Italian citizenship by descent

Italian citizenship iure sanguinis allows the descendants of Italian citizens to obtain recognition of Italian citizenship by bloodline. Basically, if you have an Italian ancestor, you could be entitled to Italian citizenship from birth, provided that there have been no interruptions in the transmission of citizenship along your line of descent.

Requirements for Italian Citizenship Iure Sanguinis

To be eligible, you must prove that you are a direct descendant of an Italian citizen and fulfil certain key conditions:

Italian Ancestry After Unification: Your ancestor must have been an Italian citizen after 17 March 1861, the date of national unification. If your ancestor was born before 1861, they must have died after that date (or after the annexation of their territory to the Kingdom of Italy) in order to have passed on their citizenship.

Uninterrupted transmission: citizenship is passed down from father to son with no limit on the number of generations, but none of the ancestors in the line of descent may have lost Italian citizenship before the birth of their son. In particular, the Italian ancestor who emigrated may not have become a naturalised citizen of another country before the birth of the son through whom the line continues.

Paternal or Maternal Line: Transmission through the paternal line occurs without time limitations. Transmission through the maternal line is only possible for children born on or after 1 January 1948. Prior to that date, Italian mothers could not transmit citizenship to their children.

Legal Parentage: You must prove legal descent from that Italian ancestor. This means that for each generational step, proof of parentage is required.

Procedure for Applying for Italian Citizenship

The procedure varies depending on whether the application is submitted in Italy or abroad.

Procedure in Italy (in a Comune)

Establish Residence in Italy: You must move to and register as a resident in an Italian Comune.

Submit the Application for Recognition: Once you have obtained residency, submit all the necessary documentation to the Comune's Registry Office.

Wait for Verification and the Result: The registry office will verify the documents and may contact the Italian consulates in the countries of emigration.

Transcription of the Acts and Formal Recognition: If the result is positive, the Comune will issue a decree recognising Italian citizenship.

In the case of a negative result: If the Comune determines that the requirements are not met, it will issue a reasoned decree of refusal.

Procedure Abroad (at an Italian Consulate)

Book a Consular Appointment: Most consulates require an appointment to be made through an online system.

Prepare all the required documentation: gather all the necessary documents, legalised and officially translated into Italian.

1. Submit the application to the consulate: on the appointed day, submit the application and pay the consular fee.
2. Consular investigation and waiting phase: the consulate will verify the documents and send a request to the competent Italian municipality to transcribe the acts.
3. Conclusion: Recognition and Anagraphical Registration: When the Italian Comune has received and transcribed all the documents and verified the requirements, it will notify the consulate of the result.

Documents required for Italian citizenship

Essential documents include:

• Birth certificate of the Italian emigrant ancestor.
• Marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor.
• Birth certificates of all descendants in a straight line.
• Marriage certificates of all descendants in a straight line.
• Death certificates of ancestors (if requested).
• Certificate of citizenship or non-naturalisation of the Italian emigrant ancestor.
• Identity and residence documents of the applicant.
• Application forms and declarations.

Important note: All documents from abroad must be authenticated (Apostille) and officially translated into Italian.

Waiting times for Italian citizenship

Waiting times vary enormously. In Italy, the process is usually faster (6-12 months on average). Abroad, times can be much longer (2-10 years or more), depending on the consulate and the number of applications. Costs

The recognition of Italian citizenship involves some administrative costs:

• Application fee: €600 (from 1 January 2025).
• Costs for documents (certificates, legalisation, translations).

Assistance and Consultancy

If the process seems complicated, you can count on our office Tramite italia for legal assistance or specialised consultancy. We can help you gather documents, prepare the application and follow the process.