View source for Jus sanguinis

{{Short description|Citizenship by parents' nationality}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}{{italic title}}
{{Legal status of persons}}
[[File:Jus sanguinis world.svg|upright=1.35|thumb|Countries by ''jus sanguinis''
{{legend|#36C|''jus sanguinis''}}
{{legend|#00AF89|''jus sanguinis'' and ''leges sanguinis''}}
{{legend|#FC3|''leges sanguinis''}}
{{legend|#E0E0E0|No ''jus sanguinis''}}]]
{{lang|la|'''Jus sanguinis'''}} ({{IPAc-en|lang|dʒ|ʌ|s|_|ˈ|s|æ|ŋ|ɡ|w|ɪ|n|ɪ|s}} {{respell|juss|_|SANG|gwin|iss}}<ref>{{cite Collins Dictionary|jus sanguinis|access-date=18 August 2024}}</ref> <small>or</small> {{IPAc-en|j|uː|s|_|-}} {{respell|yooss|_|-}},<ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster|jus sanguinis|access-date=18 August 2024}}</ref> {{IPA|la|juːs ˈsaŋɡwɪnɪs|lang}}), meaning 'right of blood', is a principle of [[nationality law]] by which [[nationality]] is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2019-06-19 |title=International Migration Law No. 34 - Glossary on Migration |url=https://publications.iom.int/books/international-migration-law-ndeg34-glossary-migration |journal=[[International Organization for Migration]] |language=en |pages=120 |issn=1813-2278 |access-date=23 November 2023 |archive-date=23 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123141849/https://publications.iom.int/books/international-migration-law-ndeg34-glossary-migration |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Birthright Citizenship |url=https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199756223/obo-9780199756223-0344.xml |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=obo |language=en}}</ref> Children at birth may be nationals of a particular state if either or both of their parents have nationality of that state. It may also apply to national identities of ethnic, cultural, or other origins.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KjqWJCE7JQUC&pg=PA26 |first=Dora |last=Kostakopoulou |title=The Future Governance of Citizenship |pages=26–27 |year=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781139472449 }}</ref> Citizenship can also apply to children whose parents belong to a [[diaspora]] and were [[Right of return|not themselves citizens]] of the state conferring citizenship.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} This principle contrasts with ''[[jus soli]]'' ('right of soil'), which is solely based on the place of birth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eudo-citizenship.eu/docs/birthright_comparativepaper.pdf |last1=Vink |first1=Maarten Peter |last2=de Groot |first2=Gerard-René |date=November 2010 |title=Birthright Citizenship: Trends and Regulations in Europe |location=Florence |publisher=European University Institute |page=35 |access-date=23 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121126212750/http://eudo-citizenship.eu/docs/birthright_comparativepaper.pdf |archive-date=26 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the 21st century, almost all [[Sovereign state|states]] apply some combination of ''jus soli'' and ''jus sanguinis'' in their nationality laws to varying degrees, in contrast to largely pure forms of either as used in the 19th and 20th centuries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Solodoch |first1=Omer |last2=Sommer |first2=Udi  |title=Explaining the birthright citizenship lottery: Longitudinal and cross-national evidence for key determinants |pages=63–81 |year=2020 |journal=Regulation & Governance |volume=14 |doi=10.1111/rego.12197 |s2cid=158447458 }}</ref>{{sfnp|Safran|2016|p=314}} Historically, the most common application of ''jus sanguinis'' is a right of a child to their father's nationality. Today, the majority of countries extend this right on an equal basis to the mother. Some apply this right irrespective of the place of birth, while others may limit it to those born in the state. Some countries provide that a child acquires the nationality of the mother if the father is unknown or stateless, and some irrespective of the place of birth. Some such children may acquire the nationality automatically while others may need to apply for a parent's nationality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ius sanguinis - European Commission |url=https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/networks/european-migration-network-emn/emn-asylum-and-migration-glossary/glossary/ius-sanguinis_en |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=home-affairs.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref> 

Most countries with mixed systems extend ''jus soli'' citizenship on a limited basis only to children born in their sovereign territory who do not qualify for citizenship elsewhere to avoid [[statelessness]]—an obligation for states party to the [[Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jus soli |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/jus-soli |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=Britannica |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=McGuire |first=Kim |date=September 2022 |title=Jus Sanguinis, "Effective Nationality" and Exclusion: Analysing Citizenship Deprivation in the UK |journal=Genealogy |language=en |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=62 |doi=10.3390/genealogy6030062 |doi-access=free |issn=2313-5778}}</ref>

When the sovereignty over a territory is transferred from one state to another, individuals may be given the right of [[option of nationality]] based on ''jus sanguinis'', typically on the condition of emigration from the ceded territory, or other rules.<ref name="Vaillot">{{Cite web |last=Vaillot |first=Benoît |date=18 April 2022 |title=Option of Nationality |url=https://ehne.fr/en/encyclopedia/themes/migrations-in-europe/changed-borders-changed-nationalities/option-nationality |access-date=24 August 2025 |website=Encyclopédie d'histoire numérique de l'Europe |publisher=[[Sorbonne University]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Modern development==
Originally, the term ''[[Nation#Etymology and terminology|nation]]'' was synonymous with ''[[ethnicity]]''. However, at the end of the 19th century, the French-German debate on nationality saw the French, such as [[Ernest Renan]], oppose the German conception,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Renan |first=Ernest |year=1882 |title=What is a Nation? |url=http://ucparis.fr/files/9313/6549/9943/What_is_a_Nation.pdf |website=UC Paris |access-date=30 May 2022 |archive-date=24 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524060705/http://ucparis.fr/files/9313/6549/9943/What_is_a_Nation.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> exemplified by [[Johann Fichte]], who believed in an 'objective nationality', based on [[heredity|blood]], [[race (classification of human beings)|race]], or [[language]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Breazeale |first=Dan |title=Johann Gottlieb Fichte |year=2022 |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/johann-fichte/ |encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |editor-last=Zalta |editor-first=Edward N. |edition=Spring 2022 |publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University |access-date=2022-05-30}}</ref> Renan's [[republicanism|republican]] conception (with perhaps the presence of a German-speaking population in [[Alsace-Lorraine]]) explain France's early adoption of ''jus soli''.

===Mixed standards===
Many nations have a mixture of ''jus sanguinis'' and ''jus soli''. For example, the [[Citizenship of the United States|United States]] grants citizenship based on ''jus soli'' to almost all people born within its borders, and also grants citizenship based on ''jus sanguinis'' to children born outside its borders to U.S. citizen parents subject to the parents meeting certain residency or physical presence criteria.<ref name="US-Citizenship-Child-Born-Abroad">{{Cite web |title=Acquisition of U.S. Citizenship by a Child Born Abroad |url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/travel-legal-considerations/us-citizenship/Acquisition-US-Citizenship-Child-Born-Abroad.html |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=travel.state.gov |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303013155/https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/travel-legal-considerations/us-citizenship/Acquisition-US-Citizenship-Child-Born-Abroad.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jus sanguinis {{!}} law {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/jus-sanguinis |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The [[British nationality law|United Kingdom]] usually applies ''jus sanguinis'', but also has a ''jus soli'' principle for children of foreign citizens living in the U.K. depending on the parents' nationality and legal residence status.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Check if you're a British citizen |url=https://www.gov.uk/check-british-citizenship/born-in-the-uk-from-1-july-2021-onwards |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=GOV.UK |language=en |archive-date=2 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702024106/https://www.gov.uk/check-british-citizenship/born-in-the-uk-from-1-july-2021-onwards |url-status=live }}</ref>

About 60% of all countries worldwide have a limited ''jus soli'' principle that extends citizenship to children born within their borders who do not qualify for citizenship in any other country. Countries which ratified the [[Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness]] are obligated to enact laws as a solution for [[statelessness]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ensuring that no child is born stateless |url=https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/58cfab014.pdf |access-date=2023-07-02 |publisher=United Nations High Commission for Refugees |archive-date=17 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917141009/https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/58cfab014.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Complications due to imposed boundaries===
Some modern European states which arose out of the dissolved [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austro-Hungarian]] or [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] empires have huge numbers of ethnic populations outside of their new 'national' boundaries, as do most of the [[former Soviet states]]. Such long-standing diasporas do not conform to codified 20th-century European rules of citizenship.

In many cases, ''jus sanguinis'' rights are mandated by international treaty, with citizenship definition imposed by the national and international community. In other cases, minorities are subject to legal and extra-legal persecution and choose to immigrate to their ancestral home country. States offering ''jus sanguinis'' rights to ethnic citizens and their descendants include [[Italy]], [[Greece]], [[Turkey]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Lebanon]], [[Armenia]], [[Hungary]] and [[Romania]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Italian Citizenship by Descent - Italian Citizenship Jure Sanguinis {{!}} IDC |url=https://www.italiandualcitizenship.net/italian-citizenship-by-descent/ |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Italian Dual Citizenship |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Current ''Jus sanguinis'' states==
{{More citations needed|section|date=August  2021}}

=== Africa ===
{| class="wikitable"
!State
!Law
|-
|{{flag|Algeria|name}}
|According to Article 6 of the [[Algerian nationality law]], a person is born Algerian if the person has either an Algerian father or mother.
|-
|{{flag|Egypt|name}}
|According to the nationality law of the Arab Republic of Egypt and its latest amendments, children born to an Egyptian father or an Egyptian mother acquire citizenship at birth, regardless of their place of birth.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 May 1975 |title=Law No. 26 of 1975 Concerning Egyptian Nationality |url=https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/natlegbod/1975/en/17434 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613064002/https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/natlegbod/1975/en/17434 |archive-date=13 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=14 July 2004 |title=Law # 154 for Year 2004 - Amending Some Provisions of Law No.26 of 1975 Concerning Egyptian Nationality |url=https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/natlegbod/2004/en/115992 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210122947/https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/natlegbod/2004/en/115992 |archive-date=10 December 2024}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Morocco|name}}
|[[Moroccan nationality law]] works according to Article 6, which says a child born of a Moroccan father or a Moroccan mother is a Moroccan by filiation.
|-
|{{flag|Kenya|name}}
|According to Article 14(1) of the [[Constitution of Kenya]], 2010 a person becomes a citizen by birth if on the day of the person's birth either parent is a citizen of Kenya
|-
|{{flag|Nigeria|name}}
|[[Nigerian nationality law]] works in accordance to chapter 3, section 25 1C of the [[Constitution of Nigeria|Nigerian Constitution]], which states any person who has at least one Nigerian parent is eligible for citizenship.
|-
|{{flag|Tunisia|name}}
|According to the [[Tunisian nationality law]], when one of the parents is Tunisian, a child is considered Tunisian regardless of the child's place of birth or whether the child has acquired the nationality of another country. 
|-
|{{flag|South Africa|name}} 
|According to Section 2 of the [[South African nationality law]], a child born to at least one South African citizen is considered South African, no matter where the child was born.
|}

=== North America ===
{| class="wikitable"
!State
!Law
|-
|{{flag|Canada|name}}
|Under [[Canadian nationality law]], any person born to a Canadian-citizen parent is automatically a Canadian citizen.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Branch|first=Government of Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Communications|date=2013-07-25|title=Acquisition of citizenship|url=http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/cit/acquisition/acquisition.asp|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310113553/http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/cit/acquisition/acquisition.asp|archive-date=10 March 2017|access-date=2017-03-01|website=cic.gc.ca|language=en|df=dmy-all}}</ref> An exception to this was introduced in 2009 to limit citizenship by descent to one generation born outside Canada: those born outside Canada within one generation of a native-born or naturalized citizen parent are Canadian citizens by descent, but their children are no longer granted citizenship by descent.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Branch|first=Government of Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Communications|title=Changes to citizenship rules|url=http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules_2009.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303181703/http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules_2009.asp|archive-date=3 March 2017|access-date=2017-03-01|website=cic.gc.ca|language=en|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Dominican Republic|name}}
|According to the [[Constitution of the Dominican Republic|Dominican constitution]], a child born abroad to at least one Dominican parent is a citizen.
|-
|{{flag|Haiti|name}}
|According to [[Haitian nationality law]], every child born to a Haitian father or mother, no matter where he or she was born, is Haitian by the [[Constitution of Haiti|Haitian Constitution]]. This has been a big issue in the current Dominican nationality law; because of this and other factors, undocumented migrants' children born in the DR of Haitian origin are considered non-Dominicans, and therefore Haitians.
|-
|{{flag|Mexico|name}}
|[[Mexican nationality law|Article 30]] of the [[Constitution of Mexico|Mexican Constitution]] states that persons born abroad to at least one Mexican parent are Mexicans by birth.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-18 |title=Article 30 Mexican Constitution |url=http://www.ordenjuridico.gob.mx/Constitucion/articulos/30.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118080220/http://www.ordenjuridico.gob.mx/Constitucion/articulos/30.pdf |archive-date=2021-11-18  |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Orden Juridico}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|United States|name}}
|[[United States nationality law|U.S. nationality law]] states that a child born abroad is given United States citizenship at birth if at least one parent is a citizen or a national, subject to certain conditions.<ref name="US-Citizenship-Child-Born-Abroad"/>
|}

=== South America ===
{| class="wikitable"
!State
!Law
|-
|{{flag|Argentina}}
|[[Argentine nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Brazil|name}}
|[[Brazilian nationality law#At birth|Article 12, paragraph I b and c]] of the [[Constitution of Brazil]] establishes that a child born outside of Brazil to at least one Brazilian parent is a Brazilian national pending registration at the consular office or subsequent registration if residing in Brazil. They are considered originary Brazilian nationals as they are attributed Brazilian nationality by birth. 
|-
|{{flag|Chile|name}}
|[[Chilean nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Colombia|name}}
|[[Colombian nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Suriname|name}}
|[[Surinamese nationality law]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vaststelling nationaliteit |url=http://www.gov.sr/themas/burgerzaken-cbb-en-archief-nas/vaststelling-nationaliteit/ |access-date=2021-05-28 |website=gov.sr |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528213322/http://www.gov.sr/themas/burgerzaken-cbb-en-archief-nas/vaststelling-nationaliteit/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Venezuela|name}}
|[[Venezuelan nationality law|Articles 32 to 42]] of the [[Constitution of Venezuela]].
|}

=== Asia ===
{| class="wikitable"
!State
!Law
|-
|{{flag|Armenia|name}}
|The [[Armenian nationality law]] is mentioned by Article 47 of the Armenian constitution. It states that every child whose one parent is a citizen of the Republic of Armenia shall have the right to acquire citizenship of the Republic of Armenia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Armenia 1995 (rev. 2015) Constitution - Constitute |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Armenia_2015 |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=www.constituteproject.org |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Azerbaijan|name}}
|The [[Azerbaijani nationality law]] is mentioned by Article 52 of the Azerbaijani constitution. It states that a person whose one parent is a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan is a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Azerbaijan 1995 (rev. 2009) Constitution - Constitute |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Azerbaijan_2009 |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=www.constituteproject.org |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Cambodia|name}}
|Under Article 4 of Cambodia’s law on nationality any child who is born from a mother or father who has Khmer nationality obtains Khmer nationality by birth, regardless of the place they were born.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 20, 1996 |title=Law on Nationality |url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/khm_e/wtacckhm3a3_leg_37.pdf |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=February 12, 2024 |website=World Trade Organization}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|China|name}}
|According to Article 5 of the [[Chinese nationality law]], any person born abroad with a parent who is a Chinese national shall have Chinese nationality. But a person who has acquired a foreign nationality at birth and whose parents have acquired permanent residency abroad or foreign citizenship shall not have Chinese nationality.
|-
|{{flag|India|name}}
|[[Indian nationality law]]. A child born in India on or after 3 December 2004 is considered a citizen of India by birth if both the parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India and the other is not an illegal migrant at the time of his birth. A person born outside India is considered as a citizen of India if either of his parents was a citizen of India by birth at the time of his birth, the parents must declare that the minor does not hold a passport of another country and have the birth registered at an Indian consulate within one year of the date of birth or with the permission of the Central Government, after the expiry of this period.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kalia |first=Sruthi Darbhamulla & Saumya |date=2024-05-29 |title=India's citizenship laws: Citizenship in the 21st century |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indias-citizenship-laws-citizenship-in-the-21st-century/article68199179.ece |access-date=2024-08-27 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Indonesia|name}}
|The [[Indonesian nationality law]]  states that persons born anywhere to one Indonesian parent are Indonesian by birth.
|-
|{{flag|Iran|name}}
|According to the [[Iranian nationality law]] the following people are considered to be Iranian nationals:<ref>{{cite web|year=2015|title=Nationality Law: Article 976|url=https://www.princeton.edu/irandataportal/laws/institutionsgovernance/nationality-law/|access-date=6 October 2015|work=Iran Data Portal: Princeton University|archive-date=7 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007080709/https://www.princeton.edu/irandataportal/laws/institutionsgovernance/nationality-law/|url-status=live}}</ref>

# All people residing in Iran except those whose foreign nationality is established; the foreign nationality of such people is considered to be established if their documents of nationality have not been objected to by the Iranian Government.
# Those born in Iran or outside whose fathers are Iranian.
# Those born in Iran of unknown parentage.
# People born in Iran of foreign parents, one of whom was also born in Iran.
# People born in Iran of a father of foreign nationality who have resided at least one more year in Iran immediately after reaching the full age of 18; in other cases their naturalization as Iranian subjects will be subject to the stipulations for Iranian naturalization laid down by the law.
# Every woman of foreign nationality who marries an Iranian husband.
# Every foreign national who has obtained Iranian nationality.

The Iranian nationality law was amended in 2019 to allow children born outside Iran to Iranian mothers and non-Iranian fathers to obtain Iranian nationality.<ref>{{Cite web| title = UNHCR welcomes Iran's new nationality law addressing statelessness| work = UNHCR Iran| access-date = 2025-01-28| url = https://www.unhcr.org/ir/news/unhcr-welcomes-iran-s-new-nationality-law-addressing-statelessness}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Israel|name}}
|[[Israeli nationality law]] confers citizenship by law, upon all children of Israeli citizens born in Israel, as well as the first generation of descendants of Israeli expatriates living abroad. All children born abroad must be registered within 30 days of birth. Israel refuses travel of children holding a foreign passport who were born abroad to an Israeli parent.

|-
|{{flag|Japan|name}}<ref>{{cite news|year=2016|title=Tokyo court upholds deportation order for Thai teenager born and raised in Japan|newspaper=The Japan Times|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/12/06/national/crime-legal/tokyo-court-upholds-deportation-order-thai-teenager-born-raised-japan/|access-date=6 December 2016|archive-date=8 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161208064121/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/12/06/national/crime-legal/tokyo-court-upholds-deportation-order-thai-teenager-born-raised-japan/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|The [[Japanese nationality law]] states that any person born to married parents and at least one of their parents is Japanese is automatically granted Japanese nationality by birth, regardless of the place of birth.
|-
|{{flag|Malaysia|name}}
| Prior to 2025, [[Malaysian nationality law|Malaysia nationality law]] states that only overseas born children whose father is a Malaysian citizen may get automatic citizenship.<ref>{{cite web |title=Federal Constitution 2020 Reprint |url=https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/LOM/EN/Federal%20Constitution%20(Reprint%202020).pdf |website=Malaysia Federal Legislation |publisher=PERCETAKAN NASIONAL MALAYSIA BERHAD |access-date=29 May 2025}}</ref> Overseas born children who only have a Malaysian mother must register for citizenship via Article 15(2) of the Constitution. Children born out of wedlock are required to follow their mother's nationality. If the mother is not Malaysian, they will have to apply for citizenship via Article 15A.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yik |first1=Chia Swee |title=Laws on Citizenship in Malaysia |url=https://chialee.com.my/laws-on-citizenship-in-malaysia/ |website=Chia, Lee & Associates |access-date=29 May 2025 |date=13 April 2021}}</ref> Stateless children who are born within Malaysia but not a citizen of any other country within one year are also granted automatic citizenship by operation of law. Foundlings and abandoned children are also granted automatic citizenship to protect them against becoming stateless.

In 2024, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024 was passed, which permits an overseas born child to automatically obtain Malaysian citizenship,<ref>{{cite news |title=All you need to know about: The constitutional amendment to Malaysia's citizenship laws |url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/10/17/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-constitutional-amendment-to-malaysias-citizenship-laws/153975 |access-date=29 May 2025 |work=www.malaymail.com}}</ref> as long as one parent is Malaysian, by operation of law. However, there is a new time limit of one year to register them with the National Registration Department or any overseas consulate or embassies. The cut off age for stateless children born within Malaysia to apply for citizenship has also been lowered from 21 to 18. There is also a requirement for those born overseas but obtaining automatic citizenship via a Malaysian parent must now take the oath of citizenship when they turn 18. The changes do not apply to those born before the amendment. However this Bill has yet to be in force.<ref>{{cite web |title=CONSTITUTION (AMENDMENT) ACT 2025 |url=https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/outputaktap/2759695_BI/A1752%20Constitution%20(Amendment)%20Act%202025.pdf |website=Malaysia Federal Legislation |publisher=PERCETAKAN NASIONAL MALAYSIA BERHAD |access-date=29 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Acquisition of Citizenship |url=https://www.malaysia.gov.my/portal/subcategory/15 |website=www.malaysia.gov.my |access-date=8 June 2025}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Mongolia|name}}
|According to the [[Mongolian nationality law]] under the  Nationality Act of Mongolia a child receives Mongolian nationality if: 
#both parents are Mongolian nationals, regardless of where they were born.
# they are born in Mongolia to a Mongolian national and a foreign national.
# one parent is a Mongolian national and the other parent is a stateless person, regardless of where they were born.
|-
|-
|{{flag|Nepal|name}}
|The [[Nepali nationality law]] is govern by the Nepal Citizenship Act 2063 (2006). It states that  any person born at the time when his father or mother is a citizen of Nepal, shall be a citizen of Nepal by descent.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 26, 2006 |title=Nepal Citizenship Act 2063 (2006) |url=https://jp.nepalembassy.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/citizenship_act_eng.pdf |access-date=February 10, 2024 |website=Nepal Embassy}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Pakistan|name}}
|The [[Pakistani nationality law]] states that a child born outside of Pakistan to a Pakistani parent  is a Pakistani citizen by descent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Learn about Immigration to Pakistan - DGI&P |url=https://dgip.gov.pk/immigration/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216223227/https://dgip.gov.pk/immigration/ |archive-date=16 December 2024 |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=dgip.gov.pk |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Philippines|name}}
|[[Philippine nationality law]] is based upon the principles of ''jus sanguinis'' and therefore descent from a parent who is a citizen or national of the [[Philippines]] is the primary method of acquiring Philippine citizenship.
|-
|{{flag|South Korea|name}}
|The [[South Korean nationality law]] states that persons receive South Korean nationality at birth if at least one of their parents is a South Korean national.
|-
|{{flag|Singapore|name}}
|[[Singaporean nationality law|Singapore nationality law]] allows for children who born overseas to be Singapore citizens by descent if either parent is a citizen otherwise than by descent. For an individual born abroad to a parent who is a citizen by descent, the parent must have lived in Singapore for two of the five years preceding the child's birth. Any child eligible for citizenship by descent must have their birth registered at a Singapore diplomatic mission within one year of their birth. Prior to 15 May 2004, citizenship was transferrable by descent only from fathers who were citizens by birth or registration, and not mothers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Low |first1=Choo Chin |title=Report on Citizenship Law: Malaysia and Singapore (Report) |date=February 2017 |publisher=European University Institute |pages=22–23 |url=https://cadmus.eui.eu/entities/publication/c9bbe6fe-e2ec-519e-8912-45fbb29ec9dd |access-date=2 June 2025 |ref=1814/45371}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Thailand|name}}
|The [[Thai nationality law]] states that any person who is a child of a mother or a father who possesses Thai nationality is a Thai national at birth, whether they are born within or outside the Kingdom of Thailand.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nationality Act |url=https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/natlegbod/1965/en/88945 |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=Refworld |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Taiwan|name}}
|According to Article 2 of [[Taiwanese nationality law|Taiwan's nationality Act]], a person shall have Chinese (ROC) nationality under any of the conditions provided by following subparagraphs, the first subparagraph being: his/her father or mother was a Chinese citizen or national when he/she was born.<ref>{{cite web|title=Taiwan nationality act|url=https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0030001|access-date=8 October 2020|archive-date=7 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607010555/https://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?PCode=D0030001|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|United Arab Emirates|name}} (UAE)
|[[Emirati nationality law]] is covered by UAE federal law No. 17 of year 1972 which states a child born to a father who is an Emirati citizen is an Emirati national by descent. The law was later modified to include mothers too.
|}

=== Europe ===
{| class="wikitable"
!State
!Law
|-
|{{flag|Austria|name}}
|[[Austrian nationality law#Descent from an Austrian parent|Austrian nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Belgium|name}}
|[[Belgian nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Czech Republic|name}}
|Under [[Czech nationality law]],  children and some grandchildren of citizens automatically receive citizenship regardless of birth location
|-
|{{flag|Denmark|name}}
|[[Danish nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Estonia|name}}
|Article 8 of the [[Constitution of Estonia|Estonian Constitution]] states that every child with at least one parent who is an Estonian citizen shall have the right, by birth, to Estonian citizenship.
|-
|{{flag|Finland|name}}
|[[Finnish nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|France|name}}
|[[French nationality law]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dans quels cas un enfant est-il Français ?|url=https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F3068|access-date=8 December 2018|archive-date=23 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323002715/https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F3068|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Germany|name}}
|[[German nationality law]]. Any person born to a German-citizen parent is a German citizen.

However, this is not the case for children born abroad if any of their German parents were born abroad after 31 December 1999 and do not have their primary residence in Germany: the child is not automatically a German citizen by birth, but can acquire German citizenship as long as any of their German parents register their birth with the responsible German diplomatic mission within one year of the child's birth. This limitation does not apply if the child would otherwise be stateless or if one foreign-born German parent was born on or before 31 December 1999. Thus, the German citizenship of future generations born abroad can be preserved by having each child's birth registered with the German diplomatic mission within one year of birth.

Furthermore, Article 116(1) of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|German Basic Law]] confers, within the confines of the laws regulating the details, a right to citizenship upon any person who is admitted to Germany (in its borders of 1937) as "refugee or expellee of German ethnic origin or as the spouse or descendant of such a person." At one time, ethnic Germans living abroad in a country in the former [[Eastern Bloc]] (Aussiedler) could obtain citizenship through a virtually automatic procedure.<ref>The [[Federal Expellee Law]] ({{langx|de|Bundesvertriebenengesetz}}), §&nbsp;6, specifies that also foreign citizens of states of the Eastern Bloc (and their desdendants), who were persecuted between 1945 and 1990 for their German ethnicity by their respective governments, are entitled to become Germans. The argument was that the [[Federal Republic of Germany]] had to administer to their needs because the respective governments in charge of guaranteeing their equal treatment as citizens severely neglected or contravened that obligation.</ref> Since 1990 the law has been steadily tightened to limit the number of immigrants each year.<ref>Morjé Howard, Marc. ‘The Causes and Consequences of Germany's New Citizenship Law’. German Politics 17, no. 1 (March 2008): 41-62. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644000701855127.</ref> It now requires immigrants to prove language skills and cultural affiliation.

Article 116(2) entitles persons (and their descendants) who were denaturalised by the Nazi government, to be renaturalised if they wish. Those among them who took their residence in Germany after 8 May 1945, are automatically to be considered German.

Both paragraphs (1) and (2) result in a considerable number of Poles and Israelis, residing in Poland and Israel respectively, being concurrently German.
|-
|{{flag|Hungary|name}}
|A person acquires Hungarian citizenship at birth if at least one parent is a Hungarian citizen. The place of birth is irrelevant. Furthermore, Section 4(3) of the ''[[Hungarian nationality law|Act on Nationality]]'' permits ethnic Hungarians (defined as persons "at least one of whose relatives in ascendant line was a Hungarian citizen") to obtain citizenship on preferential terms after one year of residence.

In addition, the "Status Law" of 2001 grants certain privileges to ethnic Hungarians living in territories that were once part of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]]. It permits them to obtain an identification card but does not confer the right to full Hungarian citizenship. According to the latest Citizenship Law adopted in 2010, anybody, possessing certain evidence (certificates, documents) of his or her Hungarian roots from around the World can apply for Hungarian citizenship. The interview is led in Hungarian either in Hungary or at one of the Consulates abroad.
|-
|{{flag|Iceland|name}}
|[[Icelandic nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Republic of Ireland}}
|Citizenship by descent is automatic where at least one parent was an Irish citizen born on the island of Ireland. Second and subsequent generation descendants require registration of each generation in the [[Foreign Births Register]] before the birth of the next; citizenship by descent can be continued indefinitely as long as registration is performed this way.

See also [[Irish nationality law]] and [[twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland]].
|-
|{{flag|Italy|name}}
|[[Italian nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Malta|name}}
|[[Maltese nationality law]] grants citizenship to any person descended from "an ascendant who was born in Malta of a parent who was also born in Malta."
|-
|{{flag|Netherlands|name}}
|[[Dutch nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Norway|name}}
|[[Norwegian nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Poland|name}}
|[[Polish nationality law]]. The definition of Polish citizenship has been based for years on article 34 of the Polish Constitution; this article is based on a ''jus sanguinis'' right to citizenship.<ref name="Poland">English [http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/angielski/kon1.htm translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918154841/http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/angielski/kon1.htm|date=18 September 2009}} of the [[Constitution of Poland|Polish Constitution]].</ref> Moreover, any child born by Polish parent(s) is a ''de jure'' citizen of Poland.

In 1967–1968 the Communist State issued to Jews emigrating from Poland to Israel, instead of passports, a so-called travel document which granted them the right to exit Poland but not of re-entering it, in effect taking away their Polish citizenship on the assumption that, in emigrating or traveling to Israel, they renounced it themselves. In a 2005 verdict, the [[Supreme Administrative Court of Poland]] ruled that this action was illegal based on the state of law at that time. Consequently, it is now assumed the Jews who emigrated after 1968 have remained Polish citizens and their citizenship will be certified on request.<ref>{{cite web|date=4 March 2008|title=Emigrantom z 1968 roku zostaną zwrócone obywatelstwa|trans-title=Polish citizenship reinstated to emigrants from 1968|url=http://www.wprost.pl/ar/124944/Emigrantom-z-1968-roku-zostana-zwrocone-obywatelstwa/|access-date=6 October 2015|work=[[Wprost]]|language=pl|archive-date=21 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721222236/http://www.wprost.pl/ar/124944/Emigrantom-z-1968-roku-zostana-zwrocone-obywatelstwa/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Portugal|name}}
|[[Portuguese nationality law]] grants nationality to children and grandchildren of Portuguese nationals who are born abroad pending registration or application at a consulate or registration authority offices. ''Jus sanguinis'' nationality to children follows a simple registration procedure, whilst nationality through the grandparental route requires the proof of an effective connection to the Portuguese community. This connection is proved by language proficiency in Portuguese and the lack of aggravated criminal convictions. Nationals from other Portuguese-speaking countries are presumed to have sufficient knowledge of Portuguese pending only for them the lack of criminal convictions for aggravated offences. 
|-
|-
|{{flag|Romania|name}}
|[[Romanian nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Russia|name}}
|[[Russian nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Slovakia|name}}
|Slovakia grants full Slovak citizenship to children of Slovak parents (one or both parents) irrespective of the place of birth.

Persons with at least one Slovak grandparent and "Slovak cultural and language awareness" may apply for an expatriate identity card entitling them to live, work, study and own land in Slovakia. Expatriate status is not full citizenship and does not entitle the holder to vote, but a holder who moves his or her domicile to Slovakia may obtain citizenship under preferential terms.  
|-
|{{flag|Spain|name}}
|[[Spanish nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Sweden|name}}
|[[Swedish nationality law]]
|-
|{{flag|Switzerland|name}}
|[[Swiss nationality law#Jus sanguinis|Swiss nationality law]] is exceptionally restrictive: someone who was born in Switzerland and has spent their entire life there has no automatic right to Swiss citizenship if neither of their parents are Swiss citizens, even if their parents are permanent residents or have themselves spent their entire lives in Switzerland. In fact, the citizenship criteria are simpler for a foreigner with no previous ties to Switzerland who marries a Swiss citizen, than for people born and raised in Switzerland but with foreign parents.

Due to Switzerland's [[Immigration to Switzerland|high immigrant population]], there are more than a million people who were born and have spent their entire lives in Switzerland but are not Swiss citizens due to their parents being immigrants. Some Swiss-born third-generation immigrants even have Swiss-born parents but are not Swiss citizens if neither of their parents have naturalised. To obtain Swiss citizenship, people in this position must undergo [[Swiss nationality law#Naturalisation|naturalisation proceedings]], which have a high bar to satisfy the "integration" criterion. The unusual rules hit international headlines in 2017 when a woman born in Switzerland to [[Turkey|Turkish]] parents, who is a native [[Swiss German|Swiss-German]] speaker and has spent her entire life in Switzerland, had her citizenship application denied by the local municipality on "integration" grounds as she could not name enough Swiss mountains, cheeses and retail brands, and was deemed not to have gone skiing often enough.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Das Einbürgerungs-Protokoll: Diese 92 Fragen musste Funda Yilmaz beantworten|language=de-CH|work=az Aargauer Zeitung|url=https://www.aargauerzeitung.ch/aargau/aarau/das-einbuergerungs-protokoll-diese-92-fragen-musste-funda-yilmaz-beantworten-131524081|url-status=live|access-date=2018-04-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406232859/https://www.aargauerzeitung.ch/aargau/aarau/das-einbuergerungs-protokoll-diese-92-fragen-musste-funda-yilmaz-beantworten-131524081|archive-date=6 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The decision was overruled by the cantonal government several months later.<ref>{{Cite news|last=agencies|first=swissinfo.ch and|title=Decision to deny citizenship to Turkish woman reversed|language=en|work=SWI swissinfo.ch|url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/naturalisation-row_decision-to-deny-citizenship-to-turkish-woman-reversed/43609038|url-status=live|access-date=2018-04-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407053402/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/naturalisation-row_decision-to-deny-citizenship-to-turkish-woman-reversed/43609038|archive-date=7 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In 2017, Swiss voters in a [[Swiss referendums, 2017|nationwide referendum]] agreed to relax the citizenship criteria for third-generation immigrants slightly: although they will still not be Swiss citizens at birth and will need to apply for citizenship, they will no longer have to take naturalisation tests or interviews if their parents ''and'' grandparents are long-time permanent residents.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2017-02-12|title=Swiss vote for relaxed citizenship laws|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38947518|url-status=live|access-date=2018-04-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616002429/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38947518|archive-date=16 June 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Council|first=The Federal|title=Federal Decree on the Simplified Naturalisation of Third-Generation Immigrants|url=https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/votes/20170212/Federal-Decree-on-the-Simplified-Naturalisation-of-Third-Generation-Immigrants.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406230728/https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/votes/20170212/Federal-Decree-on-the-Simplified-Naturalisation-of-Third-Generation-Immigrants.html|archive-date=6 April 2018|access-date=2018-04-06|website=admin.ch|language=en|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Ukraine|name}}
|Article 8 of the ''[[Law on Citizenship of Ukraine]]'' permits any person with at least one Ukrainian grandparent to become a citizen upon renunciation of the former nationality. The "[[:uk:Закордонний українець|Status of a Foreign Ukrainian]]" can also be granted to foreign citizens with Ukrainian ethnic or territorial origin to work, study, and immigrate to Ukraine under preferential terms.<ref>{{Cite web|title=To Foreigners of Ukrainian Origin|url=https://mon.gov.ua/eng/osvita/visha-osvita/zakordonnim-ukrayincyam|access-date=2021-03-27|website=mon.gov.ua|publisher=Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine|archive-date=30 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930031235/https://mon.gov.ua/eng/osvita/visha-osvita/zakordonnim-ukrayincyam|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|United Kingdom|name}}
|By birth abroad, which constitutes "by descent" if one of the parents is a British citizen otherwise than by descent (for example by birth, adoption, registration or naturalisation in the UK). [[British nationality law|British citizenship]] by descent is only transferable to one generation down from the parent who is a British citizen otherwise than by descent, if the child is born abroad.
|}

==Current ''Leges sanguinis'' states==
Many countries provide citizenship on preferential terms to individuals with ethnic ties to these countries (so-called ''leges sanguinis'').
{| class="wikitable"
!State
!Description
|-
|{{flag|Afghanistan|name}}
|Connection to the [[Afghan diaspora]]. There have been controversial proposals to people of [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] origin.
|-
|{{flag|Armenia|name}}
|Article 14 of the [[Constitution of Armenia]] (1995) provides that "individuals of Armenian origin shall acquire citizenship of the Republic of Armenia through a simplified procedure."<ref>{{cite web|date=5 July 1995|title=Constitution of the Republic of Armenia|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/am00000_.html|access-date=6 October 2015|work=International Constitutional Law Project|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115441/http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/am00000_.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This provision is consistent with the [[Declaration on Independence of Armenia]], issued by the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Armenia in 1989, which declared at article 4 that "Armenians living abroad are entitled to the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia."
|-
|{{flag|Bulgaria|name}}
|Article 25 of the [[Constitution of Bulgaria|1991 constitution]] specifies that a "person of Bulgarian origin shall acquire Bulgarian citizenship through a facilitated procedure." Article 15 of the ''[[Bulgarian nationality law|Law on Bulgarian Citizenship]]'' provides that an individual "of Bulgarian origin" (ethnicity) may be naturalized without any waiting period and without having to show a source of income, knowledge of the Bulgarian language, or renunciation of his former citizenship.

This approach has been a tradition since the new constitutional foundation of Bulgaria in 1879, following the liberation from Ottoman yoke in 1878, when large numbers of ethnic Bulgarians remained outside of the state borders. Bulgaria and Greece were subject to a population exchange following the [[Second Balkan War]]. The conditions of the treaty settlement mandated that they accept individuals claiming respective ethnic origin.
|-
|{{flag|Croatia|name}}
|Article 11 of the [[Croatian nationality law|''Law on Croatian Citizenship'']] allows emigrants and their descendants to acquire Croatian nationality upon return, without passing a language examination or renouncing former citizenship. In addition, Article 16 allows ethnic Croats living outside Croatia to "acquire Croatian citizenship" by making a written declaration and by submitting proof of attachment to Croatian culture.
|-
|{{flag|Finland|name}}
|[[Finnish nationality law|Finnish law]] provides a [[right of return]] to [[ethnic Finns]] from the former Soviet Union, including [[Ingrian Finns|Ingrians]]. Applicants must now pass an examination in one of the official languages of the country, Finnish or Swedish. Certain persons of Finnish descent who live outside the former Soviet Union also have the right to establish permanent residency, which would eventually entitle them to qualify for citizenship.
|-
|{{flag|Germany|name}}
|Article 116(1) of the ''[[German basic law]]'' confers, subject to laws regulating the details, a right to citizenship for anyone admitted to Germany within its 1937 borders as a "refugee or expelled of [[Ethnic Germans|German ethnic origin]] or as the spouse or descendant of such a person."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany |url=https://legislationline.org/download/id/5922/file/Germany_Basic%20Law_2012_en.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019032714/https://legislationline.org/download/id/5922/file/Germany_Basic%20Law_2012_en.pdf |archive-date=19 October 2020}}</ref> Until 1990, ethnic Germans from the [[Eastern bloc]] could obtain citizenship through a virtually automatic procedure, but since then the law was tightened, requiring applicants to prove German language skills and cultural affiliation.
|-
|{{flag|Greece|name}}
|[[Ethnic Greeks]] can obtain [[Greek nationality law|Greek citizenship]] by two methods under the ''Code of Greek Nationality''. Article 5 allows ethnic Greeks who are stateless (which, in practice, includes those who voluntarily renounce their nationality) to obtain citizenship upon application to a Greek [[consular official]].

In addition, ethnic Greeks who join the armed forces acquire automatic citizenship by operation of Article 10, with the military oath taking the place of the citizenship oath. This position arises from the fact that approximately 85% of known ethnic Greeks were outside the boundaries when the country was formed, and 40% remained outside the final boundaries at the beginning of [[World War I]]. Most were ''de jure'' stripped of their host country citizenship with the outbreak of war if the host country was at war with Greece. In the late 19th century, Greece had a wider diaspora because of poverty and limited opportunities.
|-
|{{flag|Ireland|name}}
|While the child or a grandchild of an Irish citizen born in Ireland is entitled to Irish citizenship, section 16(a) of the [[Irish nationality law|''Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act'']] permits the Minister of Justice, at their discretion, to waive the residence requirements for a person "of Irish descent or associations."
|-
|{{flag|Israel|name}}
|The [[Law of Return]] offers citizenship to Jews wishing to immigrate, as well as non-Jews with at least one Jewish grandparent (see "[[Who is a Jew?#Law of Return|Who is a Jew under the Law of Return?]]"), as well as their spouses. Exceptions can be made for those considered by the [[Israeli Interior Ministry|Minister of Interior]] to be a threat to the welfare or security of the state.

While those with sufficient Jewish ancestry to qualify for the Law of Return who grew up with a religion other than Judaism and secular Jews are eligible to immigrate to Israel, Jews who voluntarily convert to another religion are not. [[Conversion to Judaism|Converts to Judaism]] who wish to immigrate to Israel are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Israeli Interior Ministry, which determines whether the conversion was sincere in its view.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lawoffice.org.il/en/aliyah-after-conversion-to-judaism/|title=Aliyah after conversion to Judaism (Giyur) Legal Advice 03-3724722|access-date=16 October 2020|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017030056/https://lawoffice.org.il/en/aliyah-after-conversion-to-judaism/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Israeli law also recognizes the descendants of Israeli emigrants living abroad as Israelis; this applies only to the first generation born abroad. Non-Jews can become naturalized after five years of residency and acquisition of a basic knowledge of [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]].
|-
|{{flag|Italy|name}}
|The [[Italian nationality law|nationality law of Italy]] bestows citizenship ''jus sanguinis''. Prior to 23 March 2025, there was no limit of generations for the citizenship via blood. These rules stated that the first citizens of the modern Italian state were alive on 17 March 1861 when the state was officially formed, and for this reason all claims of Italian citizenship by ''jus sanguinis'' must stem from an ancestor who was living after 16 March 1861. Each descendant of the ancestor through whom citizenship is claimed ''jus sanguinis'' could pass Italian citizenship to the next generation only if this descendant was entitled to Italian citizenship at the time of the birth of the next person in the line. So if any person in the line lost the Italian citizenship and then had a child, that child did not inherit Italian citizenship ''jus sanguinis'', except if the child could inherit the citizenship from the other parent. Cases of dual citizenship were possible, which is to say, for example, that a person in the line could have had Italian and Canadian citizenship concurrently.

Minor children of Italian citizens were at risk of losing Italian citizenship if the child's parent naturalized in another country, unless the child was subject to an exception to this risk—and children born and residing in a country where they held dual citizenship by ''[[jus soli]]'' were subject to such an exception since 1 July 1912.  Until 1 January 1948, Italian law did not generally permit women to pass on citizenship. Persons born before that date are in most cases not Italian citizens ''jus sanguinis'' if their line of descent from an Italian citizen depends on a female at some point before 1948.  On several occasions, this limitation of deriving Italian citizenship only from fathers before 1948 has been successfully challenged in court.

Unlimited ''jus sanguinis'' was ended on 23:59 (Rome Time), 28 March 2025 by Decree No. 36 (which was later converted into Law No. 74), which significantly changed the rules regarding acquisition of Italian citizenship. This limited claims of Italian citizenship to the following groups:

* Those who have a parent or grandparent who is an Italian citizen or who held exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of their death; or
* those who have a parent or adoptive parent who resided in Italy for two consecutive years following their acquisition of Italian citizenship and before the date of birth or adoption of the applicant.

Those who had an appointment scheduled with the relevant consular, municipal, or judiciary authority prior to this date remain valid under the previous ''jus sanguinis'' regulations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 June 2025 |title=Decree-Law No. 36/2025: Conversion into Law |url=https://italiancitizenshipassistance.com/decree-law-no-36-2025-conversion-into-law/ |access-date=2 August 2025 |website=Italian Citizenship Assistance}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Kiribati|name}}
|Articles 19 and 23 of the constitution provides,<blockquote>Every person of I-Kiribati descent […] shall […] become or have and continue to have thereafter the right to become a citizen of Kiribati […]. Every person of I-Kiribati descent who does not become a citizen of Kiribati on Independence Day […] shall, at any time thereafter, be entitled upon making application in such manner as may be prescribed to be registered as a citizen of Kiribati.</blockquote>
|-
|{{flag|Liberia|name}}
|The [[Constitution of Liberia|Liberian constitution]] allows only [[Negro]]s (regardless of cultural or national affiliation) to become citizens, though people of other races may live in Liberia as permanent residents.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Tannenbaum |first1=Jessie |title=Analysis of the Aliens and Nationality Law of the Republic of Liberia |date=2009-05-01 |type=SSRN Scholarly Paper |place=Rochester, NY |language=en |doi=10.2139/ssrn.1795122 |last2=Valcke |first2=Anthony |last3=McPherson |first3=Andrew |last4=Mueller |first4=Leah |last5=Conté |first5=Simon|ssrn=1795122 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Lithuania|name}}
|The [[Constitution of Lithuania]] grants a right to [[Lithuanian nationality law|citizenship]] to foreigners of ethnic Lithuanian origins.<ref>{{cite web|date=25 October 1992|title=Constitution of Lithuania: Article 32(4)|url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/lh00000_.html|access-date=6 October 2015|work=International Constitutional Law Project|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122203/http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/lh00000_.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Myanmar|name}}
|The ''[[Myanmar nationality law|Burma Citizenship Law]]'' of 1982 states:<blockquote>Nationals such as the Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Burman, Mon, Rakhine or Shan and ethnic groups as have settled in any of the territories included within the State as their permanent home from a period anterior to 1185 B.E., 1823 A.D. are Burma citizens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/188517608/The-1982-Burmese-Nationality-Law-Myanmar-Version|title=The 1982 Burmese Nationality Law (Myanmar Version) &#124; Rohingya People|access-date=1 February 2020|archive-date=9 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309050242/https://www.scribd.com/doc/188517608/The-1982-Burmese-Nationality-Law-Myanmar-Version|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>
|-
|{{flag|Portugal|name}}
| The [[Portuguese nationality law|Organic Law 2/2006]], the [[Portuguese nationality law|Organic Law 9/2015]] and the [[Portuguese nationality law|Organic Law 2/2018]] state that Portugal has 'jus sanguinis' with a limit of two generations for citizenship via blood (with some restrictions). It allows for grandchildren of Portuguese citizens to acquire Portuguese citizenship even if their parent did not claim it.

The [[Portuguese nationality law|Jewish Law of Return]] allows descendants of Portuguese Jews who were expelled in the Portuguese Inquisition to become citizens if they 'belong to a Sephardic community of Portuguese origin with ties to Portugal'.

|-
|{{flag|Rwanda|name}}
|The Rwandan constitution provides that "[a]ll persons originating from Rwanda and their descendants shall, upon their request, be entitled to Rwandan nationality."
|-
|{{flag|Serbia|name}}
|Article 23 of the [[Serbian nationality law|2004 citizenship law]] provides that the descendants of emigrants from Serbia, or ethnic Serbs residing abroad, may take up citizenship upon written declaration.
|-
|{{flag|Spain|name}}
|A Spanish law passed in 2015 allows individuals who can prove descent from the [[Sephardic Jews]] who were [[Expulsion of Jews from Spain|exiled in 1492]] following the [[Alhambra Decree]] and who can show a "special link" to Spain to apply for dual citizenship. Spain had previously allowed application for such individuals but had required that they give up their citizenship from their other country. The new law has no such requirement.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chu|first=Henry|title=Welcome home, 500 years later: Spain offers citizenship to Sephardic Jews|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 2015|url=http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-spain-sephardic-jews-20151001-story.html|access-date=10 January 2016|archive-date=10 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110095941/http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-spain-sephardic-jews-20151001-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|South Korea|name}}
|[[South Korean nationality law]] grants special status to ethnic [[Koreans]] and their descendants in the [[Korean diaspora]].

Under the [[Constitution of South Korea]], North Korea is part of the Republic of Korea. Therefore, North Korean citizens are also recognized as South Korean nationals. All North Koreans of good conduct are granted citizenship upon arrival to South Korea.
|-
|{{flag|Turkey|name}}
|[[Turkish nationality law|Turkish law]] allows people of Turkish origin and their spouse and children, to apply for naturalization without the five-year waiting period applicable to other immigrants.

Turkey and Greece reciprocally expelled their minorities in the early 1920s after World War I.  They were mandated by international treaty to accept incoming populations as citizens based on ethnic background.
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Law|Philosophy}}

{{wiktionary|jus sanguinis}}

*[[Blood quantum laws]]
*
*[[Diaspora politics]]
*[[Indigenous rights]]
*''[[Jus soli]]''
*[[Repatriation laws]]
*[[Right of return]]
*[[Hereditary title]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite journal |last1=Safran |first1=William |title=Citizenship and Nationality in Democratic Systems: Approaches to Defining and Acquiring Membership in the Political Community |journal=International Political Science Review |volume=18 |issue=3 |year=2016 |pages=313–335 |issn=0192-5121 |doi=10.1177/019251297018003006|s2cid=145476893 |doi-access=free }}

{{Nationality laws}}

[[Category:Legal rules with Latin names]]
[[Category:Nationality law|*]]
[[Category:Ethnic nationalism]]
[[Category:Latin legal terminology]]