If you have Italian ancestors in your lineage, you may be eligible to apply for Italian citizenship by Descent (iure sanguinis) if the line of transmission of Italian citizenship from one generation to another is not interrupted, in accordance with the different Laws in force over time.
Citizenship is passed from father to child without generational limits. Acquiring Italian citizenship through the maternal line is only possible for children born after January 1, 1948.
The current citizenship law (Law No. 91 of February 5, 1992), which came into effect on August 16, 1992, allows for multiple citizenships. Prior to August 16, 1992, under Law No. 555 of June 13, 1912, in force at that time, an Italian citizen who voluntarily acquired a foreign citizenship through naturalization lost their Italian citizenship. Consequently, any minor children living with them also lost their Italian citizenship if they acquired a foreign citizenship (art. 12, comma 2, Legge 555/1912). Following recent rulings by the Corte di Cassazione ,on October 3rd 2024 the Italian Ministry of the Interior has issued new guidelines which establish that this must be enforced even if the child was born in a Country where jus soli (right of the soil) is applicable. If the parent naturalized when the child was still a minor, transmission of Italian citizenship is considered interrupted. Therefore, in order to be recognized, the applicant must prove that Italian citizenship was subsequently reacquired, according to the requirements set out in art.3 and 9 of Law 555/1912, referenced in art.12 (see below)*
To submit an application for citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis), you must book a virtual appointment online. Please create an account on the Prenot@mi portal and select Cittadinanza per Discendenza “iure sanguinis”.
Appointments must be confirmed by the applicant, using the online portal Prenot@mi, 10 to 3 days prior to the scheduled appointment date.
Should there be no available appointments dates, the system will offer you the possibility to join the waiting list provided there is availability. The system will automatically alert the user by email if a slot becomes available. The date the system selects for you must be confirmed through the system within 5 days to secure the appointment.
IMPORTANT: Do not come to the Consulate on the day of your appointment. Instead, on the day of your scheduled appointment, you must mail your application to this Consulate general, including ALL the required forms and documents as per our Check List, by certified mail, making sure that date stamp is clearly visible on the envelope. If an application is mailed before the appointment, it will be not be processed and it will be returned to the sender’s address at their expense.
The envelope MUST show the following information:
- Name and address of the applicant;
- Appointment date;
- Request code, which is generated by the Prenot@mi portal at the time of booking (please see example in our Check List).
The documents in the envelope MUST be meticulously organized following the order provided in our Check List.
Application forms can be downloaded here (citizenship section).
Once the application is received, the Citizenship office will send you an email confirming receipt of your payment, which is non-refundable, regardless of the outcome of the application.
Applications which meet the requirements, have all the necessary documents and show no discrepancies or inconsistencies, will be processed within 24 months.
At the end of the process, the Consulate General will notify the applicant by email about the outcome of the application for recognition of Italian citizenship.
Regardless of the outcome, the documents will be kept on file at the Consulate General and cannot be returned.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION (CHECK LIST)
The child of a parent born in Italy can submit an application for recognition of Italian citizenship by direct descent by following the procedure described here.
(*) Art.12 of Law 555/1912 references art. 3 and art. 9 of the same law which sets forth the conditions that must have been met in order to acquire/reacquire Italian citizenship including, but not limited to, the following:
- served in one of the Italian military branches or having been employed by the Italian government (art. 3, clause 1, n. 1 e art. 9, clause 1, n. 1, Law 555/1912);
- established their permanent residence in Italy and submitted a statement of intent to re-acquire Italian citizenship within a year of becoming an adult (art. 3, clause 1, n. 2, Law555/1912);
- renounced the foreign citizenship and legally established their residence in Italy within a year of having relinquished the foreign citizenship (art. 9, clause 1, n. 2, Law 555/1912);
- resided in Italy for a minimum of two years (art. 9, clasue1, n. 3, Law 555/1912).