Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs quietly published a decree this week that could radically simplify life-planning for hundreds of thousands of Brazilians with Italian roots. Signed on 27 November and taking effect immediately, the measure creates a ‘special procedure’ for countries that have more than 100,000 citizens registered in Italy’s AIRE (Registry of Italians Resident Abroad). Brazil, with 682,300 AIRE registrants, tops that list.
Until now, descendants who wanted to live and work legally in Italy first had to secure one of the limited seasonal or multiyear work-permit quotas released under the Decreto Flussi immigration funnel. Competition was fierce and processing times unpredictable, forcing many would-be returnees to remain on tourist status while their papers inched forward—or to employ costly legal work-arounds in small-town comunes. Under the new decree, those quota constraints disappear: eligible Brazilians can apply directly in Brazil for a residence permit for subordinated work, then convert it in Italy to long-term soggiorno and—after formalising genealogy paperwork—full citizenship (jus sanguinis).
![Italy Fast-Tracks Ancestry Path: New Decree Lets 680,000 Brazilians Bypass Visa Quotas for Work and Citizenship]()
The change is a watershed for global-mobility managers and Italian multinationals operating in Brazil. HR teams can now transfer dual-national staff into EU headquarters without waiting for quota release dates and without incurring posted-worker compliance headaches. Conversely, Brazilian professionals who obtain an Italian passport gain full EU labour-market access, lowering hiring friction for employers across the bloc and expanding the talent pool for shortage sectors such as hospitality and elder-care.
Immigration attorneys in São Paulo warn that demand will surge. Consulates already facing year-long backlogs for recognition-of-citizenship appointments will need more staff and digital queuing systems. Applicants must still provide birth, marriage and naturalisation certificates for every generation—apostilled and translated—as well as proof of adequate housing and a signed employment contract. Those unable to prove lineage remain subject to the standard work-visa cap.
For Brazil’s enormous Italo-Brazilian community, the decree feels like long-overdue recognition of historic ties. For mobility planners, it is the biggest facilitation of an EU labour route for Brazilians in over a decade—and a signal that other ancestry-rich nations such as Argentina may lobby for similar treatment.
Until now, descendants who wanted to live and work legally in Italy first had to secure one of the limited seasonal or multiyear work-permit quotas released under the Decreto Flussi immigration funnel. Competition was fierce and processing times unpredictable, forcing many would-be returnees to remain on tourist status while their papers inched forward—or to employ costly legal work-arounds in small-town comunes. Under the new decree, those quota constraints disappear: eligible Brazilians can apply directly in Brazil for a residence permit for subordinated work, then convert it in Italy to long-term soggiorno and—after formalising genealogy paperwork—full citizenship (jus sanguinis).
The change is a watershed for global-mobility managers and Italian multinationals operating in Brazil. HR teams can now transfer dual-national staff into EU headquarters without waiting for quota release dates and without incurring posted-worker compliance headaches. Conversely, Brazilian professionals who obtain an Italian passport gain full EU labour-market access, lowering hiring friction for employers across the bloc and expanding the talent pool for shortage sectors such as hospitality and elder-care.
Immigration attorneys in São Paulo warn that demand will surge. Consulates already facing year-long backlogs for recognition-of-citizenship appointments will need more staff and digital queuing systems. Applicants must still provide birth, marriage and naturalisation certificates for every generation—apostilled and translated—as well as proof of adequate housing and a signed employment contract. Those unable to prove lineage remain subject to the standard work-visa cap.
For Brazil’s enormous Italo-Brazilian community, the decree feels like long-overdue recognition of historic ties. For mobility planners, it is the biggest facilitation of an EU labour route for Brazilians in over a decade—and a signal that other ancestry-rich nations such as Argentina may lobby for similar treatment.
