Tajani Returns to Brazil After Decree Restricting Citizenship
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will be in São Paulo on September 9 on a mission to Argentina and Brazil, following the decree that changed Italian citizenship by descent rules.
Italy's Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, will be in São Paulo on September 9 as part of an institutional mission that includes stops in Argentina and Brazil. The visit comes just months after his ministry proposed the decree that restricted recognition of Italian citizenship by descent, a topic that mobilizes millions of Brazilians of Italian ancestry.
Who is Antonio Tajani and the purpose of the trip
Antonio Tajani is Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Italy, one of the most influential names in Giorgia Meloni's government. According to Insieme, the stop in Brazil is part of a broader mission of the so-called Sistema Itália — a network of government, diplomatic, and business entities that promote Italian interests abroad — aimed at Argentina and Brazil this September.
Tajani's international schedule typically combines diplomatic meetings, encounters with local authorities, and activities focused on communities of Italian origin, which in South America number in the millions of descendants. Brazil, in particular, is home to the largest community of Italian origin outside Italy, making any visit by an Italian foreign minister to the country a closely watched event by those following Italy News.
Second visit since citizenship rules changed
According to Insieme, this is the second time Tajani has visited Brazil since his ministry presented the decree that restricted recognition of Italian citizenship by descent. The measure, known as Decreto Tajani (Decree-Law 36/2025, converted into Law 74/2025), profoundly altered the rules governing the so-called jure sanguinis — the right to citizenship transmitted through bloodline, the basis upon which millions of Brazilians with Italian ancestry found their applications.
The decree limited automatic recognition of citizenship to children and grandchildren of Italians born abroad, excluding descendants of more distant generations, such as great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, through administrative and consular channels. The change directly impacted thousands of pending cases and altered the strategy of those still seeking recognition, a topic frequently addressed in the Italian Citizenship section of Raízes Italianas.
The fact that Tajani is returning to Brazil for the second time since the decree was proposed reinforces the relevance of the topic in the diplomatic agenda between the two countries, especially given the impact the rule changes had among descendants and Italian-Brazilian associations.
Schedule in São Paulo
According to Insieme, the Italian consulate in São Paulo is already organizing a meeting with guests during the foreign minister's visit to the capital, scheduled for September 9. The city is home to one of the largest Italian diplomatic representations in Brazil and serves as a reference point for descendants seeking information about documentation, certificate searches in Italy, and the status of cases with the consulate.
To date, full details of Tajani's remaining schedule on Brazilian soil have not been disclosed, nor is there indication of specific statements about citizenship during the meeting in São Paulo.
What the visit could mean for descendants of Italians
Tajani's stop in Brazil comes at a sensitive moment for those seeking recognition of citizenship by descent. With the new restrictions imposed by the decree, consular channels are limited to children and grandchildren of Italians, while descendants of more distant generations must resort to judicial proceedings in Italy to attempt recognition — a process involving different rules and being closely followed by those using specialized Italian citizenship services.
The meeting at São Paulo's consulate could serve as a barometer for possible signals from the Italian government about the future of the topic within the Italian-Brazilian community, although there is no official indication that additional rule changes are under discussion. The impact of the visit should be closely monitored by those following both Italy News and matters related to Life in Italy and the relationships between the European country and its diaspora.
Tajani's visit reinforces how the topic of citizenship by descent remains at the center of Italy-Brazil relations, even after the restrictions imposed by the decree bearing the foreign minister's own name.
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Source: Insieme
