Under previous rules, anyone who could prove they had an Italian ancestor who was alive on or after March 17th, 1861 – when the Kingdom of Italy was created – and that no one in their line of descent had renounced Italian citizenship before the birth of their child could seek Italian citizenship.
But under the decree approved on Friday, March 28th, only people with an Italian parent or grandparent born in Italy, or with an Italian parent who lived in Italy for a minimum of two continuous years, will now qualify for citizenship by descent, also known as citizenship iure sanguinis.
READ ALSO: Q&A: How Italy’s rules for claiming citizenship by descent have changed
Italian news reports said that the decree would not have a retroactive effect.
Those who have already obtained citizenship by descent through a court ruling or by successfully applying through an Italian municipality or consulate will continue to hold Italian citizenship, reports said.
Furthermore, previous rules will continue to apply to people who submitted their citizenship applications by midnight on March 27th, according to Italian media reports.
"The granting of citizenship is a serious thing and there has been abuse [of the system] in past years," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters following a ministerial summit on Friday.
Tajani said that the "commercialisation of Italian passports" was among the main factors behind the government’s decision to change the rules.
He said companies were making a fortune by helping people track down their Italian ancestors and secure the vital records needed in the application process, clogging up consular and municipal offices with demands for documentation.
"We are striking down very hard against those who want to make money from the opportunity of becoming an Italian citizen," Tajani said.
"Many descendants of emigrants will still be able to obtain Italian citizenship, but precise limits will be set, primarily to avoid abuse," he added.
Another goal of the clampdown was to "boost the emotional link between Italy and the citizen [living] abroad," Tajani said.
MPs from Italy’s ruling coalition have in the past complained that current citizenship laws create “mechanisms that do not consider the existence of a genuine emotional bond with Italy” which result in “an exponential increase in the number of people [...] who obtain citizenship despite lacking a tangible connection to Italy”.
The foreign ministry pointed to a boom in the recognition of citizenship by descent claims, saying that the number of Italian citizens living abroad has increased by 40 percent in the past 10 years – from 4.6 million to 6.4 million.
It added that there are currently 60,000 pending citizenship by descent proceedings.
The ministry cited Argentina – a country with a long history of emigration from Italy – saying that successful citizenship by descent claims went from 20,000 in 2023 to 30,000 in 2024.
Prior to the change approved on Friday, between 60 and 80 million people with Italian ancestry were eligible for citizenship, the ministry said.
According to Italian media reports, Friday’s decree was just the first in a series of planned measures aimed at modifying citizenship by descent rules.
Two draft laws (disegni di legge) submitted by the government include plans to further tighten current regulations, making it harder for people born abroad to become citizens, reports said.
Under the first draft law, people born abroad would have to register their birth certificates with Italian authorities before turning 25 to be able to apply for citizenship later in life.
Italian citizens living abroad would also have to exercise citizen "rights and duties" including renewing their passports or voting in Italian elections at least once every 25 years in order to keep their citizenship.
Under the second draft law, the citizenship application fee would increase to €700, up from €600.
The above-mentioned disegni di legge haven’t yet been approved by Italy’s parliament.
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