Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis) – Updated October 2026

Italy's rules on citizenship by descent changed significantly in 2025. This page explains where things stand today.

What changed

On March 28, 2025, Decree-Law 36/2025 limited citizenship by descent. It was converted into Law 74/2025 on May 23, 2025, in force since May 24, 2025, which added a new Article 3-bis to the citizenship law (Law 91/1992). Before the reform there was no limit on the number of generations. That is no longer the case.

Who still qualifies

If you were born outside Italy and hold another citizenship, you are recognized as Italian by birth only if at least one of the following applies:

• A parent or grandparent holds, or held at the time of death, exclusively Italian citizenship.
• Your Italian parent (or adoptive parent) lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years after becoming Italian and before you were born or adopted.
• You submitted a complete application to a consulate or Italian municipality, or filed a court case, by 11:59 PM (Rome time) on March 27, 2025, or had an appointment confirmed by that time. These cases follow the previous rules.

You are not affected by the new limits if you were born in Italy, hold only Italian citizenship, or were already recognized as a citizen.

A note on "exclusively Italian"

Many Italian emigrants later became citizens of their new country, and this can affect eligibility even when a parent or grandparent was born in Italy. Consulates and courts are still working out how to apply this requirement, so have your family line reviewed before you spend money on documents.

Rules that still apply

Even under the new law, the line of descent must be unbroken:

• The Italian ancestor must not have become a citizen of another country before the next person in the line was born.
• No one in the line may have formally renounced Italian citizenship.
• Italian women could pass on citizenship only to children born on or after January 1, 1948. Earlier cases have required a court case in Italy.
• Before August 16, 1992, becoming a citizen of another country generally meant losing Italian citizenship.

Children under 18

Children born abroad who do not qualify automatically may still become Italian through a declaration by their parents:

• If one parent is an Italian citizen by birth, the parents can make a declaration within three years of the child's birth.
• Children who were under 18 on May 24, 2025, and whose parents were recognized under the previous rules, can acquire citizenship by declaration until May 31, 2029.

Declarations are made in person at the consulate and have been free of charge since January 1, 2026.

Former Italian citizens

If you were born in Italy, or lived there for at least two years, and lost Italian citizenship by becoming a citizen of another country before August 16, 1992, you may be able to reacquire it by declaration until December 31, 2027.

What the courts have said

• April 30, 2026: Italy's Constitutional Court (ruling 63/2026) upheld the new parent-or-grandparent limit.
• July 23, 2026: In order 147/2026, the Court asked the Court of Justice of the European Union whether the new law is compatible with EU citizenship rights. A decision is expected to take time. We will update this page as the law develops.

If you no longer qualify

• Children and grandchildren of Italian citizens by birth can apply for naturalization after 3 years of legal residence in Italy.
• Spouses of Italian citizens can apply after 2 years of legal residence in Italy, or 3 years if living abroad (halved if the couple has children).

How we can help

We offer a free eligibility consultation, a full review of your family's documents, certified translations, and apostille services. Email us at support@italianonestopservices.com.

This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Rules and their interpretation are still evolving.