Citizenship

Decree-Law No. 36 of 28/03/2025 was converted, with amendments, into Law No. 74 of 23/05/2025, effective from 24/05/2025.

The conversion law reforms Law No. 91 of 05/02/1992, whose new full text is available at the following link.

Particular attention is drawn to the new Article 3-bis:

By way of derogation from Articles 1, 2, 3, 14 and 20 of this law, Article 5 of Law No. 123 of 21/04/1983, Articles 1, 2, 7, 10, 12 and 19 of Law No. 555 of 13/06/1912, as well as Articles 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 of the Civil Code approved by Royal Decree No. 2358 of 25/06/1865, a person born abroad, including before the entry into force of this article, and who possesses another citizenship, shall be considered never to have acquired Italian citizenship, unless one of the following conditions applies:

1. a) the person’s citizenship status is recognized, in compliance with the legislation applicable on 27/03/2025, following an application accompanied by the required documentation submitted to the competent consular office or mayor no later than 23:59 Rome time on that same date;

a-bis) the person’s citizenship status is recognized, in compliance with the legislation applicable on 27/03/2025, following an application accompanied by the required documentation submitted to the competent consular office or mayor on the date indicated in an appointment communicated to the applicant by the competent office no later than 23:59 Rome time on 27/03/2025;

1. b) the person’s citizenship status is judicially established, in compliance with the legislation applicable on 27/03/2025, following a legal application submitted no later than 23:59 Rome time on that same date;
2. c) a first- or second-degree ancestor possesses, or possessed at the time of death, exclusively Italian citizenship;
3. d) a parent or adoptive parent resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the birth or adoption of the child.

— — —

Therefore, under the new Law No. 91 of 1992, the following are recognized as Italian citizens jure sanguinis (by birth):

• applicants born in Italy on any date;
• applicants who exclusively hold Italian citizenship, meaning they neither have nor may obtain any other citizenship;
• applicants who fall under one of the cases listed in points a), a-bis), b), c), and d) of Article 3-bis.

— — —

Clarifications Under the New Law

1) Only applications submitted before 23:59 Italian time on 27/03/2025, accompanied by the required documentation, are processed under the previous legislation.

“Submitted applications” means applications that were:

• delivered in person to the consular office counter before the above date and time;
• mailed with tracking showing a date and time prior to the above deadline;
• mailed without tracking but received by the consular office before the above deadline;
• received through Fast-It before the above deadline.

2) Only applications accompanied by the required documentation and submitted to the consular office on the date indicated in an appointment scheduled and communicated to the applicant by the competent office before 23:59 Rome time on 27/03/2025 are processed under the previous legislation.

“Appointment notified to the applicant by the competent office” means confirmation by email received from:

• the Prenot@mi portal; or
• the institutional email address of the relevant section of the consular office handling the application.

3) In all other circumstances, the new legislation applies.

The applicable consular fees are available on the relevant webpage.

Required Documentation

Applicants must provide the documentation required by Circular K.28.1 of 08/04/1991 of the Ministry of the Interior, namely:

1. Extract of the birth certificate of the Italian ancestor who emigrated abroad, issued by the Italian municipality where the ancestor was born;
2. Birth certificates, with official Italian translations, of all descendants in the direct line, including that of the person claiming Italian citizenship;
3. Marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor who emigrated abroad, with official Italian translation if issued abroad;
4. Marriage certificates of all direct descendants, including that of the parents of the person claiming Italian citizenship;
5. Certificate issued by the competent authorities of the foreign country of emigration, with official Italian translation, certifying that the Italian ancestor who emigrated from Italy did not acquire the citizenship of the foreign country before the birth of the applicant’s direct ancestor;
6. Certificate issued by the competent Italian consular authority certifying that neither the direct-line ancestors nor the person claiming Italian citizenship ever renounced it pursuant to Article 7 of Law No. 555 of 13/06/1912;
7. Certificate of residence.

Additional Documentation Required Under the New Law

To prove exclusive possession of Italian citizenship (examples include):

• Negative citizenship certificates;
• Certificates of renunciation of citizenship;
• Certificates of non-registration on electoral rolls.

To prove residence in Italy for at least two consecutive years:

• Historical citizenship certificate.

Other Ways of Acquiring Italian Citizenship

Through the links on the right-hand side, applicants may access information regarding other specific methods of acquiring Italian citizenship:

• Acquisition of citizenship by “benefit of law” (minor children)
• Acquisition of citizenship by minor children cohabiting with a parent who was not an Italian citizen from birth
• Reacquisition of citizenship
• Naturalization through marriage
• Recognition under special laws
• “Non-renunciation” certificate
• Citizenship through marriage or civil union

For further details, please refer to the dedicated section on the institutional website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.