Italian Citizenship by Descent — FAQ

Italy's Law 74/2025 (Decree-Law No. 36/2025, effective March 28, 2025) introduced a two-generation limit on Jure Sanguinis applications. You can now only obtain citizenship through an Italian-born grandparent or parent, or if your parent lived in Italy for at least two years prior to your birth. Applications submitted or consulate appointments formally confirmed before March 27, 2025 at 11:59 PM Rome time are grandfathered under the old rules. Read our full guide to Law 74/2025 →

Not for new applications filed after March 28, 2025. Law 74/2025 restricts new Jure Sanguinis applications to those with an Italian-born parent or grandparent — a maximum of two generations. If your only Italian ancestor is a great-grandparent or further back, you are not eligible to file a new application. Applications filed before March 28, 2025 are unaffected.

If your application was officially submitted to an Italian consulate, municipality, or court — or if an appointment was formally confirmed — before 11:59 PM Rome time on March 27, 2025, your case continues to be evaluated under the pre-2025 rules. The new generational limit does not apply retroactively to previously filed applications.

Yes. Law 74/2025's generational limit is facing a constitutional challenge in Italian courts. Critics argue it may violate constitutional principles by retroactively eliminating vested citizenship rights. As of 2026, the challenge is ongoing and no ruling has been issued. The law remains fully in effect, and we recommend not waiting for an outcome — if you have a valid parent or grandparent claim, proceed now.

Under Law 74/2025, all new Jure Sanguinis court applications are centralized to the Court of Rome (Tribunale di Roma), regardless of where the applicant resides in Italy. Previously, applications could be filed in any jurisdictionally competent Italian court. This centralization may affect processing timelines.

Jure Sanguinis is Latin for "by right of blood." It is the Italian legal principle that allows descendants of Italian citizens to reclaim citizenship by proving an unbroken lineage. If your Italian ancestor never renounced their citizenship and meets certain legal criteria, you may be eligible for Italian citizenship by descent.

You may be eligible if you have an Italian-born parent or grandparent who never became a U.S. citizen (or became one after their child turned 21, or after August 15, 1992). Under Law 74/2025, eligibility is restricted to applicants with an Italian-born parent or grandparent — unless your parent lived in Italy for at least two years before you were born.

Yes, if your ancestor naturalized after their child was born (the next person in the lineage) or after August 15, 1992. If they naturalized before the child's birth, the Italian citizenship chain is generally broken. If a female ancestor naturalized through marriage before 1948, a 1948 court case may still be possible.

A 1948 case applies when citizenship passes through a female ancestor whose child was born before January 1, 1948. Italian law at the time caused women to lose citizenship upon marrying a foreign national. Italian courts have ruled this discriminatory rule cannot bar descendants today. A 1948 case must be filed in Italian court by a licensed attorney — it cannot be handled at a consulate. The 2025 generational limit still applies: the female ancestor must be a grandparent, not a great-grandparent.

Yes, if you were legally adopted by an Italian citizen, you may be eligible for Italian citizenship. The specific rules depend on the timing and nature of the adoption.

Yes. Family members who share the same Italian ancestor can apply together, sharing many of the same documents and often reducing overall costs. This is common for siblings or cousins applying through the same grandparent.

You can apply through your local Italian consulate (the standard administrative route), or — if you cannot secure a consulate appointment — through the Italian court system via a licensed Italian lawyer (ATQ route). If you're eligible and can relocate to Italy, applying at a local municipality is also an option and is typically the fastest route.

An ATQ (Against the Queue) filing — formally known as a Denial of Justice application — allows applicants who cannot secure a consulate appointment within a reasonable timeframe to file directly in Italian court through a licensed Italian lawyer. Because many Italian consulates have multi-year backlogs, the ATQ route bypasses the consulate entirely. ATQ cases are filed at the Court of Rome and typically resolve in 1–3 years.

Consulate cases typically take 3–5 years, sometimes longer. Court cases (ATQ or 1948) usually take 1–3 years. Applying through a local Italian municipality after relocating to Italy is the fastest option — often 6–12 months.

You generally need birth, marriage, and death certificates for your Italian ancestor and every direct ancestor in the Italian lineage, your own birth certificate (long-form), and naturalization records (or a Certificate of Non-Existence) for your Italian ancestor. All non-Italian documents must be apostilled and certified translated into Italian. See our full documents checklist for a complete breakdown.

Foreign documents must be apostilled (confirming validity for international use), translated into Italian by a certified translator (sworn and certified for court submissions), and the translations may need certification by a notary or consulate depending on the route. Countries not part of the Hague Convention require additional legalization steps.

Missing or improperly processed documents will delay your application. Our document procurement team can source and process the necessary records — including Italian vital records from the relevant comune, U.S. records, and apostilles and translations. Contact us to discuss your specific situation.

Italy's Law 74/2025 introduced a €600 government fee per applicant. Beyond this, costs include obtaining vital records, apostille authentication, certified Italian translations, and professional service fees. At Citizenship Italia, a standard consulate application averages $2,200–$2,600 USD, a court ATQ case averages $6,000–$7,500 USD, and a 1948 court case averages $6,300–$7,800 USD. See our pricing page for full details.

Italian citizenship is EU citizenship. As an Italian citizen, you gain the right to live, work, and study in any of the 27 EU member states, visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 180 countries with an Italian passport, access to Italian healthcare and social services, the right to own property and conduct business in Italy, and the right to pass citizenship to your children.