Decree-Law No. 36 of 28 March 2025 has been converted, with amendments, into Law No. 74 of 23 May 2025, in force as of 24 May 2025.
The conversion law amends Law No. 91 of 5 February 1992. The new full text of the law is available at the following link.
Particular attention is drawn to Article 3-bis, which states:
By way of derogation from Articles 1, 2, 3, 14, and 20 of this law, Article 5 of Law No. 123 of 21 April 1983, Articles 1, 2, 7, 10, 12, and 19 of Law No. 555 of 13 June 1912, as well as Articles 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 of the Civil Code approved by Royal Decree No. 2358 of 25 June 1865, individuals born abroad — even before the entry into force of this article — and holding another citizenship are considered never to have acquired Italian citizenship, unless one of the following conditions applies:
- a) Citizenship status is recognized, in accordance with the legislation in force on 27 March 2025, following submission of an application — with all required documentation — to the competent consular office or mayor no later than 23:59 (Rome time) on that date;
a-bis) Citizenship status is recognized, in accordance with the legislation in force on 27 March 2025, following submission of an application — with all required documentation — to the competent consular office on the date of an appointment communicated to the applicant by the office no later than 23:59 (Rome time) on that same date;
- b) Citizenship status is judicially confirmed, in accordance with the legislation in force on 27 March 2025, based on a legal claim submitted no later than 23:59 (Rome time) on that date;
- c) A first- or second-degree ascendant possesses or possessed only Italian citizenship at the time of death;
- d) A parent or adoptive parent was resident in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the birth or adoption of the child.
As a result, under the revised Law No. 91/1992, Italian citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis) is recognized for:
- Applicants born in Italy, regardless of the date;
- Applicants who hold exclusively Italian citizenship (i.e., do not have and cannot acquire any other citizenship);
- Applicants who fall under one of the cases listed in Article 3-bis, letters a), a-bis), b), c), or d).
Key Clarifications Based on the New Law
1) Only applications submitted before 27 March 2025 at 23:59 (Rome time), together with all required documentation, are processed under the previous legislation.
Applications are considered “submitted” if:
- Delivered in person at the Consular Office before the above-mentioned deadline;
- Sent by post with a trackable date and time prior to the deadline;
- Sent by post without tracking, but received by the Consular Office before the deadline;
- Received through the Fast-It portal before the deadline.
2) Applications submitted with all required documents on a date confirmed by appointment — and communicated by the competent office to the applicant by 27 March 2025 at 23:59 (Rome time) — are also processed under the previous legislation.
“Appointment communicated by the competent office” means confirmation received by email from the Prenot@mi portal or the institutional email of the relevant section of the Consular Office.
3) In all other cases, applications are processed under the new legal framework.
Applicable consular fees can be found at this page.
Required Documentation
- As per Ministry of the Interior Circular K.28.1 of 8 April 1991:
- Extract of the birth certificate of the Italian ancestor who emigrated abroad, issued by the Italian municipality of birth;
- Birth certificates (with official Italian translation) of all direct descendants, including the applicant;
- Marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor (with official Italian translation, if issued abroad);
- Marriage certificates of all direct descendants, including that of the applicant’s parents;
- Certificate issued by the competent foreign authority (with official Italian translation), proving that the Italian ancestor did not acquire foreign citizenship before the birth of the next descendant in line;
- Certificate from the competent Italian consular authority attesting that neither the direct ancestors nor the applicant ever renounced Italian citizenship under Art. 7 of Law No. 555/1912;
- Certificate of residence.
- For applications under the new legal framework, additional documents may include:
- To prove exclusive possession of Italian citizenship:
- Negative certificates of foreign citizenship;
- Renunciation statements;
- Certificates of non-registration in foreign electoral rolls;
- To prove at least two years of continuous residence in Italy:
- Historical certificate of residence.
Other Citizenship Pathways
You can find information on other specific ways of acquiring Italian citizenship using the links on the right:
- Acquisition of citizenship by “operation of law” (minor children)
- Acquisition of Italian citizenship as a minor living with a newly naturalized parent
- Reacquisition of citizenship
- Naturalization through marriage
- Recognition under special laws
- Certificate of “non-renunciation”