Abstract Assuming a type-I seesaw mechanism for neutrino mass generation and invoking a baryogenesis via leptogenesis scenario, we consider a reasonable hierarchical structure for Dirac neutrino mass matrix, similar to up-type quark mass matrix. These hypotheses imply a relevant connection between high scale CP violation and low energy one. By requiring a compact heavy neutrino mass spectrum, which allows to circumvent Davidson–Ibarra limit, one can obtain an efficient leptogenesis restricting the allowed region for low energy neutrino parameters. Once the oscillating parameters are taken inside a $$3\sigma $$ 3σ range, through the numerical resolution of the leptogenesis Boltzmann equations one gets the following allowed intervals for the ...