Citizenship
CITIZENSHIP BY FILIATION/DESCENDANCE (“iure sanguinis”)
The request for recognition of Italian citizenship is allowed upon request by the person concerned, as long as he/she is over 18 years of age, and can be presented, abroad, exclusively to the Consular Office in the country of legal residence.
Appointments for submitting an application for recognition of citizenship by descent and for residual cases of an application for recognition of the automatic acquisition of citizenship by a foreign woman married to an Italian citizen before 27/04/1983 (art.10, law 13.6. 1912 n.555), who has never been the holder of Italian documents or registered in an Italian registry office, can be requested exclusively through the new “Prenot@Mi” portal.
For any further information, if not available on our website, write to dublino.cittadinanza@esteri.it
Regulatory notes
The child of parents (father or mother) who are Italian citizens is an Italian citizen. Citizenship is transmitted from parent to child without generation limits, with the condition that none of the ancestors has ever renounced citizenship.
The transmission of citizenship through the maternal line is possible only for children born after 1 January 1948.
The minor child cohabiting with the parent also acquires Italian citizenship on the date on which the latter acquires or reacquires Italian citizenship.
Unlike in the past, the legislation now in force allows you to have dual citizenship, of the foreign country and of Italy.
Starting from 16 August 1992, Italian citizens who acquire foreign citizenship do not lose their Italian citizenship unless they expressly renounce it, except as provided for by international conventions. Prior to that date, loss was automatic. In this case it is possible to repurchase it after at least one year of legal residence in Italy.
Documents to submit in originals plus a copy
- Application Form CLICK HERE
- Proof of residence in this consular district: Long-term residence permit.
(We do not accept applications from citizens/students that are temporary resident in Ireland.
- a) Documentation of the ancestor born in Italy;
-Original birth certificate issued by the Italian Municipality and containing the indications of paternity and maternity;
-Marriage certificate (plus any divorce/remarriage);
-Death certificate (if deceased) copy of a valid identification document, if alive;
– Certificate of non-naturalization issued by the authorities of the country in which he resided (valid for six months from the time of issue) showing all the variants of the name and surname as resulting from the various civil status documents, even though corrected on the certificates.
Important: The documentation must be presented in full starting from the progenitor (ancestor born in Italy) and also if there is a recognition of citizenship of another family member, carried out at another Consulate or at an Italian municipality.
In the event that the Italian descendant was naturalized, it will be necessary to present the relative naturalization sentence from which it is possible to deduce the exact date of acquisition of foreign citizenship. The naturalization of the Italian ancestry could in fact lead to the loss of the right to the recognition of the Italian citizenship of the descendants.
- b) Documentation of EACH of the descendants in a straight line
- Birth certificate;
- Marriage certificate (plus any divorce/remarriage);
- Death certificate (if deceased);
- Documentation of the applicant for citizenship;
- Birth certificate of your own and of any minor children;
- Possible marriage certificate (plus any divorce/remarriage)
- Passport copy.
All foreign deeds, sentences and certificates must be legalized by the Italian diplomatic/consular representation in the issuing country or bear the “Apostille” affixed by the competent foreign authority in the countries adhering to the Hague Convention of 10.5.1961.
All mandatory translations into Italian of the above-mentioned documents must be legalized either by the Italian diplomatic/consular representation in the issuing country or by the “Apostille” affixed by the competent foreign authority in the countries adhering to the Hague Convention of 5.10.1961 or sworn by the Italian Court if carried out in Italy.
Important: The exact and complete personal details of the ancestor born in Italy (name, surname, place and date of birth) are absolutely essential and the lack of such data makes it impossible to process the file.
Important: In case one of the family member, other the mother or father has received already the Italian citizenship full documentation, starting ancestor born in Italy must be submitted.
Important: In the event that a direct family member, mother / father, has received Italian citizenship, it will be necessary to produce only the following certificats issued by the Italian Municipality of registration of the family member.
- Extract of the birth record (Estratto atto di nascita);
- Extract of the marriage record (Estratto atto di nascita);
- Certificate of citizenship.
To follow:
- Applicant’s original birth certificate with Apostille if issued in a country outside the EU and its translation in Italian with Apostille if issued outside the EU.
For documents issued in Ireland, for which either a legalization or Apostille is required, a true translation in Italian of the certificate must be produced CLICK HERE
The consular contribution for the treatment of the application for recognition of Italian citizenship of an adult person is equal to euro 300.00. The fee must be collected at the time the application is submitted and is independent of the outcome of the assessment. Therefore, the amount will not be refunded in case of rejection of the application.
Payment must be made by Debit card.
All persons over the age of 18 who apply for the recognition of Italian citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis) and in the residual cases of an application for recognition of the automatic acquisition of citizenship by the foreign woman married to a citizen are required to pay the tax. Italian before 27/04/1983 (art.10, law 13.6.1912 n.555), who has never been the holder of Italian documents nor registered in an Italian registry office.
Applications for recognition of citizenship – in any capacity – presented in the name of minors are exempt from contributions.
Important: The declarations of election of citizenship determined by filiation and ascertained in the child’s majority through recognition or judicial declaration (art.2, paragraph 2, law n. 91 of 02/05/1992) instead fall within (as in the cases of purchase , repurchase and renunciation) in the provisions of art. 14 of Legislative Decree 113 of 4 October 2018 and are subject to the payment of the contribution of euro 250 in favour of the Ministry of the Interior, having to be signed within one year from the date of recognition or judicial declaration.