This comprehensive guide will cover the key information and everything you need to know and consider when pursuing Italian citizenship by descent, marriage and residency.
It will address the most relevant topics, including:
- Benefits of Italian citizenship
- Italian dual citizenship and the EU
- Citizenship by descent
- Relevant dates and laws
- Recent updates
- Required documents
- Fees and timescales
- Citizenship by marriage
- Citizenship by residency
The appeal of Italian citizenship
Italy is a country of undeniable beauty and charm. Its wonderful landscapes, rich history, incomparable art and culture, and its world-renowned food and wine, have made Italy one of the most alluring countries in the world.
Benefits of Italian citizenship
Being an Italian citizen means you are part of this tradition, and the benefits Italian citizenship are multiple. As an Italian citizen you are entitled to an Italian passport. An Italian passport sits highly in world rankings. In 2025 passportindex.org, which assesses the “power of a passport”, placed Italy in joint 3rd position in the world, based on its visa-free travel to 133 countries.
Italian dual citizenship and the EU
Italy permits dual citizenship, which means you can become an Italian citizen without relinquishing your current citizenship status.
Furthermore, being an Italian citizen also means you are a citizen of the EU, which affords many advantages when traveling within the European Union, EEA, and Schengen zone countries: it means visa-free travel to any of the 27 EU member states, and the right to live and work in the EU without time or visa restrictions.
Italian citizenship by descent
Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) means “right of blood”. In the context of citizenship law, descendants of Italian-born ancestors (parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent, etc.) can apply to have their citizenship recognized as their birthright. In order to demonstrate a right to Italian citizenship by descent, it must be proved that citizenship was transferred from the Italian-born ascendant to the applicant.
Relevant dates and laws
Before 17 March 1861 Italy did not exist as a nation; and therefore there were no Italian citizens. With this considered, the oldest Italian ancestor in any citizenship by descent claim must have been still alive on or after that date.
Prior to August 1992, Italian citizenship law was exclusive, which meant an individual who acquired the citizenship of another country automatically lost their Italian citizenship. Therefore, If the ancestor who was born in Italy became a foreign citizen by naturalization in a foreign country prior to the birth of his/her child it is not possible to claim citizenship by descent through that ancestor.
The Italian citizenship law that came in effect in August 1992 permitted dual citizenship, meaning that an individual could obtain the citizen of a second country and still retain their Italian citizenship.
Making an application via an Italian consulate abroad
If the applicant meets the general jure sanguinis criteria, and resides abroad, applications are made via the local Italian consulate that has jurisdiction where applicant resides. For a list of consulates in the U.S. see here.
It is necessary to attend an appointment at the consulate to submit the required forms and vital records in the original. It is urged to make an appointment early in the process, on the basis that waiting times for citizenship appointments can be long. Doing so will also give enough time to gather vital records and documents.
Appointments can be made once an account is created on https://prenotami.esteri.it, the online booking system used by consulates. Once registered, it is possible to book an appointment. Each consulate will have its way of making an appointment, so refer to the guidelines of the relevant consulate.
For more information about booking an appointment please see a related article here.
Italian Citizenship by Descent “Minor Age” Issue
On October 3, 2024, the Italian Ministry of the Interior (Ministero dell’Interno) issued a directive (circolare) which included a new interpretation of Italian citizenship law regarding citizenship by descent applications made at Italian consulates around the world and Italian municipalities. The circolare stated that if an Italian-born ancestor voluntarily became a citizen of a foreign country while their child (born in the U.S.) was still a minor (before March 9, 1975, this meant 21 or younger in Italy), the minor child automatically lost their Italian citizenship. The implication is that if an Italian-born ancestor acquired foreign citizenship while their child (the next descendant in line) was still a minor, they and future descendants did not qualify for citizenship by descent through that ancestor, and applications cannot be made via an Italian consulate or Italian municipality.
Prior to the issuance of the circolare it was sufficient to prove that the Italian ancestor either never naturalized or naturalized after the birth of their child. The new interpretation will be applied only on applications going forward, Italian citizenship that has already been recognized will not be affected.
Please note: the circolare provides guidelines for the Italian public administration, and applies only to applications made at Italian consulates and Italian municipalities, it does not affect cases filed at an Italian court. Therefore, if there is a female Italian-born ancestor who never naturalized or naturalized after the birth of their child, or naturalized involuntarily, a claim to citizenship through the female ancestor can potentially be made via an Italian court.
Vital records and documents needed to apply
Vital records will consist of birth, marriage and death (where applicable) certificates. It is the role of the consulate to see all related documentation and vital records pertaining to the applicant’s ancestor/s in the direct line of descent. However, some consulates may also require the vital records of the respective spouse of the ancestor, and therefore it is important to check the guidelines of the relevant.
Additionally, the consulate will need to see evidence that the ancestor was never naturalized, or was naturalized. Consulates have many stipulations regarding how the documentation needs to be presented, all must have attached apostilles and be translated into Italian. Attending an appointment at the consulate is necessary so that the vital records, and the signatures on each application forms, can be verified. Only the individual filing a claim can attend the appointment.
Speaking Italian is not a legal requirement for citizenship by descent applications, and appointments at the consulate will be in English, if in an English-speaking country. If applying at a consulate in a non-English speaking country, it is likely the interview will be in the language spoken there.
Cost and fees of citizenship by descent applications
A recent amendment in budget law and the financial decree (legge di bilancio), which came into effect on January 1, 2025, is relevant to all adults who make Italian citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis) applications. The updated fees are:
- Filing a claim in court, the fee for each petitioner has increased from €518 to €600.
- For applications made abroad via an Italian consulate, the fee has increased from €300 per adult applicant to €600 per adult applicant.
- For applications made in Italy at a comune, fees can go up to €600 per adult.
*It should be noted that these changes do not affect applications already made. All applications made prior to January 1, 2025, will pay the former associated fees.
Fees for applications made abroad via an Italian consulate
As in accordance with the updated fees outlined previously, the cost to file an application made at an Italian consulate is €600 per applicant. The fee must be paid at the appointment, and payment must be made in U.S. dollars, or in the currency of country where the consulate is located.
Fees are paid via a money order or cashier’s cheque, and exchange rates change every three months, so please refer to the consulate website.
Length of application process
Consulates have up to 24 months to complete the review of a citizenship by descent application. Any discrepancies in an application will result in the consulate asking for further information, which will cause delays.
What happens next?
Once Italian citizenship has been granted, the consulate will notify applicant and will also send vital records to the municipality in Italy where the ancestor was born.
Once the municipality has recorded these, the individual is added to the A.I.R.E. (Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad) and they can apply for an Italian passport.
Making an application in Italy
If applicant lives in Italy, applications are made via an Italian municipality. Individuals can also travel to Italy to complete the process, as it is generally faster than applications made via a consulate. The first stage is to collate the documents to support your citizenship application, with apostilles and translations attached. The individual can then travel to Italy, which permits entry as a tourist, following which residence in the comune where applicant intends to make the Italian citizenship application must be established. The majority of offices that process dual citizenship applications accept walk-ins, so it is not necessary or required to make any appointment. If arriving from outside of Europe, a stamp (in passport) will be issued upon arrival. If applicant has entered another EU country prior to arrival in Italy, the passport will be stamped there and not in Italy. In this instance, a declaration of presence (a dichiarazione di presenza) needs to be made to inform the Italian authorities. This is done at the local immigration office (prefettura) within 8 days of arrival in Italy.
Tax code
Applicants will need an Italian tax code (codice fiscale), which can be obtained at the Italian tax office (agenzia delle entrate). A tax code can usually be issued whilst there, providing the applicant’s passport with stamp, or a dichiarazione di presenza is presented. When establishing residency, a hotel or Airbnb are generally not accepted as most comuni require a lease agreement, a deed of property ownership, or letter of hospitality. The next step is for the local police to conduct a check within 45 days by visiting the property that is has been declared as the applicant’s residency.
Residency
Once residency has been established, an application at the citizenship office in the local city hall can be made, whereby all documents will be presented. The allocated clerk will review the application and documents, and will then liaise with the relevant consulates abroad that have jurisdiction in the areas where the records originated. This is done to ensure that none of the ancestors ever renounced Italian citizenship.
Following the submission of an application, a specific residency permit (permesso di soggiorno in attesa di cittadinanza) will need to be acquired. This is because the process may take longer than the permitted 90-day period that a non-EU citizen can remain in Italy. The permesso di soggiorno in attesa di cittadinanza will permit the applicant to remain in Italy longer than the 90-day period, and for the duration of the application process.
Fees for applications made in Italy
As highlighted in the updated fees listed previously, fees can go up to €600 per adult for applications made in Italy at a comune.
Processing times and next steps
Processing times will depend of course on the specifics of each case and other factors, such as the comune where application is made.
Once citizenship has been officially recognized and granted, it is then possible to apply for an Italian passport in Italy. Alternatively, if applicant returns abroad, they must register with the A.I.R.E. (registry of Italian citizens residing abroad) and apply for an Italian passport at your local consulate.
Citizenship by descent and 1948 cases
1912 Italian citizenship law gave only men the right to transfer citizenship on to their children. This was the law until the Italian Constitution came into effect on January 1, 1948, which granted women the same right as men.
This means that a descendant of an Italian-born female ancestor who falls under the 1948 rule, can apply for Italian citizenship retrospectively by filing a lawsuit on the basis that 1912 law does not comply with the rights and principles as outlined in the Italian Constitution. The “1948 rule” applies to individuals who are seeking to have their citizenship recognized through a female Italian-born ancestor who gave birth to a child before January 1, 1948. In these cases, a claim to have citizenship retroactively recognized must be done by filing a case at court in Italy. 1948 cases must be filed at the court in the municipality where the Italian-born female ancestor was born.
Filing a 1948 case
1948 cases do not require that the applicant be physically present in Italy, and an attorney can be appointed and “power of attorney” granted to them to act on behalf of the applicant. For those living abroad the power of attorney document must be signed before a U.S. public notary, and the client (grantor of power of attorney) must physically attend that meeting to sign the power of attorney document, which the notary will then verify. The power of attorney can then receive all case information and communication regarding proceedings on behalf of the client. The first stage is to collate and retrieve the documents to support your citizenship application. Any documents/vital records that are in a foreign language, must have a sworn translation, and an apostille attached. This is to verify the authenticity of the public notary’s signature. Filing the case involves paying the filing fee payment. The supporting documents and vital records are then sent to the office of the clerk, and a case number (R.G) is generated.
A judge is assigned and a date given for the hearing, which can be held in person, remotely, or in written proceedings, depending on the judge’s instructions.
For more information on how a case is filed at court, see here
How long is the process?
The process can take between 3 and 9 months, and while it is possible that the judge will grant or deny a citizenship claim in the first hearing, it is more realistic that the judge will take between 1 and 6 weeks after the hearing to grant or deny the claim. In some cases, although rare, if a case is complex and requires the sharing or clarification of further information, a second hearing may be arranged.
What happens next?
Once a judge has granted a claim, Italian citizenship is official and a notification is sent to the attorney of record. The final judgment and vital records will be registered with the municipality in Italy where the Italian ancestor was born. Italian citizenship is official and the individual can apply for an Italian passport.
Documents needed
When applying for Italian citizenship by descent, applicants must locate and retrieve copies of vital records, which are birth, marriage, and death certificates. These documents prove the applicant’s direct lineage to the Italian-born ancestor, and therefore documents pertaining to every family member in that line must be presented as part of an application. An apostille, which is an international legalization permitting a document for foreign use, must be attached to each document, and all foreign documents will require Italian translations.
Italian citizenship by marriage – Jure Matrimonii
The spouse of an Italian citizen, if living in Italy, can apply for Italian citizenship by marriage after two years of marriage/civil union. If they have children under the age of 18, then this length of time reduced by half. If residing outside of Italy, the spouse can apply for Italian citizenship by marriage after three years of marriage/civil union to an Italian citizen. Again, this length of time is halved if they have children under the age of 18. Same-sex civil unions were recognized in Italy in 2016, and same-sex marriages are recognized in Italy as civil unions, and have the same rights as those of married couples. Before commencing the citizenship process, the Italian spouse must be registered with the A.I.R.E. (Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad- Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero) if living abroad, and the foreign marriage, or same-sex marriage/civil union certificate, must be registered via the local Italian consulate, and the comune in Italy. It is also required to have a B1 (intermediate level) Italian language certificate. The B1 language certificate must be awarded by a recognized and associated institution.
Find out more about the language certification here.
Where to make an application?
Applications for Italian citizenship by marriage are made at the local Italian consulate where the Italian spouse is registered with the A.I.R.E. If the couple live in Italy, the citizenship application is made at the local prefettura (the local police station). The application for Italian citizenship by marriage consists of two stages. The first, completing an online application via the Italian Ministry of Interior (Ministero dell’Interno). web portal, and uploading scans of all the required documents.
This is followed by an appointment at the consulate or prefettura, in which presenting the original documents and signing the citizenship application.
Required documentation
In order to apply for Italian citizenship through marriage, the following documentation is required:
- A copy of the marriage certificate from the Italian municipality where the Italian spouse is registered with A.I.R.E.;
- A criminal background checks from the U.S. States (and foreign countries, if applicable) where the non-Italian spouse applicant has lived since the age of 14;
- A certified copy of the foreign birth certificate;
- Italian language B1 proficiency (intermediate level) certification, which is issued by an institution that is recognized by the Ministry of Education (MIUR) or Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI).
Once an initial assessment has been done, the applicant must attend an appointment whereby the following documentation will be presented:
- Citizenship application form;
- The non-Italian spouse’s birth certificate;
- The marriage transcript from the Italian municipality (estratto per riassunto dell’atto di matrimonio);
- Italian spouse’s passport (original and photocopy);
- Non-Italian spouse’s foreign passport and state ID (original and photocopy);
- Proof of residency (original and photocopy);
- The “signed declaration” of marriage;
- Criminal background checks;
- Italian language certificate;
- €250 wire transfer receipt.
Fee and processing times
The processing time is 24 months, which can be extended to a maximum of 36 months.
The cost to apply for Italian citizenship by marriage/civil union is €250. This will be paid by wire transfer, if from outside of Italy, or using the postal system.
For those who live and are applying in Italy, fees are paid to the Italian Ministry of Interior (Ministero dell’Interno).
Next steps
Once Italian citizenship is granted, the applicant must will be invited to attend a citizenship ceremony, which happens within 6 months following the date citizenship was granted. The Italian spouse will also need to attend the ceremony, and sign an affidavit whilst there, which attests that the marriage is still valid and that no separation, divorce, or annulment has occurred. The applicant becomes an official Italian citizen and can then apply for an Italian passport.
Italian citizenship by residency.
Citizenship by residency can be claimed if applicant meets the number of years of legal residency in Italy. For EU citizens, this is 4 years. For non-EU citizens, the number of years of legal residency required is 10.
There are instances whereby the period of residency can be lower, an example being for foreign nationals whose parents or grandparents were Italians by birth. In these cases 3 years of legal residency is sufficient. This also applies to Italian-born individuals who were non-Italian citizens. On this subject, see our related podcast here.
Eligibility
In order to qualify for Italian citizenship by residency, the applicant must evidence that they are/have been a legal resident in Italy, which is done by showing proof that they are listed in the registry office in the town/s where applicant lives/has lived without interruption for the required timeframe. For non-EU citizens, it must be evidenced that they have held a regular residency permit for the period of their residency in Italy. The applicant must also show that their annual income has not been lower than €8.263,31 for the previous 3 years. It is also required that the applicant has a B1 (intermediate level) Italian language certificate, or a language degree in Italian, or proof that applicant attended school in Italy, or hold a “carta di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo”. The B1 language certification needed is the same as the one required for Italian citizenship by marriage applications. Find out more about the language certification here.
Where to make the application?
Citizenship by residency applications must be submitted on the Italian Ministry of the Interior (Ministero dell’Interno) website. The application form must be completed, as well as scans of the required documents uploaded.
Once the application has been approved, the applicant will need to attend the local prefettura to submit original copies of the documents.
Required documents
The following documents will need to be presented:
- An original copy of birth certificate (that has been duly translated and legalized with apostille;
- A criminal background check issued by the country of origin and any other countries where applicant has resided. For U.S. citizens, criminal background checks from all of the U.S. states where applicant has lived are also needed;
- Proof of income;
- Proof of payment of €250;
- B1 language certificate.
In addition to the above-mentioned documents, individuals applying who have Italian ancestry must also submit their Italian ancestors’ vital records.
Processing times
It generally takes up to 24 months (2 years) for an application to be reviewed and an outcome given. This can be extended to 36 months (3 years).
What happens next?
Following a successful application, a decree of citizenship will be sent to the town hall where you live and have residency. An invitation to attend a citizenship ceremony which takes place within 6 months. At the ceremony you will take an oath of allegiance to the Italian Republic. The applicant becomes an official Italian citizen and can then apply for an Italian passport.
In respect of children, they will automatically become Italian citizens.
Summary
If you have any further questions about becoming an Italian citizen, or would like to know more about our service packages and how we can be of assistance, you can visit our homepage or contact us directly and one of our friendly experts will be in touch to answer your queries.
