Italy · Citizenship by descent · Changing
Italian Citizenship by Descent: What Changed in 2025 and Who Still Qualifies
Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) used to pass without generational limit to anyone with an Italian-born ancestor who never renounced citizenship. Since 24 May 2025, when Law 74/2025 took effect, it is much narrower. In general, you now qualify only through a parent or grandparent who held exclusively Italian citizenship, through a short list of exceptions, or because you filed before the 27 March 2025 deadline.
Italy's Constitutional Court rejected the main challenges to the law in 2026. This is a legal-status page, not a visa, and it is not legal advice; consult an Italian citizenship attorney and your consulate. Our reference is the Miami consulate's page.
At a glance
Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis) (Cittadinanza per discendenza (iure sanguinis))
- Who it’s for
- People with an Italian parent or grandparent who meets the post-2025 conditions, or who filed a complete application before 28 March 2025
- How it’s calculated
- No income test.
- Initial stay
- Citizenship, recognized once your file is accepted; there is no visa period
- Renewal
- Not applicable
- Path to permanent residence
- Not applicable; Italian citizens are EU citizens with a right to live anywhere in the EU
- Family can join
- Yes
- Can work for local employers
- Yes
- Health insurance required
- No
- Processing time
- Appointments and decisions vary widely by consulate and municipality; backlogs have been long
- Fees
- €600 consular fee for every jure sanguinis application since 1 January 2025, payable in USD at the exchange rate (Miami consulate); plus translations, apostilles and civil-record fees.
- Tax
- Recognition itself is not a tax event, but living in Italy makes you a tax resident. Italian citizens living abroad may have registration (AIRE) and tax obligations; get advice.
Key requirements
- Born in Italy, or you hold exclusively Italian citizenship
- OR a parent or grandparent held only Italian citizenship at death
- OR a parent or adoptive parent lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring citizenship and before your birth or adoption
- OR a complete application filed (or appointment confirmed) by 27 March 2025 under the old rules
- Unbroken line: an ancestor who naturalized abroad before the next generation's birth may break transmission
- Civil records (birth, marriage, naturalization) apostilled and translated
- Certificates showing no foreign citizenship was acquired by the Italian ancestor in the relevant period
- Proof of residence in the consular district; book through Prenot@mi
Official and secondary sources · Last checked Oct 7, 2026. Rules change — confirm with the consulate or a qualified advisor. Not legal advice.
Who qualifies
The consulate page describes a new Article 3-bis in Law 91/1992: a person born abroad who holds another citizenship is treated as never having acquired Italian citizenship, unless one of the exceptions applies. You qualify if:
- you were born in Italy, or you hold only Italian citizenship;
- a parent or grandparent held only Italian citizenship at death;
- a parent or adoptive parent lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring citizenship and before your birth or adoption; or
- your application was complete (or your appointment confirmed) by 27 March 2025, or you filed a lawsuit by then.
Great-grandparent-only lines, which used to qualify, generally no longer do. Check your family tree against these rules before spending money.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
Decree Law 36/2025, converted into Law 74/2025, took effect on 24 May 2025. The Constitutional Court's judgment no. 63/2026, decided on 11 March 2026 and filed on 30 April 2026, rejected the challenge from the Turin court. It held that the provision is an original bar, not a revocation, and that the 27 March 2025 cutoff is not arbitrary. Some claims were declared inadmissible rather than decided, and secondary sources report further referrals and Supreme Court activity, which we could not verify. We list the status as "changing" for that reason.
Documents you'll need
- Birth extract of the Italian ancestor from the Italian municipality
- Birth, marriage and death certificates for every descendant in the line, apostilled and translated
- A certificate showing the Italian ancestor did not acquire foreign citizenship during a descendant's minority
- Proof of exclusive Italian citizenship where required, such as negative citizenship certificates
- Proof of residence in the consular district (for consulate filings)
- A historical Italian residence certificate where relevant
Documents must be originals, and those issued outside the district or the US must be apostilled or authenticated.
Step-by-step application
- Map your line and check it against the exceptions above.
- Order certificates, apostilles and translations.
- Check whether your consulate or an Italian municipality handles your case.
- Book through Prenot@mi; the Miami page says documents arrive about a month before the appointment.
- Submit the full set at once; the Miami consulate does not pre-screen or process incomplete files.
- Pay the consular fee and wait for the decision.
- After recognition, register with your Italian municipality and apply for a passport.
Costs and timeline
The Miami consulate page lists a non-refundable €600 fee for every jure sanguinis application since 1 January 2025, payable in US dollars at the exchange rate, by money order. Add costs for translations, apostilles and certified records. Waiting times for appointments and decisions vary widely by consulate and have been long, so we cannot give a reliable timeline.
Taxes once you're resident
Recognition itself is not a tax event, but if you live in Italy you become an Italian tax resident taxed on worldwide income after 183 days. Italian citizens abroad may have registration and tax obligations, so take advice.
Family members
Citizenship may pass to your minor children, depending on the line and timing. Spouses do not receive citizenship by descent. Ask your attorney about your children's case.
Alternatives
If you do not qualify, residence routes include the digital nomad visa, the elective residency visa and the investor visa. Naturalization through residence is a separate, longer route; read our Italy country guide. For other ancestry routes in Europe:
| Route | Country | Type | Status | Headline requirement | Initial stay | Path to PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland Citizenship by Descent (Foreign Births Register) | Ireland | Citizenship by descent | Open | — | Not a residence permit: registration makes you an Irish cit… | Not applicable: citizenship is the fina… |
| Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis) | Italy | Citizenship by descent | Changing | — | Citizenship, recognized once your file is accepted; there i… | Not applicable; Italian citizens are EU… |
Thresholds and rules change often. Each route links to its official government page — confirm there before you apply. Not legal advice.
Rules change, so confirm with the consulate or a qualified advisor.
Other citizenship by descent in Europe
| Route | Country | Type | Status | Headline requirement | Initial stay | Path to PR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland Citizenship by Descent (Foreign Births Register) | Ireland | Citizenship by descent | Open | — | Not a residence permit: registration makes you an Irish cit… | Not applicable: citizenship is the fina… |
| Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis) | Italy | Citizenship by descent | Changing | — | Citizenship, recognized once your file is accepted; there i… | Not applicable; Italian citizens are EU… |
Thresholds and rules change often. Each route links to its official government page — confirm there before you apply. Not legal advice.
Other ways to live in Italy
- Italy Digital Nomad Visa (Remote Worker Visa) Open
- Italy Elective Residency Visa Open
- Italy Investor Visa (Golden Visa) Open
Moving to Italy: the complete guide →
Frequently asked questions
Can I still get Italian citizenship through my grandparents?
Possibly. Since Law 74/2025 you generally need a parent or grandparent who held only Italian citizenship, or to meet one of the listed exceptions, or to have filed by 27 March 2025. Check your line with an attorney.
What happened on 27 March 2025?
Applications that were complete by that date, or with a confirmed appointment, follow the old rules. Everyone else falls under the new framework.
Did the Italian courts uphold the new law?
In judgment 63/2026 the Constitutional Court rejected the main challenges and declared others inadmissible. Related questions remain, so the status is "changing".
How much does it cost?
The Miami consulate lists €600 per application, payable in USD, plus translations, apostilles and records.
Can great-grandchildren apply?
Generally not unless they fit an exception, such as an eligible parent or grandparent. Confirm with an attorney.
Sources and last checked · Oct 7, 2026
Notes: Law Decree 36/2025, converted by Law 74/2025 (effective 24 May 2025), added Article 3-bis to Law 91/1992; read on the Miami consulate's page. Constitutional Court judgment no. 63/2026 (hearing 11 March 2026, deposited 30 April 2026, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale 6 May 2026 per the Court's page) rejected the main challenges; I read the Court page excerpt and a legal news summary, but the excerpt was truncated before the operative text. A law-firm site claims further referrals to the EU Court of Justice in July 2026 and related Supreme Court rulings; I could not verify these, so status is set to 'changing' and readers are told to expect more litigation. Official URL is a consulate page; the general Italian citizenship portal (cittadinanza.dlci.interno.gov.it) was not readable. Consular fee of €600 is from the Miami page and may vary in USD; other consulates may publish different procedures.
- consmiami.esteri.it/en/?p=4013
- cortecostituzionale.it/stampa-pdf-pronuncia/2026/63
- studiocataldi.it/articoli/48187-decreto-cittadinanza-ok-della-consulta.asp
- italyget.com/constitutional-court-sentence-63-2026-jure-sanguinis/
Figures are our research estimates from the sources above; rules and prices change. Not legal, tax or immigration advice. Spot something out of date? Tell us.