Legal Definitions - jus sanguinis

Jus sanguinis is a legal principle where a person's citizenship is determined by the citizenship of their parents, rather than by their place of birth.

This system means that a child inherits the nationality of their mother or father, or both, regardless of the country in which they are born. Many nations around the world primarily use jus sanguinis to confer citizenship.

• Example 1: Birth Abroad to Citizen Parents
  Imagine a married couple, both citizens of Italy, who are temporarily living in France for work. Their child is born in a hospital in Paris. Under Italy's citizenship laws, which largely follow jus sanguinis, the child automatically acquires Italian citizenship because both parents are Italian citizens. The fact that the child was born on French soil is secondary to the parents' nationality in this system.

• Example 2: International Adoption
  Consider a married couple, both citizens of Germany, who adopt a baby girl born in Vietnam. Upon the completion of the adoption process, the baby girl, despite being born in Vietnam, would typically acquire German citizenship because her adoptive parents are German citizens. This demonstrates how jus sanguinis extends citizenship based on the nationality of the parents, even in cases of adoption.

• Example 3: Multi-Generational Citizenship Abroad
  A family of Japanese citizens has lived in Brazil for three generations. The great-grandparents emigrated from Japan, and subsequent generations, including the newest baby, were born in Brazil. Japan primarily follows jus sanguinis. Despite being born in Brazil and having lived there for generations, the new baby would be eligible for Japanese citizenship because their parents (and preceding generations) maintained their Japanese citizenship. This illustrates how jus sanguinis can perpetuate citizenship across generations, regardless of the place of birth.