Citizenship in Italy

After collecting the correct paperwork, Italian citizenship can be obtained handful of ways. Applicants can apply online or within the country with legal help. The process to qualify this Italian citizenship can take between one and ten years depending on your route. However, it can be much, much quicker if you’re an Italian descedent or getting married. 

The application process can take anywhere between a few months up to two years. If you receive a favourable outcome, you can apply for a national identity card and an Italian passport.

Can be obtained by: 

• “right of blood” (jure sanguinis) if the applicant is the son/dougter of an Italian parent; 
• “right of soil” (jure solis) if the applicant parents’ are unknown or Stateless, or if the foreing parents doesn’t transmit their citizenship to their child by the laws of their country, or if the child was found in a condition of abandonment in Italy;
• late paternity or maternity recognition (even by a court of law) until the completion of the age 18;
• adoption;
• voluntary acquisition (residence, marriage, and other specific cases);
• Rendered extraordinary services to the Italian State;
• Being considered a person of recognised strategic value for the Italian State;

Once all the necessary documentation has been gathered and all the conditions are met, you can apply for Italian citizenship.

The timeline differs depending on which way the citizenship is acquired.

They can be divided into the following steps:

• Understand what’s needed: one day
• Collect and prepare the documents: One to two weeks. However, when requesting citizenship by descent, it can take up to two years to gather the correct paperwork as it depends on each case and country
• File the request: one day
• Decision for the request: Typically up to 24 months
• Schedule swearing ceremony: Usually 30 to 60 days but can be as longer depending on the competent authority
• Release of ID Card: One to two weeks
• Release of ID passport: 30 to 45 days

One of the quickest and simplest ways to become an Italian citizen is through jure sanguinis, often known as citizenship by descent (by blood). The number of descendants who can claim Italian ancestry through their paternal or maternal line is unrestricted. Additionally, there is no generational restriction while applying in Italy. In other words, you can get Italian Citizenship through your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents.

You must first decide if you are eligible based on your ancestry in order to comprehend how to become an Italian citizen through ancestry (jus sanguinis), as there are specific legal requirements you must meet in order to qualify. If a person’s mother or father, grandfather, or great-grandfather was an Italian citizen at the time of their birth, or if their paternal or maternal great-grandfather was an Italian citizen at the time of their birth, they may be eligible to apply for recognition of their Italian ancestry.

You must locate and obtain certified copies of the necessary official documents in the hometown or city of your family member in order to claim Italian citizenship jure sanguinis. You must also follow the correct application procedures through your neighborhood Italian consulate or embassy. This is the route to take if you want to become an Italian citizen by blood. Depending on the complexity of your case and the wait period at the Italian consulate near you, this process can take anywhere from three months to three years to complete.

Benefits: Applying for Italian citizenship by descent is an easy process that will be automatically passed down from one generation to the next.

Cons: Children born before January 1, 1948 from an Italian woman who married a foreign citizen, can only have their citizenship recognized by a judicial court in Italy.

For more information on this type of citizenship, click here.

Got in love with an Italian? You’re in luck then! Italian citizenship can also be obtained through matrimony.

If this applies to you, you can obtain citizenship after two years of marriage if you reside in Italy or after three years if you do not. Either way, you’ll need to submit a citizenship application.

Pros: You can establish a place among the Italians with a little effort and an application. However, speaking Italian is a requirement for acceptance.

Cons: You must meet and fall in love with a native Italian in order for this to work.

For more information on this type of citizenship, click here.

The residency/naturalization process is arguably the most difficult way to become an Italian citizen. You must establish a permanent residency in Italy and spend at least six months there each year with a visa in order to proceed.

Depending on your unique situation, you must additionally fulfill the statutory time limit. In some circumstances, you must have resided in Italy for at least ten years before you can apply. It can be a difficult journey with many criteria, but if it’s what you desire, it’s worth it. Click here for more details about applying through residence.

You might just need to wait four years if you have some Italian heritage rather than the full ten years required for non-descendant residents.

Pros: Obtaining citizenship status just requires patience and knowledge of visa regulations.

Cons: Getting Italian citizenship requires at least ten years of residing legally on a visa. If the Italian government determines that you pose any form of security concern, they may potentially deny your application.

For more information on this type of citizenship in Italy, click here.

Your current US citizenship will not be affected by your Italian Citizenship. Both dual citizenship and holding both passports are simultaneously possible. Having dual citizenship may or may not be a possibility for you, depending on where you are relocating from. In some nations, you can only have one citizenship.

Although it is not required by Italian law, your former nation of origin may forbid you from holding dual citizenship with Italy. Find out if your nation demands this by doing some research.

For information on how to apply for Italian citizenship by descent, whether you qualify, and how to gain dual citizenship in the US and Italy with a passport, get in touch with our Italian immigration specialists.

Benefits of dual citizenship include the ability to obtain an Italian passport and the exemption from paying taxes on money earned abroad.

Cons: If your parents acquired US citizenship prior to 1992, they lost their dual citizenship privileges, and you would have lost them as well. Documentation is required to support your claim to be recognized as a dual citizen.

Qualifying for Italian citizenship can be done in many ways. However, the visa applicant needs to provide appropriate documentation as listed below:

Italian Citizenship by Residence:

• Certificate of Residence in Italy. This is usually for a 10-year period
• Family State certificate
• B1 level of knowledge of the Italian language
• Valid Passport from your country
• Valid Italian Residence Permit
• Clean criminal record in Italy or other countries of previous residence
• Three years of tax declarations
• Proof of income. This must be at least €6,041.70 annually for the main applicant and €3,020.85 for each dependent family member

Italian Citizenship by Marriage:

• Certificate of Residence in Italy. This must show at least two years of residence
• Family State certificate;
• B1 level of knowledge of the Italian language
• Valid Passport from your country
• Valid Italian Residence Permit
• Clean criminal record in Italy or other countries of previous residence
• Marriage Certificate in long-version
• “Proof Of Life” for the spouse

The above applies to those married after April 27, 1983. If you married before then, you must show the following.

• Valid Passport of your country;
• Marriage Certificate in long-version. This must be registered in Italy

Italian Citizenship by descent, or Jure Sanguinis:

• Italian Certificate of Birth of the applicant’s Italian Ancestor. This is called “Estratto per Riassunto dell’Atto di Nascita”
• Marriage and death certificates (in long-form) of applicant’s Italian Ancestor
• Certificates of birth, marriage and death of the members of the direct lineage. This must be in long-form
• The applicant’s certification of birth – and marriage if married. This must be in long-form
• A Negative Naturalization certificate from the authority of where the ancestor resided
• A scanned copy of the applicant passport
• Certificate of legal residence in Italy if applying from within Italy

All of these, except the passport, must be translated into Italian by a sworn translator. Both the original document and the translation must be legalized.