Already living in Italy and applying through residency? See Italian citizenship by residency.
What changed in 2025
Law no. 74 of 23 May 2025, which converted Decree-Law 36/2025, added Article 3-bis to Law 91/1992. It ended what was informally known as “unlimited descent”: the principle that Italian citizenship passed down the generations indefinitely, however distant the Italian ancestor.
Under the new rule, a person born abroad who also holds another citizenship is treated as never having acquired Italian citizenship — unless one of the exceptions below applies.
This was challenged before the Constitutional Court by the Court of Mantua. With judgment no. 63/2026, the Constitutional Court held the provision to be legitimate: it found that the expectations of people of Italian descent had been reasonably balanced against the constitutional interests the reform pursues. The reform stands.
The date that decides everything
There is a single question that determines your position:
Did you file an application — administrative or judicial — by 27 March 2025, 23:59 Rome time?
If you did, your claim survives under the previous rules. If you did not, recognition by descent is no longer available to you, regardless of how well documented your Italian ancestry is.
If you applied before the deadline
Your claim is governed by the rules as they stood before the reform. In practice, what matters now is the state of your file: applications sit with consulates abroad, with Italian municipalities, or before the courts, and each situation moves at a different pace.
One point deserves honesty. The Constitutional Court did not settle what counts as having “activated” your claim in time. Whether requesting your ancestor’s records, or instructing an agency, is enough — or whether only a formally filed application counts — remains unresolved. If you took steps before the deadline but did not complete a formal filing, your position is genuinely uncertain, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing.
What we can do is read your file and tell you where it actually stands.
If you missed the deadline: the route that remains
Recognition by descent is closed to you. But if you have an Italian parent or grandparent, Italian law offers a second route — through residency rather than bloodline. There are two versions of it, and they are not interchangeable.
If you are close to turning 18
Article 3-bis provides that a person whose parent, or whose grandparent, is or was an Italian citizen by birth acquires citizenship after two years of legal residence in Italy, provided they declare their wish to acquire it within one year of reaching the age of majority. This is an acquisition by right where the conditions are met — but the window is narrow and closes quickly.
If you are an adult
The one-year window is long past for most people reading this. The route that remains is naturalisation under Article 9 of Law 91/1992, where the reform reduced the residency requirement from three years to two for applicants with at least one parent or grandparent who is or was Italian by birth — against the ten years required of other foreign nationals.
Two differences matter. This is a concession, not a right: the authorities assess the application and may refuse it. And it requires you to actually live in Italy legally for those two years, which means a residence permit first, then registered residence, then the application.
It is a longer road than the one that closed in March 2025. For many people it is the only one left.
What we cannot do for you
We do not offer litigation to reopen a claim the reform has closed. The Constitutional Court examined this law in 2026 and upheld it; a court challenge today starts from a settled position, not an open question.
We also do not promise outcomes. Naturalisation under Article 9 is discretionary, and no lawyer controls the decision.
What we offer is an honest reading of your situation — including telling you that you have no case, when that is the answer.
Find out where you stand
A paid preliminary assessment with a lawyer registered with the Italian Bar: we review your ancestry, any steps you took before the March 2025 deadline, and tell you which route — if any — is open to you.
15-minute consultation — €39 · 60-minute consultation — €89
Frequently Asked Questions
Only if you filed an administrative or judicial application by 27 March 2025, 23:59 Rome time. Law 74/2025 added Article 3-bis to Law 91/1992, under which a person born abroad holding another citizenship is treated as never having acquired Italian citizenship. The Constitutional Court upheld the provision in judgment 63/2026.
Recognition by descent is closed, but naturalisation under Article 9 of Law 91/1992 requires two years of legal residence in Italy instead of ten for applicants with a parent or grandparent who is or was Italian by birth. It is a discretionary concession rather than a right, and requires actually residing in Italy.
There are two distinct routes. Article 3-bis grants acquisition after two years of residence but only if declared within one year of reaching the age of majority, so it is available to young adults. Everyone else applies for naturalisation under Article 9, which also requires two years of residence but is discretionary.