These Five Countries Will Give You a Passport Based on Your Ancestry

Who knew? With some time and possibly solid research, you may just be a citizen of another country besides the United States and you never even really thought about it. It's all about your bloodlines.

While many Americans have a clear knowledge about their dual citizenship because of where they were born or where their parents are, etc. many of us may not even realize the option is there, but it is.

Just so you know, dual citizenship means more than just getting a passport from that country according to the Simplemost website. Other perks include healthcare, education subsidies, and loosened travel restrictions to name a few.

IRELAND

Nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population identifies as fully or partially Irish American according to Conde' Nast Traveler. You qualify if you have at least one parent or grandparent with Irish citizenship and in some cases, a great-grandparent born on the Emerald Isle works, too. Ireland’s passport is one of the world’s most powerful according to Conde' Nast Traveler so click here for more.

ITALY

Nearly 16 million Americans identify as Italian American and if you have a mother or father who was an Italian citizen at the time of their birth then it's time to work on that dual citizenship. If you can prove that you have Italian grandparents, great-grandparents, and even great-great-grandparents that works, too according to Conde' Nast Traveler.  Click here.

POLAND

If you have a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent born in Poland or one of its territories after 1918 when Poland became independent, you may qualify for dual citizenship. the only catch according to Conde' Nast Traveler is that the family tree must be unbroken. This means if somewhere along the line family members didn't acquire Polish citizenship, you're out of luck. Find your info here.

GERMANY

If you were born after 1975 and one of your parents was a legal German citizen then you're eligible. If you were born before 1975 your father must be a legal German citizen. If you can prove that at least one grandparent or great-grandparent was German even if their citizenship was stripped under Nazi rule then you're eligible according to Conde' Nast Traveler so click here for more info.

ISRAEL

You're eligible for dual citizenship if one of your parents was born here. How easy is that? Also, according to Simplemost, you can get dual citizenship if you're ethnically Jewish and that includes anyone who has converted to Judaism. Click here to start the process.

That family tree research may be even more valuable than you thought.