Pursuant to Law no. 91/1992, which came into effect on august 16th 1992, choosing to become a citizen of another country no longer results in the automatic loss of Italian citizenship, unless citizenship is formally renounced (art. 11 legge n. 91/92). Italian citizens who chose to naturalize before 16th August 1992, automatically lost their Italian citizenship (art. 13, co 1 lett. c della Legge 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91). However, they are able to re-acquire it, without losing the other citizenship, in one of these two ways:
- by submitting a formal written statement of intent to re-acquire Italian citizenship to this Consulate. The document is valid for one year and the applicant will have to move to Italy and establish their long-term residence there within 12 months of the date of issue (law no. 91/1992, art. 13, letter c);
- by establishing their permanent residence in Italy for a minimum of one year (law no.91/1992, art. 13, letter d). The statement of intent is not necessary in this case. The re-acquisition comes into effect the day after the one-year residency requirement has been completed.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
To submit your request (as outlined in option 1 above) you must make an appointment with the Citizenship Office by emailing newyork.cittadinanza@esteri.it and submit the following documents on the day of your appointment:
- request form, duly filled in and signed by the applicant;
- proof of residence in this consular jurisdiction (utility bill, bank statement etc.);
- birth certificate issued by the Italian Comune where you were born or where your birth is registered;
- marriage certificate or divorce judgement if they occurred abroad (if they occurred in the United States, please check the Vital Records Stato Civile – Consolato Generale d’Italia a New York (esteri.it));
- copy of your Italian passport (if applicable);
- certificate of US naturalization (please bring both the original and a copy);
- US passport, or other valid form of ID (please bring both the original and a copy);
- A payment receipt for EURO 250 payable to the Ministero dell’Interno. The payment should be made as follows:
BENEFICIARIO: “MINISTERO DELL’ INTERNO D.L.C.I. – CITTADINANZA”
Piazzale del Viminale, 00184 ROMA (ITALIA)
IBAN CODE: IT54D0760103200000000809020
SWIFT CODE: BPPIITRRXXX
EUROGIRO: PIBPITRA
CAUSALE DEL VERSAMENTO: write the applicant’s name and surname and add “istanza di riacquisto Cittadinanza” as a reference on the bank transfer.
You may submit your request and statement of intent only AFTER submitting the above documents. Failure to move to Italy within a year of the statement will render it invalid.