Citizenship by descent remains one of the most realistic and legally sustainable ways to obtain an EU passport. Unlike naturalization, this procedure is not about granting citizenship “from scratch,” but about recognizing an existing right based on family lineage.

However, the key stage of the process is proving European ancestry. Knowing your family history is not enough — you must provide documentary evidence of an uninterrupted chain of kinship and the legal status of your ancestor.

What Does “Proving Ancestry” Mean from a Legal Perspective?

Under the legislation of most EU countries, an applicant must demonstrate two essential facts:

1. The existence of an ancestor who was a citizen of the relevant state or resided in a territory that historically formed part of it.
2. An unbroken line of kinship between that ancestor and the applicant.

This documented lineage forms the foundation of the entire procedure. Any gap or discrepancy in the records may result in delays or refusal.

Which Documents Are Most Commonly Required?

The exact list depends on the country, but in most cases the following documents are needed:

• the applicant’s birth certificate;
• birth certificates of parents and grandparents;
• marriage certificates (if surnames have changed);
• archival certificates confirming the birth or residence of the ancestor;
• documents confirming citizenship or residence within the historical borders of the state.

In some cases, additional documents may be required, such as military records, parish registers, census records, or church archive extracts.

If original documents have been lost, searches may be conducted through state archives, civil registry offices, regional historical archives, church archives (especially for records prior to the 1920s–1930s), or through court procedures to restore civil records.

Archival searches may take from several weeks to several months, depending on the country and the condition of the records.

Common Challenges in Proving Ancestry

In practice, applicants often encounter the following issues:

• discrepancies in surname spelling;
• historical changes in state borders;
• missing or incomplete archival data;
• records lost during wartime periods;
• errors in dates of birth.

In certain situations, additional court procedures may be required to restore missing or inaccurate records.

All documents submitted to foreign authorities must be legalized (via apostille or consular legalization) and translated into the official language of the country of application. Incorrectly prepared translations or the absence of proper legalization may result in the return of the application file.

Timeframe for Preparing the Evidence Base

The preparatory stage often takes longer than the official review process itself. On average:

• collection of documents — 2 to 6 months;
• archival requests — up to 6 months;
• court restoration of records — from 3 months or more.

Thorough preliminary preparation significantly increases the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Countries Most Commonly Granting Citizenship by Descent

The most widely used citizenship-by-descent programs are available in:

• Romania;
• Bulgaria;
• Hungary;
• Poland;
• Italy;

Each country has its own requirements regarding the degree of kinship and the scope of documentary evidence.

Proving European ancestry is a legal procedure that requires precision and a strictly documentary approach. Family stories or verbal confirmations have no legal value without official archival evidence.

A well-structured strategy for document retrieval and verification of the lineage chain substantially improves the chances of approval.

Citizenship by descent remains one of the most reliable pathways to obtaining a European passport, but its success depends directly on the quality and completeness of the supporting documentation.