Italy approved a law that tightens the rules for people with Italian heritage to receive passports.
Previously, anyone with an Italian ancestor who lived after March 17, 1861 – when the Kingdom of Italy was created – qualified to be a Jus Sanguinis citizen or a blood flow flow law.
According to the amended law, which parliament ratifies on Tuesday, candidates for an Italian passport must now have one parent or grandparents who was a birth citizen.
The government has said it has changed the rules for “improving” the relationship between Italy and citizens abroad, avoiding “abuse” and “commercialization” of passports and releasing resources to clear applications.
From the end of 2014 to the end of 2024, the number of citizens residing abroad increased by 40%, from about 4.6 million to 6.4 million, the government said.
By the end of March, when the government of Prime Minister Georgia Meloni introduced the law, he had more than 60,000 pending court proceedings to check the citizenship.
In a statement by the Italian Foreign Ministry, the change “will” release the resources to make consular services more efficient, insofar as they can be dedicated exclusively to those who have a real need because of their specific connection with Italy. “
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the principle “will not be lost” and the descendants of the Italians will still be able to become citizens, but accurate restrictions will be determined, especially to avoid abuse or phenomena of “commercialization” of Italian passports. “
“Citizenship must be a serious thing,” he said.