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Who is eligible to apply for the recognition of Italian citizenship through ancestry?
The recognition of Italian citizenship is specifically conceived for foreigners who have a direct ancestor officially recognised as Italian.
If you want to check if you are eligible to obtain Italian citizenship through ancestry, fill out the questionnaire.
Main requirements to apply for the recognition of Italian citizenship through ancestry
The following are the main requirements for being recognized as an Italian citizen despite being born abroad (not in Italy) and already holding another nationality:
- The applicant must meet at least one of the following conditions:
– having a parent (or adoptive parent) who was born an Italian citizen in Italy;
– having a parent (or adoptive parent) who, although not born in Italy, was an Italian citizen and had resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years prior to the applicant’s birth;
– having an Italian grandparent who was born in Italy. - Neither the applicant’s Italian parent nor their Italian grandparent must have voluntarily applied for and obtained foreign citizenship (so-called “naturalization”) before August 5, 1992, and before the birth of their descendant (son or daughter).
Steps to obtain Italian citizenship
1. Consular Procedure
If the person interested in applying for Italian citizenship does not reside in Italy, the competent authority to examine the citizenship application is the Italian Consulate of the Country of residency.
According to the law, the Italian Consulate should process the citizenship application within 36 months from the submission of the application and supporting documentation. However, difficulties and considerable waiting time to even apply for citizenship at the Consulate are widely observed
2. Municipal Procedure
If the person interested in applying for Italian citizenship resides in Italy (or becomes an Italian resident in Italy), the competent authority to examine the citizenship application is the Italian Municipality of Residency.
It is noteworthy that one can register their residence with an Italian Municipality for the purpose of filing an application. In such a case, it will not be required to have an Italian residence permit (regular presence in Italy will suffice, e.g., based on a passport or a short-term Visa). Following the filing of the application and the registration with the Municipality, it will be possible to request a residence permit for expected citizenship for a one-year period.
The average time frame to obtain citizenship, depending on the specific Municipality, usually varies between 3 to 10 months from the day of the application.
3. Judicial Proceeding
A judicial proceeding for the recognition of Italian citizenship by the Civil Court is possible and necessary in the following three main cases:
- Along the Italian lineage, there is an Italian woman who gave birth to a child before 1948;
- Along the Italian lineage, there is a woman who married a foreign citizen before 1948;
- The consulate delays the citizenship process beyond the maximum period of three years or makes it impossible to access the procedure within a reasonable and defined timeframe.
The expected time frame to obtain Italian citizenship is 2 years from the day of the application.
For further reading, see also:
- The citizenship storm continues
- Italian Government further restrict the requirements for applying for Italian citizenship.
- Judicial procedure for recognition of Italian citizenship by Descent
- New Ministerial Guideline on the “Minor Issue” in Italian Citizenship by Ancestry Applications
- Groundbreaking Judgment on Citizenship Iure Sanguinis Delivered by the Italian Court of Cassation
- Deadline for the Administrative Procedure for Italian Citizenship Application and Remedies for the Delays of the Deciding Authority