integration, not academic test
Move to Malta	Anyone willing to relocate	~10 years total	English accepted	Long path without descent route
Move to Portugal	Long-term movers	10 years	A2 Portuguese	Doubled from 5 years in Oct 2025

The Single Most Important Development of 2025

Italy closed what was the most popular EU citizenship-by-descent route for Americans. For decades, no generational limit meant that tens of millions of Americans could trace a lineage to Italy regardless of how far back. Law 74/2025 ended that in May 2025. If you were counting on an Italian great-grandparent — that path is now restricted. If you have an Italian grandparent, you're still on solid ground.

The most accessible path for any American today: if you have an Irish grandparent, register in the Foreign Births Register. It's the clearest, fastest, and cheapest route to an EU passport that exists. If you don't have qualifying ancestry — Ireland is still your best option, but you'll need to actually move there for 5 years.

A Note on Documentation

Citizenship-by-descent claims live or die on documentation. The typical requirement is original or certified copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates tracing your entire lineage. Records may be held by:

Church archives (especially for pre-civil registration periods in Catholic countries)
State civil registries
National archives (Poland, Italy, and Greece have digitized significant portions)
US naturalization records (USCIS and NARA hold naturalization documents that can reveal your ancestor's exact citizenship status at key dates)

For any country beyond Ireland, working with a qualified immigration lawyer or specialist in that country's citizenship law is strongly recommended. The specific dates of ancestor naturalization, dates of relatives' births, and exact documentation chains can make or break a claim — and a small error can mean a rejection that takes years to reverse.