EU Citizenship by Marriage and Ancestry: Brief Guide

Are you an American looking for European citizenship? If so, this is the place to be.

European countries offer multiple citizenship paths. Some are business and investment-related. Others involve ancestry and marriage.

Today, we’ll discuss the latter two. And this might come as a surprise. After all — how can an American get ancestry citizenship?

Read below to find out!

Countries Allowing Ancestry or Marriage Citizenship

Many countries specifically offer that. The most popular in the EU would be Spain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, Greece, Portugal, and the Czech Republic.

Spain is one of the most popular choices, and offers a fast-track route for those that Spain has colonized before.

Expelled groups from Spain also get special fast-track privileges, Sephardic Jews being one of them.

Why Does This Matter for Americans?

The US is a nation made up of a large immigrant demographic — many of the European in origin.

With that, many Americans qualify for ancestry citizenship. And knowing the process has a lot of value, especially with the right family roots.

In fact, Americans are one of the world’s most qualified ancestry-by-citizenship candidates — with descent demographics being:

· German — 13.2% of US population (43,093,766)

· Irish — 9.7% of US population (31,479,232)

· English — 7.1% of US population (23,074,947)

· American — 6.1% (20,024,830)

· Italian — 5.1% (16,650,674)

· Polish — 2.8% (9,012,085)

· French (non-Basque) — 2.4% (7,673,619)

· Scottish — 1.7% (5,399,371)

· Norwegian — 1.3% (4,295,981)

· Dutch — 1.2% (3,906,193)

Financially Advantageous

Ancestry is an affordable form of citizenship. Other forms of citizenship may cost up to hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars.

Ancestry and marriage programs are essentially designed for those unable to afford the expensive passport programs of EU member states.

To give you an idea, look at a country like Malta. The MEIN (its CBI program) costs around $1 million, and its acquisition may require years.

Ancestry programs are faster, and are a bargain in comparison!

Passport Value: Another Factor

American passports are high quality, but many EU passports offer better privileges.

EU passports are some of the world’s most valuable. They offer travel freedoms that many passports lack.

In fact, it’s estimated that an EU passport is twice as valuable as a US passport!

Why? This comes down to work privileges. EU passport holders can work and reside anywhere in the European Union. Education and healthcare are also free anywhere in the union.

Plus, safety rates in the EU are much higher than those of the US. Murder rates in larger EU cities are 5–10 times less.

Finally, having a dual passport is always an advantage. If one passport falls in quality, you have another reliable option to travel with!

Final Note

Knowing the correct documentation is part of getting an EU citizenship. For example, getting ancestry citizenship actually requires proof of lineage.

Applicants are required obscure (sometimes antique) documents, such as birth certificates for foreign-born grandparents.

This however shouldn’t be an issue. Ancestry websites do exist that allow applicants to trace their lineage.

Beyond that, you can always contact us for help. We’ll help you find the right documents for your marriage/ancestry citizenship application!

Global RCG is a leader in Citizenship by Ancestry, reach out to know more.