There have been some important changes in respect of Italian citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis) applications made by adult applicants, over the age of 18.
An amendment to the budget law was passed by the Italian Parliament on December 28, 2024. Articles 634-641, which are contained within this bill, introduced a significant change for anyone applying for Italian citizenship. The financial decree (legge di bilancio 2025), which came into effect on January 1, 2025, states that the consular application fee will be €600 per person, and this means a fee of €600 per person for all applications being made for the recognition of Italian citizenship by descent via an Italian consulate.
These costs are non-refundable in the event of an unsuccessful claim. The new fee was implemented on January 1, 2025, and many Italian consulates and embassies have posted updates on their respective webpages. For those residing in the U.S., the application fee is to be paid in U.S. dollars and the exchange rate is generally established by the consulate and updated every three months. Minor children can be included in the parent’s application at no additional cost.
On the other hand, individuals applying for citizenship via an Italian comune, the amendment states that a comune can apply a fee up to €600. While the bill sets a fixed amount for applications filed via an Italian consulate, it establishes that fees applied by Italian municipalities should not exceed €600. Minor children can be included in the parent’s application at no additional cost.
Finally, under Article 814, the court filing fee (contributo unificato) for those claiming Italian citizenship via the court system (also known as “1948 cases”) will be €600 per petitioner. Before the amendment the court fee had been €545, and was per proceeding, not per person. After the change, if multiple family members wish to apply for recognition through the same Italian ancestor, and via a joint judicial proceeding, each individual applicant will now have to pay a fee of €600.
Further costs involved in petitioning the court are the revenue stamp of €27, the registration of ruling (passaggio in giudicato), which is applied only by some “Agenzia delle Entrate”, and can vary from €100 to €200 euros. There are also the fees connected to appointing an attorney, and each attorney will decide their fees based on their own criteria.
There are other fees that were changed by the budget law. In terms of retrieving vital records from within the municipality of the ancestor, a municipality can charge up to €300 per vital record. This only refers to records that are older than 100 years, and which do not pertain to the applicant. So, for example, if your Italian-born grandfather was born in the 1930s, no fee is required. With that said, municipalities can reduce the above-mentioned fee if the name and year of birth of ancestor are provided, on account of there then being less research to do to locate the records.
There are other documents that need to be procured when applying for Italian citizenship by descent. Applicants must retrieve certified copies of the family’s U.S. vital records, and there are fees connected to this. These costs will vary and are determined by the number of documents and agencies involved, however an Apostille must be attached to each record and have translations. Translations need to be certified when the vital records are submitted to an Italian court as part of a 1948 case. Certifications can be €16 every 4 pages when done via the court. If done via a notary, the fee is established by them.
The following is to summarize the 2025 increases:
- For filing a claim in court, the fee for each petitioner has increased from €518 to €600.
- For applications made via an Italian consulate, the fee has increased from €300 per adult applicant to €600 per adult
- For application made via a comune, fees to submit an application can go up to €600 per adult
A final point to note, it is important to state that the budget law amendment applies only to applications and cases filed after January 1, 2025. Applications and cases that have been submitted and filed prior to this date will not have to pay additional fees.
This segment has provided an update regarding an important amendment to the cost of applying for Italian citizenship. We will provide further updates and clarifications once they have been given.
If you have any further questions, or would like to know more about our services 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.
