Italy allows dual citizenship, so qualifying for Italian citizenship never requires giving up your current nationality; that has been the rule since Law 91/1992 took effect in August 1992.1Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Citizenship To qualify for Italian dual citizenship you need to fit one of three paths: descent from an Italian ancestor (sharply narrowed by a 2025 reform), marriage or civil union with an Italian citizen, or naturalization after legal residency in Italy. Which path is open to you, and on what terms, is the question worth answering before you spend anything on documents.
Ancestry After the 2025 Reform
On May 24, 2025, Law 74/2025 (converting Decree-Law 36/2025) took effect and rewrote the ancestry rules. The principle of jure sanguinis still exists, but automatic transmission of Italian citizenship now stops for anyone born abroad who also holds another citizenship, unless a narrow exception applies.2Consolato Generale d’Italia Brisbane. Citizenship by Descent (New Rules)
If you were born abroad and hold any non-Italian citizenship, you can still be recognized as an Italian citizen through ancestry only if at least one of these applies:
- You submitted a complete application, held a confirmed consulate appointment, or filed a judicial claim before 11:59 PM Rome time on March 27, 2025.
- A parent or grandparent (including adoptive) held exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of your birth, or at the time of their death.
- A parent who is an Italian citizen lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before your birth or adoption.
The “exclusively Italian” requirement is where most diaspora claims now fail. If your Italian parent or grandparent also held U.S., Argentine, Brazilian, or any other citizenship alongside their Italian one, the exception does not cover you. For descendants whose Italian-born ancestor naturalized abroad generations back, the ancestry route is effectively closed unless a filing beat the March 2025 cutoff.3Consolato d’Italia Adelaide. Reform of Citizenship Iure Sanguinis
Where the old framework still applies (because you meet one of the exceptions), the traditional rules govern: an unbroken line of Italian citizenship from an Italian-born ancestor to you, with no one in the chain having naturalized elsewhere before the next child in the chain was born.4Consolato Generale d’Italia Londra. Citizenship Iure Sanguinis – Previous Regulatory Framework
Maternal-Line (1948) Cases
Italian law before January 1, 1948 did not let mothers pass citizenship to their children. Italian courts ruled that restriction unconstitutional, and descendants in the maternal line have long used a civil lawsuit (a “1948 case”) to be recognized. The March 27, 2025 cutoff applies to those judicial claims too. A 1948 case filed by that date proceeds under the old rules; one filed after is governed by the new restrictions above.
Qualifying Through Marriage or Civil Union
If you are married to an Italian citizen, you can apply for citizenship after a waiting period tied to where you live. Couples residing in Italy wait two years from the marriage date. Couples living outside Italy wait three years. Either period is cut in half if the couple has children together, biological or adopted.5Consolato Generale d’Italia a Los Angeles. Citizenship by Marriage
If your spouse was naturalized rather than born Italian, the clock runs from the date of their naturalization, not the wedding. The marriage must remain intact all the way through the oath of citizenship; a separation or divorce before that point ends eligibility.6Consolato Generale d’Italia Vancouver. Acquiring Citizenship through Marriage or Same-Sex Union
Same-sex civil unions under Law 76/2016 follow the identical timeline, with the same halving for children. The union must be registered with an Italian municipality when you apply and must still be in effect at the oath.6Consolato Generale d’Italia Vancouver. Acquiring Citizenship through Marriage or Same-Sex Union
Marriage applicants must show B1-level Italian language proficiency on the Common European Framework scale.7GlobalCIT. Act No. 91 of 5 February 1992 – Italian Citizenship Law A March 2025 Constitutional Court ruling carved out an exception for applicants who cannot learn the language because of disability, serious illness, or advanced age. Expect to submit your marriage certificate, birth certificate, criminal records from every country you have lived in, and proof that the Italian spouse is registered with AIRE (the Registry of Italians Residing Abroad) if the couple lives outside Italy.8Consolato Generale d’Italia a New York. How to Register a Marriage or Civil Union
Qualifying Through Residency
With no Italian ancestry or spouse, the path is naturalization after continuous legal residency. The required length depends on your nationality and situation:9Ministry of the Interior (Italian Government). Citizenship by Residence
- 10 years for non-EU citizens, the standard category for Americans.
- 4 years for citizens of an EU member state.
- 3 years for people born in Italy, and for direct ancestors of an Italian citizen.
Beyond time in country, you must show stable income throughout the process. The statutory floor is €8,263.31 per year for a single applicant with no dependents, and it rises when you support a spouse or children. Three years of Italian tax returns are the standard proof, and income has to hold up through the final decision, not just the filing date.9Ministry of the Interior (Italian Government). Citizenship by Residence Like marriage applicants, you need B1 Italian and clean criminal records. The Ministry of the Interior looks at any offense case by case, weighing seriousness, how long ago it happened, and whether its legal effects have been cleared.7GlobalCIT. Act No. 91 of 5 February 1992 – Italian Citizenship Law
Documents, Translations, and Fees
Every path is document-heavy. For an ancestry claim, you need civil records (birth, marriage, death) for each person in the line from your Italian ancestor down to you, plus naturalization records or proof of non-naturalization for that ancestor.10Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles. Document Checklist and Instructions – Category 3 Marriage and residency applicants typically submit their birth certificate, marriage certificate where relevant, proof of legal residency, tax returns, and criminal records.
Non-Italian documents must be apostilled by the issuing authority and translated into Italian. Rules on translations vary slightly between consulates, and no consulate provides the service, so confirm the local requirements before paying a translator.11Consolato Generale d’Italia Chicago. Citizenship Jure Sanguinis Certified long-form U.S. vital records typically cost $10 to $55 each and can take weeks to arrive. Apostilles run roughly $10 to $26 per document. Certified Italian translations cost $20 to $125 per page. An ancestry file covering four generations can reach $1,000 to $3,000 in records, apostilles, and translations before any government fee.
The consular fee for an adult jure sanguinis application is €600 per person, up from €300 as of January 1, 2025.12Consolato Generale d’Italia a New York. Citizenship by Descent – Consular Fee Increase For certain declarations for minor children of citizens by birth under Article 4, paragraph 1-bis of Law 91/1992, the €250 fee was eliminated as of January 1, 2026.13Consolato Generale d’Italia Chicago. 2026 Annual Budget Law – Changes to the Registration of Birth Certificates for Minors The B1 language exam runs about €100 to €120. Once citizenship is granted, an Italian passport at a U.S. consulate is roughly $135 including the administrative stamp.
Where to Apply and What Happens Next
If you live outside Italy, you apply at the Italian consulate with jurisdiction over your address. Confirm which one covers your location before you start, because each has its own geography and its own procedures.14Consolato Generale d’Italia Miami. Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis) If you live in Italy, you file with the comune where you hold legal residency.
Most consulates book appointments through the Prenot@mi online portal. Wait times for ancestry appointments at large U.S. consulates historically averaged around two years, with some offices running longer. After the 2025 reform, consulates temporarily suspended new jure sanguinis bookings while awaiting instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so check the current status on your consulate’s site before assuming a slot is available.15Embassy of Italy in Washington. Urgent Notice – Italian Citizenship by Descent
Once filed, consulates have a legal processing window of up to 24 months, and applications that overrun can be challenged in Italian administrative court. Expect requests for additional documents along the way. If your application is approved, you have six months from the notification to take the oath of citizenship; missing that window can void the approval. After the oath, register with AIRE within 90 days if you live abroad. AIRE registration is mandatory for Italian citizens living outside Italy for more than 12 months and is a prerequisite for an Italian passport.16Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Register of Italians Living Abroad (AIRE)
Reacquisition for Former Italian Citizens
If you once held Italian citizenship and lost it, typically through voluntary renunciation or through naturalization elsewhere before 1992, the 2025 reform opened a limited reacquisition window. Former citizens can reacquire by declaration between July 1, 2025, and December 31, 2027. The specific procedure runs through your local Italian consulate, and the window is finite.
A Note on Taxes
Becoming an Italian citizen does not by itself create Italian tax obligations. Italy taxes on residency, not citizenship. If you live outside Italy, register with AIRE, and hold no Italian property or Italian-source income, you generally owe the Italian tax authorities nothing. That changes if you establish tax residency in Italy or acquire Italian property; residents must report worldwide income, including foreign accounts and investments, and the compliance rules are strict. Talk to an Italian tax professional before moving if that is your plan.