Last year’s Tajani Decree affecting Italian citizenship by descent tightened regulations for the registration of minor children. Recently, though, there have been a few modifications that have granted longer deadlines. Read on to learn more about the most recent one, affecting minor children born before May 24, 2025.
Changes to the registration of minors in 2025
Law No. 74 of May 23, 2025 introduced changes to how minor children born abroad can acquire Italian citizenship: in instances in which the child is born abroad to an Italian parent, registration for the child’s own Italian citizenship must be completed within one year of birth. This provision was amended by law 199/2025 which established that the registration of a minor child can be requested within 3 years from the birth of the child.
With that said, there is also a special grace period to register foreign-born minor children who had not yet had their citizenship recognized as of May 23, 2025. The original deadline was May 31, 2026, but this has recently been extended, discussed below.
The new extension approved for registration
As mentioned above, the May 31, 2026 deadline has recently been extended for the registration of minor children who were born before the Tajani Decree went into effect. Essentially, at the end of each year, the Italian government issues a list of postponements for deadlines (the Milleproroghe) that need to be delayed for some reason. The deadline for registering minor children fell under this list. There were a few proposed amendments to the deadline, showing that this was a topic of much deliberation, and eventually it was decided that the new deadline to register children who were minors on May 23, 2025 is May 31, 2029. Having been approved by both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, the new deadline has been confirmed.
Important: when your child was born affects registration deadlines
There have been numerous deadlines and circumstances noted in this article relating to the registration of minor children for Italian citizenship. How do you know which category you and your child(ren) fall into?
- Children born before May 24, 2025
In this situation, under Law 74/2025, parents had until May 31, 2026 to register their births for Italian citizenship. This is the deadline that has just been extended by the approval of both the Chamber of Deputies and Senate to May 31, 2029.
- Children born after May 24, 2025
According to Law 74/2025, parents had one year within birth or adoption of their child to register them for Italian citizenship. A €250 fee had also been applied. Recently, though with Law 199/25, this deadline was changed to within three years of birth or adoption, and the fee was dropped as well. This is only valid after January 1, 2026 and does not apply to applications filed before then.
Conclusion
With all the changes to Italian citizenship laws, we understand there might be questions or concerns about your particular situation. That’s why Italian Citizenship Assistance is here to help. Contact us today at [email protected] to speak directly with an expert.
