Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis)

1. Apply365-1095 days
2. Citizenshipgranted

Country

Italy

Program

Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis)

Local name

Cittadinanza Italiana Jure Sanguinis

Type

Citizenship by Descent

Status

Active

Processing time

365-1095 days

Dual citizenship

Allowed

Visa-free countries

185 destinations

Passport rank

#4 (Henley Index)

Italian citizenship by descent through bloodline. Under Article 3-bis of Law 91/1992, a person born abroad who holds another citizenship is generally considered never to have acquired Italian citizenship unless a statutory exception applies. The main exceptions cover a parent or grandparent who holds, or held at death, exclusively Italian citizenship; a parent who lived in Italy for at least two continuous years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the applicant's birth or adoption; and qualifying applications, court proceedings or appointments submitted, begun or scheduled by March 27, 2025. The 1948 rule still applies: maternal-line descent before January 1, 1948 requires a court case.

Application fee

$648

Passport fee

$125

• Police clearance required
• Medical exam not required
• Oath required

Generational limit

2 generation(s)

Ancestor citizenship

Must have been citizen

Naturalization breaks chain

Yes — foreign naturalization may end eligibility

Gender restriction

maternal_pre_1948

Method

Consulate, in person

Apply from abroad

Yes

Application type

Open

Official website

www.esteri.it

Legal basis

Law 91/1992, art. 3-bis, as inserted by DL 36/2025 and converted by Law 74/2025; Constitutional Court Judgments 142/2025 and 63/2026

The transitional rule covers qualifying recognition requests filed by March 27, 2025 and appointments scheduled by that date, subject to the statutory wording and subsequent interpretation. The Constitutional Court's Judgment 142/2025 concerned whether the pre-reform framework had to be limited; it did not decide the constitutionality of the 2025 reform. Judgment 63/2026 rejected the challenge to applying Article 3-bis to people born abroad before the reform, subject to its listed exceptions. Adult consular recognition applications carry a €600 fee from January 1, 2025. The €600 court filing fee previously recorded for 1948 cases is not verified as a standard charge and is omitted; court costs vary by case and venue. The adult-consular fee does not establish court costs or a single in-country administrative fee. The official administrative processing limit is 730 days; actual scheduling/backlog times vary by consulate.

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1. Oct 9, 2026
   • Official page https://www.esteri.it/en/servizi-consolari-e-visti/ https://www.esteri.it/en/servizi-opportunita/italiani-all-estero/cittadinanza/

   removed the unverified universal €600 court filing claim and documented the official €600 adult consular fee (https://consparigi.esteri.it/it/servizi-consolari-e-visti/servizi-per-il-cittadino-straniero/cittadinanza/cittadinanza-per-discendenza-cittadini-non-francesi/).