How has the law changed?
Under the previous rules, almost anyone with an Italian ancestor had long been allowed to apply with no generational limit, as long as they could prove their unbroken chain of descent.
But Italy's government abruptly changed the rules in March 2025 to state that only people with an Italian parent or grandparent are eligible to apply for ancestry-based or ius sanguinis Italian citizenship.
And if you were born outside Italy, the law is even stricter: you must have at least one parent or grandparent who holds only Italian citizenship.
The abrupt change has since faced legal challenges from would-be citizens who were locked out of claiming, with the case now set to go before the European Court of Justice in 2027.
Who else can still apply?
There are two key exceptions to this no-dual-national rule:
- A parent or adoptive parent who has been resident in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the date of their child’s birth or adoption can pass on citizenship to their foreign-born child, even when holding dual nationality.
- An Italian parent or adoptive parent who presents a ‘declaration of intent’ to apply for citizenship for their foreign-born child within one year of the date of the child's birth or adoption can pass on citizenship, even when holding dual nationality.
For deeper insight into the question of who is eligible for citizenship, The Local asked lawyer Giuditta De Ricco and consultant Valentina Giannessi, who both specialise in citizenship at the Italian law firm Mazzeschi.
Exception 1: Parent has two years of Italian residency as a citizen
Under the first scenario, the parent may have acquired citizenship by any means, including residency, marriage, or ancestry.
Gianessi gave the following example:
“Lauren was born in Canada as a Canadian citizen in 1980 but moved to Italy in 2010. She obtained Italian citizenship through residency (after ten years) in 2020.
"Following her oath, she decided to remain in Italy for two years before returning to Canada in 2022. In early 2025 she had a child, born in Canada.
"Since Lauren had resided in Italy for two years after her oath and before the birth of her child, the newborn can acquire Italian citizenship by descent.”
Exception 2: Parent submits ‘declaration of intent’ before child turns one
Under the second scenario, the law specifies that the parent must be Italian by birth – meaning you can’t pass on your Italian citizenship through this route if you acquired yours through marriage or residency.
But this doesn’t mean that the parent must have been recognised as an Italian citizen from the time of their birth to qualify – only that they must have have been granted citizenship ius sanguinis at some point prior to having a child.
In another example, Giannessi explains:
“Valentina was born in 1999 in the United States and was eligible for the recognition of Italian citizenship by descent through her Italian grandparent.
"Valentina submitted her application for recognition of citizenship to her consulate of reference in the United States in 2022.
"Although the consulate issued the citizenship decree in 2024, Valentina is considered an Italian citizen from the time of her birth (1999).
"Her child, born in July 2025 in the United States, may acquire Italian citizenship if Valentina submits a declaration of intent to her consulate of reference before the child’s first birthday. In this case, the child will be considered an Italian citizen from the day following the submission of such declaration.”
What about fast-track residency-based citizenship?
What if you want to apply for Italian citizenship but were born outside Italy and your Italian parent or grandparent is a dual national? Are your only two options now residency-based naturalisation or marriage to an Italian?
Yes: but there’s a shortcut for people in this situation.
Anyone whose dual-national parent or grandparent is Italian per nascita can apply for citizenship after just two continuous years of legal residency in Italy, instead of the standard four to 10.
READ ALSO: When can you start counting your residency in Italy towards citizenship?
In this case you wouldn’t be applying for citizenship by descent, but through residency – even though it's your Italian ancestry that's put you on the fast track.
That means that you’ll be subject to certain requirements that don't apply to people applying for ius sanguinis citizenship, like passing an Italian language test at the B1 level and meeting minimum income requirements.
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