Path to citizenship
- Apply365-1095 days
- Citizenshipgranted
Overview
- 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. Following the 2025 reform (DL 36/2025, converted to Law 74/2025), new administrative applications are limited to 2 generations: only those with an Italian-born parent or grandparent may apply. Applications filed before March 27, 2025 are processed under the old unlimited rules. The 1948 rule still applies: maternal-line descent before January 1, 1948 requires a court case.
Fees and costs
- Application fee
- $648
- Passport fee
- $125
Eligibility and requirements
- Police clearance required
- Medical exam not required
- Oath required
Ancestry requirements
- Generational limit
- 2 generation(s)
- Ancestor citizenship
- Must have been citizen
- Ancestor born in country
- Required
- Naturalization breaks chain
- Yes — foreign naturalization may end eligibility
- Gender restriction
- maternal_pre_1948
Family
- Dependents
- Allowed
- Spouse
- Not included
- Max child age
- 18
Passport and mobility
- Passport rank
- #4 (Henley Index)
- Visa-free access
- 185 countries
- Passport validity
- 10 years
- EU citizenship
- Yes
- Schengen access
- Yes
- US E-2 treaty
- Yes — eligible for US investor visa
How to apply
- Method
- Both
- Apply from abroad
- Yes
- Application type
- Open
- Official website
- www.esteri.it
- Legal basis
- Law 91/1992, DL 36/2025 (Law 74/2025), Constitutional Court Judgment 142/2025
Notes and caveats
Pre-March 27 2025 applications processed under old rules (no generational limit). Court cases (1948 cases) for maternal line before 1948 cost EUR 600 filing fee. Constitutional Court Judgment 142/2025 upheld the constitutionality of the prior unlimited framework for pending pre-reform questions, but Law 74/2025 remains the current administrative rule for new recognition applications. Wait times at consulates can exceed 2 years due to backlogs.