Guides · Citizenship

Citizenship by Descent, and How Far Back Your Line Reaches

Last updated 1 August 2026
Ancestral documents and a passport on a desk in warm light

Citizenship by descent is the one route where you may already hold the right and simply have to prove it. You are not buying a passport. You are claiming an inheritance.

That is why it is usually the least expensive path to a strong second passport. First Class Citizen research the line up to five generations back, on both your maternal and paternal side, and their fee for that work is a single 1,400 dollars.

The countries themselves each charge their own application cost on top, and the timelines run from a few months to a few years. The tables below give both, per country, with their numbers left in.

The one thing no article can tell you is whether your particular line qualifies. That is what the free research call establishes before you commit to anything.

Why this route

You are proving a right, not purchasing one

Most second passports are earned slowly through residency or bought through investment. Descent is different in kind, because the citizenship may already be yours by law and the work is documentary rather than financial.

That single difference is what makes it the most accessible option for anyone with the right ancestry. There is no property to purchase and no minimum deposit to lock away, only a lineage to trace and a claim to file correctly.

You can also hold more than one at once. Where the countries permit it, a claim through one grandparent and a claim through another can both be pursued, so the outcome is additive rather than a single choice.

Whether your particular line qualifies is the one thing no article can tell you. The research call can.

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The mechanism

How the research actually works

The process is three phases, and the first one is where most of the answer lives.

First, the search. Documentary research online, tracing your ancestors up to five generations back, following both the maternal and the paternal path to see which lines carry a claim.

Second, the analysis. Every ancestor in the lineage is examined case by case. If a right to citizenship exists it is identified, and if it does not, they tell you that plainly and give you the reasons rather than leaving you guessing.

Third, the report. Where one or more citizenships are open to you, each is laid out with the best path indicated, weighed by cost and by speed. You get a final PDF with the lineage findings and direct access to the team throughout.

The countries

Timelines and costs, country by country

These are First Class Citizen's own published estimates for the countries they research. The time is from filing to citizenship, and the cost is the country's application and processing expense, separate from the 1,400 dollar research fee.

CountryTime to citizenshipEstimated application cost
Germany1 to 5 years2,500 to 3,000 euros
Austria1 to 3 years2,500 to 5,000 euros
Italy6 to 24 months2,000 to 5,000 euros
Spain1 to 3 years2,000 to 3,000 euros
France6 months to 2 years2,500 to 3,000 euros
Ireland1 to 3 years2,000 to 3,000 euros
Poland1 to 3 years2,500 to 3,500 euros
Portugal6 to 24 months2,000 to 2,500 euros

Two figures decide the shortlist. Italy and Portugal are among the quicker files at six to twenty four months, while Germany can run to five years.

On cost, most sit in the two to three thousand euro range, with Austria and Italy reaching higher on the more complex cases.

The eligibility question

How far back a line can reach

This is the part an article cannot answer for you, and it is the reason the call exists.

Some countries reach only to a parent or a grandparent. Others extend to great-grandparents, and a few place no fixed generational limit at all.

Which bracket applies to your family, and whether the specific chain of births, marriages and naturalisations holds up, is a case by case judgement.

It also moves. Several countries have revised their descent laws in recent years, tightening or widening who qualifies, so a rule that held for a cousin may not hold for you. Current eligibility is confirmed against today's law, not assumed from a family story.

That confirmation is exactly what the research phase delivers, and it is why the honest first step is a lineage check rather than a purchase.

The honest first step is a lineage check, not a purchase. That is what the call is.

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What you provide

The documents behind the claim

The paperwork is ancestral, not financial, and most of it you can gather from home.

Your own birth certificate and a copy of your passport to begin. Then the birth certificates of the ancestors relevant to your claim, the ones who carry the line back to the qualifying country.

Around those, the connecting records: marriage, divorce, naturalisation and death certificates where they bear on the chain. Each one is a link, and a claim succeeds when the links are complete and consistent.

The team handles the bureaucracy on the other end, dealing with the local offices so that you are assembling documents rather than negotiating foreign administrations.

The honest part

What to know before you start

Four honest notes, because this route is sold with more excitement than it deserves.

It takes real time. The files above run in months and years, not minutes, and the speed depends on the country and the state of the archives, not on effort alone.

Not every line qualifies. A genuine part of this work is being told there is no claim, and a provider willing to say so before taking a government fee is doing you a service, not losing a sale.

The two costs are separate. The 1,400 dollars covers the research and the assistance. Each country's own application fee, shown above, sits on top and is paid to them, not to First Class Citizen.

And whether a new passport affects your current one varies by country and has changed recently in several. It is confirmed for your specific case before you apply, never assumed.

Once the passport is in hand, a US LLC is the usual next step for putting it to work, and getting that company formed is where that starts.

The proof

Client wins from the Hall of Wins

Antonio Leao
Client
"You have the record for the fastest ITIN we have ever processed. We did it in 37 days."
Davide Vignoli
Client
"My ITIN was delivered in 1 month and 2 weeks. Really happy with the process and I am gearing up for my trip to Miami now."
Thor M.
Client
"Got my ITIN within 6 weeks thanks to you and the whole team. I just filled out a form and waited and it came to my mail."
Chris M.
Client
"I got the ITIN as promised, FASTER than I was promised. I got the corporation and everything is done, and whenever I have a question I get my answers right away."
Michael Niziolek
Client
"Got my ITIN in 40-50 days and now I have 2 credit cards already. The experience has been amazing with hands-on support from the team."
Andrew Menechian
Client
"The LLC is fine, the EIN was fine, the ITIN's all good, got the bank accounts remotely, so everything went pretty good."
Neil Ateem
Client
"The process was super quick and easy. Whoever is behind the scenes in your team, they are on it, very communicative."
Povilas
Client
"I have a company in Lithuania doing $5-6m in ad spend through my debit card. I didn't know AMEX existed until I met Miquel and he explained how I was leaving money on the table."
Client reports five of five credit limit increases approved through the card apps, the largest two at 9,000 dollars eachChase approval email for an Ink Business Preferred card at a 5,000 dollar limit, opened on a fresh ITINClient tells the team the Chase bank account is open and the card received, shown in the Chase appClient opens Capital One and Bank of America on day one; the team confirms both and lines up Chase nextClient's written testimonial: six personal and business bank accounts opened with Chase, Bank of America and Citibank in one weekClient reports an American Express Platinum approval in Germany within two days, using a US address and Global Card TransferClient thanks the team after the Miami trip for the help with the US bank cardsClient reports after the Miami trip: the Atmos card arrived, new bank accounts for the corporation, and a Florida driving licenceClient opens a Bank of America account while resident in Greece, then moves on to Citibank for the second accountClient's Chase appointment done: account, debit card and credit card all approved, heading to the second appointmentClient confirms the Bank of America travel rewards credit card came through

Real client wins, straight from the Hall of Wins.

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FAQ

How much does citizenship by descent cost?
First Class Citizen charge a single 1,400 dollar fee for the research and assistance. Each country then charges its own application cost on top, which their published estimates put between roughly 2,000 and 5,000 euros depending on the country and the complexity of the case.
How many generations back can I claim through?
It depends entirely on the country. Some reach only to a parent or grandparent, others to great-grandparents, and a few set no fixed generational limit. Which applies to your line, and whether the specific documents hold, is what the free research call establishes.
Which countries are open through descent?
First Class Citizen research descent claims across Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, Poland and Portugal, among others. The right country for you is whichever your documented lineage actually reaches, which the research phase confirms.
How long does it take?
Between six months and five years, depending on the country. Italy and Portugal are among the quicker files at six to twenty four months, while Germany can run to five years. The archives and the country set the pace, not effort.
Do I have to give up my current citizenship?
It depends on the country, and several have changed their rules in recent years. Rather than assume, the requirement is confirmed for your specific case and country before any application is filed. It is a question to settle during the research phase, not after.
What if my line does not qualify?
Then they tell you, with the reasons, before you have paid any government fee. Being told plainly that there is no claim is part of the research, and it is why the honest first step is a lineage check rather than a purchase.

Find out if your line qualifies

The free research call traces your maternal and paternal lines up to five generations, tells you which countries are genuinely open to you, and is straight about the timeline and the cost before you commit to anything. Free, qualified, direct.

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Miquel Gironès, Founder and CEO of The First Class Citizen
Expert review: Miquel Gironès
Founder & CEO, The First Class Citizen