Your Ancestry Might Be a Passport: A Global Guide to Citizenship by Descent

Jus sanguinis is Latin for "right of blood," and it's a legal door you can walk through to claim a second passport if one of your ancestors was from another country.

Europe: Easy Ancestry

This is by far the continent with the most accommodating rules for proving ancestry. Many countries have generous laws designed to welcome back descendants of their diaspora, which can be your golden ticket to a 27-countries-passport.

• Ireland is straightforward. If one of your grandparents was born anywhere on the island of Ireland, you can become a citizen. You register on the Foreign Births Register and that's it! No language test, no residency, just proof of lineage.
• Some countries let you go even deeper into your family tree. Poland allows up to a great-grandparent who was a Polish citizen. The process can be more complex as you often have to prove the citizenship was never legally lost, but 3 generations back is pretty insane!

East, South, and Southeast Asia: 1 Generation Only

These Asian countries almost universally prioritize the current generation. Citizenship is seen as a privilege for those with immediate connections, not a right based on heritage. Either your father or mother had to be citizens of the country of your birth to claim a passport in this part of the world, and dual citizenship allowances are rare amongst the big players.

The Americas & Oceania: A Mixed Bag

Some countries in the Americas (and Down Under) are more like Asia and only allow you to apply for your passport if one or both of your parents were citizens at the time of your birth. Others are like Europe, where proof of ancestry two generations back (your grandparents) can still land you a passport. Mexico is a great example:

• If you were born anywhere in the world to a mother or father who is a Mexican citizen, you have the right to claim Mexican nationality. But if it was your grandparent who was Mexican? Sorry :(

The Middle East: It's Paternal

This region has some of the most restrictive citizenship laws on the planet tied to the father's bloodline. In many countries, it doesn't matter if your mother is a citizen (unless your father is stateless or has an unknown status). However, there's one world-famous exception: Israel.

• Israel's "Law of Return" grants anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent the right to immigrate and claim citizenship. It is one of the most expansive ancestry-based citizenship laws in the world.

Africa: All of the Above

Africa is a massive continent and accordingly has many different approaches to ancestral citizenship. Broadly speaking there are very accommodating nations closer to Europe's philosophy, like Ghana -- where the Right of Abode only requires proof of ancestry as part of the African diaspora (broadly defined). There are countries like South Africa which align closer to the Americas and Oceania (one generation back, gender equal). And there are countries which align closer in philosophy to the Middle East, like Libya which are pre-dominantly one generation and patrilineal.

***Rules vary wildly depending on the country, and they often change as new governments are elected or installed. So, as always, do your own research and know that this is a very broad look at the topic!***