DNA Family Secrets and Citizenship by Descent

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The Latitude Take on Genes and Citizenship

DNA Family Secrets is a different type of show to Finding Your Roots. It’s UK- rather than US-based and focuses on regular Joes as opposed to stellar superstars. Yet its co-host Prof Turi King has noticed a Rise in DNA tests being used to claim citizenship of other countries.

For many Brits who voted Remain in the closely-contested 2016 Brexit referendum, British exit from the EU has been painful. One increasingly popular solution to their predicament for Remainers is Citizenship by Descent, a gateway to an European identity they thought they had lost. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the iconic DNA Family Secrets eps presented by King and Stacey Dooley.

Do You Have a Secret Austrian Family History?

Janet is a 60-something British woman who has always speculated about her father’s experiences in Austria during WWII. He used to entertain his family with tales of daring adventures. It sounded like he was living out The Great Escape on repeat.

One story that continues to resonate with Janet is when her father encountered a countess in a castle. She hid him in a laundry basket to evade the Nazis. Janet always wondered if the countess and her father (who hadn’t met Janet’s mother then) had enjoyed a deeper relationship.

Prof King confirmed Janet’s suspicions after revealing a match in a DNA database. Janet, indeed, does have a half-sister from Austria. Her name is Renata and she was born in 1946.

Clearly, Janet is not eligible for Austrian Citizenship by Descent. But you might be. If your ancestors resided in Austria and experienced Nazi persecution, you could qualify for a powerful Austrian passport.

Is Your Family Tree Irish?

Meet Margaret. She’s another 60-something British woman. Her parents adopted her from an agency in Southport.

Southport is in the north west of England, near to Liverpool. The port of Liverpool is the closest connection between England and Ireland.

Roughly 750,000 in the UK are adopted but before a new law in 1975, it was impossible to establish the identity of their birth parents. Margaret had long harbored a belief that her mother and father were Irish, something that King corroborates with research from a database that establishes Margaret as 93% Irish.

One would imagine that Margaret would qualify for Irish Citizenship by Descent and so could you. We’ve already shared the story of US Prof John Portmann who uncovered his Irish Citizenship by DNA. Might a similar discovery allow you to get your hands on one of the world’s strongest travel documents, an Irish passport?

Do You Believe You’ve Got Roots in the Boot?

DNA Family Secrets is full of surprises. Guests believe their ancestry comes from one place, and it turns out to be somewhere completely different. While that makes for gripping television, it also takes participants on an emotional rollercoaster.

Triplets David, Philip, and Peter were born to Gillian, a Merseyside-based police officer. 2 years later, Gillian died and a further 2 years after that, the trio were adopted and moved to Northern Ireland. With a darker skin color than their peers at school, they built a close bond to deal with bullying.

The boys have maintained an interest in where their real father came from. Italy was one country they thought he could come from. They also considered South America, but Dooley tells them actually he had Liberian and Northern Ireland heritage.

Dooley dashed the brothers’ hopes of Italian Citizenship by Descent. No two cases are ever the same, however, and your DNA could match you with Italian ancestors. An Italian passport is the world’s second strongest travel document. 

Maybe You’re Polish Like Tony Woodcock?

Prof King, like Dooley, enjoys fame away from DNA Family Secrets. In 2012, she headed the genetic analysis and verification during King Richard III’s exhumation and reburial. 12 years later, former footballer Tony Woodcock reached out for her help.

Woodcock discovered that the man he thought was his biological father wasn’t. This revelation came to light when his son did a DNA test to look into his ancestry. Now, Woodcock turns to DNA Detective King to see what she can find out.

King pinpoints Woodcock’s actual father as being from Poland. He was, as it transpires, a World War II veteran and someone who studied medicine. Later, he would become chief dyer and this info bleeds into Woodcock’s childhood memories of his mother’s friendship with a gentleman called Peter.

It’s conceivable that Woodcock could qualify for Polish Citizenship by Descent. This is another European Citizenship by Descent Program that you might be eligible for. Our Passport Index ranks the Polish passport the 4th most powerful travel document in the world.

Is Your Heritage Portuguese?

30-something Georgina was raised by Maura, one of around a million one-parent families in the 1980s. Prior to Georgina’s birth, Maura was herself a 30-something. She enjoyed a solo holiday.

On this sunny break, Maura met a man. She became pregnant and gave birth in the UK, to Georgina. This much her daughter knows.

But King is able to shed some light on her father’s genetic background. While Georgina’s records display Portuguese and Spanish DNA, King says that one of these 2 Iberian countries is more prominent. And that makes Georgina half-Portuguese.

Portuguese Citizenship by Descent offers a clear path to Georgina to claim this European nationality. Proving yourself a descendant of Portuguese Jews expelled during the Inquisition is another entry point. This enables you to apply for the Portuguese passport, the world’s third strongest.

How We Can Help You Uncover DNA Family Secrets

We do our research away from the cameras. Yet we make breakthroughs as dramatic as you might see on the likes of DNA Family Secrets. So, don’t delay and contact us today to see if we can return to you the rights lost by Brexit.