About Italian Citizenship
It is remarkably easy to obtain Italian Citizenship, provided you qualify, and the grounds for qualification are remarkably clear and straightforward.
Once you have your Italian Citizenship recognise, you are then entitled to a full Italian Passport.
Italy recognizes 8 grounds for acquiring Italian Citizenship
- BY VIRTUE OF BEING MARRIED TO AN ITALIAN
- BY BIRTH RIGHT – Jure Sanguinis
- FOLLOWING PATERNITY OR MATERNITY RECOGNITION
- BY ADOPTION
- BY RIGHT OF RESIDENCY IN ITALY
- BY DECLARATION OF INTENT
- BY BEING BORN WITHIN THE ITALIAN TERRITORY
- RE-ACQUISITION OF LOST ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP
Acquisition by Birthright – Jure Sanguinis
For most people case 2, Acquisition by Birthright is the most relevant and the most interesting, so let’s look at this in detail.
The legal doctrine of Jure Sanguinis sets out that Citizenship entitlement is passed down the bloodline from parent to child and is automatic not discretionary.
In Italy you inherit principally through the male bloodline, though as a result of an Italian law change citizenship can now also be passed down the female bloodline.
The most interesting thing about Jure Sanguinis is that, because it is automatic, if you qualify you are already an Italian Citizen, even if you didn’t know it!
To obtain your Italian passport all that is needed is for you to apply to have your Italian Citizenship recognized through a straightforward administrative process.
Jure Sanguinis – the Qualification Rules
The rules of qualification are extremely simple and straightforward.
1. You must either:
Be able to prove you are a descendant, through the male bloodline, of an Italian citizen who was registered in Italy after 17 March 1861 (when the Republic of Italy was established).
OR
Be able to prove you are a descendant, through the female bloodline, of an Italian citizen who was registered in Italy after 1st January 1948 (when the law was changed to allow descent through the female bloodline).
AND
2. You must have a residential address in Italy.
And that’s it!
How to Obtain Your Italian Citizenship
Put at its simplest, all you need to do is to request the recognition of your Italian Citizenship through either your Commune Anagrafe if you are resident in Italy or through your Italian Consolato if you are resident outside Italy.
The time taken to do this varies (it’s quicker to do in Italy through your Anagrafe than through a Consolato) and you will automatically receive your Carta d’Identità elettronica with which you can apply for your Italian Passport.
How Our Partners Can Help
You will need to obtain certified copies or extracts of all relevant apostilled registration documents, which will need to be accompanied by court certified translations if the original document is not in Italian.
Obtaining the documents can, if you’re lucky, be quite straightforward, but may require some research to find and some Italian correspondence to obtain.
When I needed to obtain my Italian passport I soon found that specialist help was needed and so I turned to a Genealogy Researcher who simplified the whole process and saved me endless wasted time and frustration.
I’m personally delighted with how quick and simple they made the process of applying to have my Italian Citizenship recognized and I can wholeheartedly recommend their services.
If you would like help and advice on obtaining Italian Citizenship their website is www.davidjromano.com