The Law Decree no. 36 of 28 March 2025 was converted—with modifications—into Law no. 74 of 23 May 2025, effective from 24 May 2025. This conversion amends Law no. 91 of 5 February 1992, whose updated full text is available via the provided link.
Particularly noteworthy is the new Article 3-bis, which states:
Anyone born abroad—even before this article came into force—and who holds another citizenship, is considered to have never acquired Italian citizenship, unless they meet one of the following conditions:
- a) Applied with the required documents by 27 March 2025 at 11:59 PM (Rome time) to the relevant Italian consulate or municipality;
a-bis) Booked an appointment by the same deadline and submitted the application on the specified date;
- b) Filed a judicial petition by 27 March 2025 at 11:59 PM (Rome time);
- c) Has a first- or second-degree ancestor who currently hold or solely held Italian citizenship at the time of death;
- d) Has a parent or adoptive parent who resided in Italy for at least two continuous years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the child’s birth or adoption.
This means that, according to the new Law n. 91 of 1992, is recognized as an Italian Citizen iure sanguinis (by descent):
- Anyone born in Italy, regardless of date;
- Those who hold only Italian citizenship, that is to say that has not nor can have any other citizenship;
- Those who meet one of the Article 3-bis conditions listed above [letters a), a-bis), b), c), d)].
Given the new law, we highlight that:
- Only applications submitted before 27 March 2025 at 11:59 PM (Rome time), with proper documentation, are assessed under the previous law. “Submitted” includes:
- Delivered in person to the consulate before the deadline;
- Mailed with a postmark before the deadline;
- Mailed without timestamp but received by the consulate before the deadline;
- Submitted via Fast-It before the deadline.
- Applications submitted based on a confirmed appointment (email confirmation from Prenot@mi) also follow the previous law, as long as the appointment was confirmed by the same deadline [27 March 2025 at 11:59 PM (Rome time)]
- All other applications are subject to the new law.
Consular fees are listed on the relevant page of this website.
Required Documentation
According to Circular K.28.1 (8 April 1991):
- Birth certificate of the Italian ancestor issued by their Italian municipality of birth;
- Birth certificates (apostilled and with official Italian translation by a NAATI translator) of all direct descendants, including the applicant;
- Marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor (apostilled and with official Italian translation by a NAATI translator, if issued abroad);
- Marriage certificates of direct descendants, including applicant’s parents (apostilled and with official Italian translation by a NAATI translator);
- Certificate from the foreign country’s authorities, with a NAATI translation in Italian, proving the Italian ancestor did not acquire that country’s citizenship before their descendant’s birth;
- Certificate from the Italian Consulate proving no ancestor or applicant ever renounced Italian citizenship under Article 7 of the 1912 Law, n.555;
- Proof/Certificate of residence.
According to the new rules, additional evidence to prove includes:
- Negative citizenship certificates
- Proof of renunciation of foreign citizenship
- Non-registration in electoral rolls
- Historical residence certificate (to prove two years of continuous residency in Italy)
Using the links below and on the right, you can access information related to other specific ways of acquiring the Italian citizenship:
Acquisition of Citizenship by “Benefit of Law” (Minor Children Born Abroad)
Acquisition of Citizenship for Minor Children Living with a Parent Who Was Not a Citizen at Birth
Reacquisition of Citizenship
Recognition Based on Special Laws
Certificate of “Non-Renunciation”