# Rootdossier

> A private organiser for citizenship by descent: map the line from you to the parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, list every document the route needs, track each one and catch name and date mismatches. In your browser.

Rootdossier is a private organiser for citizenship by descent paperwork: Germany (section 5 declaration, restoration under Article 116(2) and section 15, ordinary descent), Ireland (Foreign Births Register, automatic through a parent born in Ireland), Poland (confirmation through unbroken descent), Canada (descent beyond the first generation since 15 December 2025) and Italy (routes left after Law 74/2025, marked narrowed, plus a legacy module). It maps the lineage chain, generates the document register from each route's rules, tracks each document's status, checks names, dates and places across documents, and logs costs and dates. Rules and guides last reviewed 28 September 2026. The full text of every rule, guide and the FAQ is at https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/llms-full.txt.

- [Citizenship by descent document organiser](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/): Organise a citizenship by descent claim: the family line, every document the route needs, status, costs and name mismatches. Free, private, no account.

## Tools

- [Your citizenship by descent cases](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/case/): Start a case for Germany, Ireland, Poland, Canada or Italy, pick the route, and build the lineage chain and document register in this browser, never uploaded.

## Rules and reference

- [Citizenship by descent rules by country](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/countries/): The descent routes Rootdossier organises for Germany, Ireland, Poland, Canada and Italy, each rule with its source, the date it was read and a line to check.
- [German citizenship by descent rules](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/countries/germany/): The German descent routes in Rootdossier: the section 5 declaration, restoration for descendants of the persecuted, ordinary descent, with sources and dates.
- [Irish citizenship by descent rules](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/countries/ireland/): The Irish descent routes in Rootdossier: automatic citizenship through a parent born in Ireland and the Foreign Births Register through a grandparent, sourced.
- [Polish citizenship by descent rules](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/countries/poland/): The Polish descent route in Rootdossier: confirmation of citizenship through unbroken descent, how the line could break before 1999, documents and sources.
- [Canadian citizenship by descent rules](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/countries/canada/): Canadian descent rules in Rootdossier since the 2025 amendment: automatic citizenship for earlier births, the parent's days in Canada for later ones.
- [Italian citizenship by descent after 2025](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/countries/italy/): Italian descent routes still open after Law 74/2025, marked as narrowed, the pending EU court referral of the 2025 limit, and a legacy module, with sources.
- [Citizenship by descent guides](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/guide/): Guides to descent paperwork: grandparent claims, the German declaration, the Irish register, Polish confirmation, Canada after 2025, Italy's 2025 law.
- [Questions about the descent dossier](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/faq/): Whether Rootdossier gives legal advice, where your family's records are stored, which countries and routes it covers, how rules are sourced, and what is free.

## Guides

- [Citizenship by descent through a grandparent](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/guide/citizenship-by-descent-through-a-grandparent/): Which countries grant citizenship through a grandparent, what each asks you to prove, and the documents for the three people: you, a parent, a grandparent.
- [German citizenship by declaration explained](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/guide/german-declaration-route-explained/): Who can become German by declaration under section 5, the deadline of 19 August 2031, the documents the federal office lists, and how the chain is proved.
- [Foreign Births Register document list](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/guide/ireland-foreign-births-register-documents/): Every document the Foreign Births Register asks for when you claim through an Irish-born grandparent, person by person: originals, certified copies, photos.
- [Polish citizenship confirmation documents](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/guide/polish-citizenship-confirmation-documents/): The documents for confirming Polish citizenship by descent: civil records for every link, the ancestor's Polish papers, sworn translations and apostilles.
- [Canadian citizenship by descent after 2025](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/guide/canadian-citizenship-by-descent-after-2025/): What the amendment in force on 15 December 2025 changed for people born abroad beyond the first generation, and the documents to prove it with a certificate.
- [What Italy's 2025 citizenship law changed](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/guide/what-italys-2025-law-changed/): How Decree-Law 36/2025, converted into Law 74/2025, narrowed Italian citizenship by descent, which routes remain, and what happens to files started before.
- [Apostilles and translations explained](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/guide/apostilles-and-translations-explained/): What an apostille certifies and what it does not, who issues it, which descent routes want one, and when a sworn or certified translation is needed.
- [Fixing name discrepancies in old records](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/guide/fixing-name-discrepancies-in-old-records/): Why names, dates and places differ across old family records, which differences matter, and the usual fixes: amendments, affidavits and same person statements.

## Policies

- [Privacy, your family records stay here](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/privacy/): How your data is handled: names, dates and places of your family stay in this browser, backups are made in the page, and nothing you type is sent to a server.
- [Terms of use for the dossier organiser](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/terms/): The terms for using Rootdossier: a paperwork organiser, not legal advice and not an application service, with no warranty, clear refunds and a support address.

## What it is not

- Organiser, not legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the consulate or a lawyer.
- Rootdossier is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any government, consulate, embassy, ministry, court or law firm, including the German, Irish, Polish, Canadian and Italian authorities that decide citizenship cases.
- Not an application service and not an official form: it files nothing and every printout is its own layout.
- Every rule is a paraphrase of a named source with the date it was read; rules the builder could not open at a primary source are marked as settings.

## Pricing

Free today. Every feature is open to everyone with no account. Nothing is uploaded: family names, dates and places stay in the browser.

## Optional

- [Full text for AI assistants](https://rootdossier-web.pages.dev/llms-full.txt): every rule, guide and the FAQ as one Markdown file.
- Contact: socialreminderinfo@gmail.com