Registration of birth certificate for minors born abroad (citizenship by legal benefit)

Attention:
This procedure is reserved exclusively for children whose at least one parent is an Italian citizen iure sanguinis (by birth right) who does NOT transmit automatically Italian citizenship (for more details, please check the page on our web site Civil Status).

Please note: this procedure does also not apply to minor children of Italian citizens who acquired citizenship by:

• Naturalisation (Art. 9, Law No. 91/1992)
• Acquisition by special provisions (Art. 4, Law No. 91/1992)
• Marriage (Art. 5, Law No. 91/1992 or Art. 10, Law No. 555/1912)
• Acquisition as a minor living with a newly naturalized parent (Art. 14, Law No. 91/1992)

A minor born abroad to Italian parents, who cannot be automatically considered an Italian citizen, may acquire Italian citizenship by legal provision if the parents jointly submit a declaration of their intent to acquire Italian citizenship within one year of birth.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

To submit the declaration, it is necessary to satisfy ALL of the following requirements:

• Residence within the Consular district of this Embassy;
• Italian citizenship and A.I.R.E. registration: at least one parent must be an Italian citizen by birth registered in the Register of the Italians Residing Abroad (A.I.R.E.).
• Previous registered marriages and divorces: The marriages and divorces of Italian citizens must have been registered in Italy.
• Up-to-date residential address: It is recommended that the address declared on your application matches the most recent address communicated to this Embassy. To verify the address currently on file in the consular database, log in to your profile on Fast.it. (LINK: The Consular Services Portal).

Who can present the declaration

The declaration must be submitted within one year of the minor’s birth by both parents (including the foreign parent). If the parents do not make the declaration simultaneously, the legal requirement is deemed satisfied on the date when the second parent submits their declaration.

The declaration must be submitted in person at the Embassy, by appointment, after a preliminary assessment of the required documents. Documentation must be sent in advance by e-mail as a PDF attachment to: ambdublino.statocivile@esteri.it 

Please write in the subject line: DICHIARAZIONE ACQUISTO CITTADINANZA MINORI.

Required Documentation:

• Application form duly filled in and signed- available here
• Copies of the passports of both parents and the minor
• Certificate of Italian citizenship by birth of the father or mother.
• Original full birth certificate of the minor, legalized and translated into Italian.
• Receipt of payment of the fee of 250 euro, to be paid to the Ministry of the Interior:
  Beneficiary: “Ministero dell’Interno D.L.C.I. Cittadinanza”
  Bank: “Poste Italiane S.p.A.”
  IBAN: IT54D0760103200000000809020
  Payment reference: “Acquisto cittadinanza a seguito di dichiarazione ex art. 4 L.91/1992 name and surname of applicant.
  Poste Italiane BIC/SWIFT: BPPIITRRXXX (for foreign transfers)
  BIC/SWIFT: PIBPITRA (for EUROGRIO circuit transactions)

Please be aware that if the parents are married, before proceeding with the registration of the minor as Italian citizen, the marriage needs to be registered in Italy.

In should be noted that, since this is a citizenship acquired by legal benefit, it is not granted from birth but only from the day after the declaration is submitted to the consulate.

Transitional provision for minor children as of 24^th May 2025
For children who were still minors as of the 24^th of May 2025, and with at least one parent who is an Italian citizen iure sanguinis the declaration may be presented until the 31^st of May 2026, under the same conditions indicated above.