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Citizenship

While pointing out that citizenship matters fall  within the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry, the following is an outline of the regulations in force with specific reference to the procedures that can be activated at the Foreign Ministry’s consular offices.

  1. Italian citizenship: brief introduction

Italian citizenship is currently regulated by Law No. 91 of February 5, 1992 (and its implementing regulations, particularly Presidential Decree No. 572 of October 12, 1993 and Presidential Decree No. 362 of April 18, 1994) which, unlike the previous law, revaluates the importance of individual will and intention in the acquisition and loss of citizenship and recognises the right to hold more than one citizenship at the same time.

The principles on which Italian citizenship is based are the following:

  • transmissibility of citizenship by descent, i.e. for having Italian parents or ancestors (principle of “ius sanguinis”);
  • acquisition of citizenship based on the principle of “iure soli” (by birth on the Italian soil) in certain cases;
  • possibility of multiple nationality;
  • expression of will for the acquisition and loss of citizenship.;

As from August 16, 1992 (when Law No. 91/92 came into force), the acquisition of a foreign nationality does not lead to the loss of Italian citizenship unless the Italian citizen formally renounces it (Article 11 of Law No. 91/92), subject to international agreements.

Italy’s denunciation of the 1963 Strasbourg Convention means that, as from June 4, 2010, Italian citizenship is no longer automatically lost by the Italians who become naturalised citizens of the countries that are signatories to the Convention (following the denunciation of the Convention by Sweden, Germany, Belgium, France and Luxembourg, the current signatories are Austria, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands).

 

Acquisition of citizenship

Italian citizenship can be acquired in one of the following ways:

 

  1. Citizenship by descent, i.e. for having Italian parents or ancestors (principle of the ius sanguinis

Article 1 of Law No.  91/92 lays down that a person acquires Italian citizenship when born of a father or a mother who are Italian citizens. Hence the principle of ius sanguinis – already enshrined in the previous legislation – is reaffirmed as a key principle for the acquisition of citizenship, while the principle of ius soli remains an exceptional and residual case.

While explicitly stating that also the mother can transmit citizenship, the Article fully acknowledges the principle of equality between men and women with regard to the transmission of the status civitatis.

Recognition of the possession of citizenship to foreigners descending from Italian ancestors who emigrated to countries where the principle of ius soli is in force.

While Article 1 of the Law of 1912 reaffirmed the principle of recognition of Italian citizenship through paternal lineage to the citizens’ children regardless of their place of birth, as already provided for in the Civil Code of 1865, Article 7 of Law No. 555/1912 was meant to ensure that the children of Italian emigrants could maintain the link with their ascendants’ country of origin, thus introducing an important exception to the principle of single citizenship.

In fact, Article 7 of Law No. 555/1912 enabled the children of Italian citizens, born in a foreign State which had granted them citizenship according to the principle of ius soli, to retain the Italian citizenship acquired at birth, even if the parents lost it when minors, thus recognizing to the persons concerned the significant right to renounce it when becoming of legal age, if living abroad.

That special rule derogated not only to the principle of single citizenship, but also to the principle whereby the fate of the minor children’s citizenship depended on the father, as provided for by Article 12 of Law No. 555/1912.

Hence the conditions required for such recognition are based, on the one hand, on the demonstration of descent from the person originally having the status of citizen (the ancestor who emigrated) and, on the other, on the proof that there were no interruptions in the transmission of citizenship (failed foreign naturalization of the ancestor before the birth of the children; absence of declarations of renunciation of Italian citizenship by further descendants before the birth of the next generation, thus proving that the transmission of citizenship did not stop.

The procedures for recognizing the possession of Italian citizenship iure sanguinis were specifically formalized in circular letter No. K.28.1 of April 8, 1991 of the Interior Minister, the legal validity of which was not affected by the subsequent entry into force of Law No. 91/1992.

The authorities competent for carrying out the related ascertainment procedures shall be determined according to the place of residence: for those living abroad, it is the competent consular office having territorial jurisdiction.

The recognition procedure follows the following steps:

– to ascertain that lineage started with an Italian ancestor (there are no limits of generations);

– to ascertain that the Italian ancestor retained Italian citizenship until the birth of the descendants. The lack of naturalization or the date of any naturalization of the ancestor shall be proven by a certificate issued by the competent foreign authorities. Descent from the Italian ancestor shall be proven by means of civil status documents of birth and marriage; said documents shall be duly legalized, where requested, and accompanied by an official translation. In this regard, it should be noted that the transmission of Italian citizenship through maternal lineage is possible only for children born after January 1, 1948, e.g. the date of entry into force of the Constitution. It shall be certified that neither the applicant nor the ascendants have ever renounced Italian citizenship – thus interrupting the transmission of citizenship – through appropriate certificates issued by the competent Italian diplomatic and consular authorities.

The applicant shall submit his/her application accompanied by the required complete documentation designed to prove the requirements and conditions listed above.

The application shall be submitted to the consular office of the district in which the foreigner of Italian origin lives.

  1. Citizenship by marriage to an Italian citizen or by civil partnership

The acquisition of citizenship by the foreign or stateless spouse of an Italian citizen is regulated by Articles 5, 6, 7 and 8 of Law 91/92 and subsequent amendments.

The foreign spouse can acquire Italian citizenship upon request, if the following requirements are met:

  • in Italy: two years of legal residence after marriage or since the date of acquisition of Italian citizenship by naturalization of the spouse; abroad: three years after marriage or since the date of acquisition of Italian citizenship by naturalization of the spouse. These terms are halved in case of children born of or adopted by the spouses;
  • validity of marriage for the Italian legal system and registration of the marriage certificate with the competent Italian Municipality, as well as persistence of the marriage bond until the adoption of the decree;
  • absence of convictions for offences leading to a maximum penalty of three years of prison or convictions by a foreign judicial authority of over one year for non-political offences, when the conviction has been registered in Italy;
  • absence of convictions for one of the crimes and offences listed in Book 2, Title I, Chapters I, II and III of the Criminal Code (offences against the State);
  • absence of obstacles relating to the security of the Italian Republic;
  • certified knowledge of the Italian language at a level no lower than B1 of the “Common Reference Framework for Knowledge f Languages” (rule in force for the applications submitted starting from December 4, 2018).

People living abroad shall currently submit an online application to acquire the Italian citizenship, according to the new procedure established by the competent Interior Ministry.

The applicant shall register on the dedicated portal, called PORTALE SERVIZI, at the following url: https://www.interno.gov.it/servizi/servizi-line and, once logged in, will have access to the online procedure for submitting the citizenship application.

In order to facilitate the identification of the diplomatic-consular Representation territorially competent to receive the application, at the above mentioned Internet address there is a link which enables the user – after having selected the country of residence – to choose, by means of a drop-down menu, the competent Representation by accessing a list which includes the entire diplomatic-consular network of the selected country.

The user shall fill in all the fields in the form and enclose the following mandatory documents required by the Interior Ministry to apply for citizenship (please note that the E.U. Regulation No. 2016/1191, which entered into force on February 16, 2019, provides for the exemption from legalisation provided that public documents are issued to an EU citizen by the authorities of his/her Member State of nationality):

  1. birth certificate of the country of origin (in compliance with the legalisation/apostille and translation requirements laid down by the legislation in force), complete with all personal details, or, in the event of documented impossibility to obtain it, a certificate issued by the diplomatic-consular authorities of the country of origin, stating the applicant’s exact personal details (name, surname, date and place of birth), as well as paternity and maternity;
  2. criminal record certificate of the country of origin, and of any third countries of residence and countries of which the applicant holds citizenship (in compliance with the legalisation/apostille and translation requirements under current legislation);
  3. receipt of payment of 250 euros;
  4. identitydocument: photocopy of s valid passport (pages with personal data, photograph, dates of issue and expiry) or identity card;
  5. certificate of knowledge of the Italian language at a level not lower than B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) or qualification issued by a public or officially certified private educational institution recognized by the Ministry of Education, University and Research and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

 

The CLIQ (Certificazione Lingua Italiana di Qualità) certifying bodies – possibly in collaboration with local Italian cultural institutes – are only the University for Foreigners of Siena, the University for Foreigners of Perugia, the University of Roma Tre and the Società Dante Alighieri.

 

The following people are not required to provide a qualification or certification proving knowledge of the Italian language:

  1. foreigners (even if resident abroad) who have signed the integration agreement referred to in Article 4 bis of Legislative Decree No. 286/1998 (Consolidated Act on Immigration);
  2. holders of an EU (or EC) stay permit for long-term residents referred to in Article 9 of the above stated Consolidated Act.

 

In order to find out which educational institutions are authorised to issue the requested certification, please consult the dedicated web page of the Italian language portal (portale della Lingua Italiana). 

After the online submission, the applicant will be summoned by the diplomatic-consular Representation that received the application for identification and for fulfilling the other procedures necessary to finalise the application, including the acquisition of the original documents attached to the application submitted online and any other document that may be useful for its examination. In this regard, it should be noted that, if the applicant is an EU citizen, the marriage certificate, the family status certificate and the spouse’s Italian citizenship certificate are replaced by self-certification in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 445/2000 and most recently with Law No. 183/2011.

Applicants who are nationals of a non-EU country may be exempted from submitting the marriage certificate, the family status certificate and the spouse’s Italian citizenship certificate, only if these documents are already in the possession of the diplomatic-consular Representation.

Pursuant to Article 4, paragraph 5, of Presidential Decree No. 572/93, the Interior Ministry may request other documents as appropriate.

Please note that, in accordance with the Interior Ministry’s directive of March 7, 2012, as from June 1, 2012, competence to issue decrees granting citizenship lies with:

  • the Prefect in case of applications submitted by foreigners legally residing in Italy;
  • the Head of the Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration, if the foreign spouse resides abroad;
  • the Interior Minister if there are reasons relating to the security of the Republic.

To all intents and purposes, we suggest you to consult the website of the Representation competent by residence.

Following the publication in the Official Journal (issue No. 22 of January 27, 2017) of Legislative Decrees No. 5, 6 and 7 of January 19, 2017 – adopted pursuant to Art. 1, paragraph 28, of Law No. 76 of May 20, 2016 (Rules and regulations on civil partnerships between same-sex persons and rules and regulations on living together) – as from February 11, 2017, applications for Italian citizenship may be submitted online, pursuant to Articles 5 and 7 of Law No. 91/1992, also by foreign citizens who have established civil partnerships with Italian citizens, entered in the civil status registers of the Italian Municipality .

 

  1. Citizenship granted as a result of acknowledgment of paternity/maternity or judicial ruling on paternity/maternity when minors 

Law No. 91/92 attaches particular importance to the acquisition of citizenship when minors as a result of:

  1. a) acknowledgment of paternity / maternity or judicial ruling on paternity / maternity;
  2. b) adoption;
  3. c) parent’s naturalization.
  4. a) Citizenship through acknowledgment of paternity / maternity or judicial ruling on paternity / maternity

A minor who is acknowledged by an Italian citizen to be of Italian parentage or is declared to be of Italian parentage through a judicial ruling on paternity / maternity is an Italian citizen (Article 2, paragraph 1, of Law No. 91/92).

  1. Citizenship granted as a result of adoption when minors

 

Italian citizenship is granted to any minor child adopted by an Italian citizen by means of a ruling of the Italian judicial authorities or, in case of adoption abroad, by means of a ruling issued abroad and made effective and binding in Italy, through an order (issued by the Juvenile Court) for registration in the Civil Status Registers.

Adoptees of legal age can acquire citizenship by naturalization after 5 years of legal residence in Italy since adoption.

 

  1. Citizenship granted to minors as a result of parents’ naturalization

In accordance with Article 14 of Law No. 91/92, “The minor children of those who acquire or reacquire Italian citizenship, while living together with them, shall acquire Italian citizenship but, after coming of legal age, they can renounce it, if in possession of other citizenship”.

Hence the acquisition of citizenship takes place automatically only when they live together and the person is not of legal age, in accordance with the Italian legal system.

For the parents who have become Italian to pass their status civitatis onto their children, the following three conditions shall be met:

– there is a parent-child relation; children are not of legal age; parents live together with their children.

Article 12 of Presidential Decree No. 572/93 clearly lays down that the condition of living together shall be stable and effective, as well as certified with appropriate documents, and shall also exist at the time of parents’ acquisition or reacquisition of citizenship.

 

  1. Choice of citizenship following acknowledgement of parentage when adults

 

If the acknowledgement or judicial ruling regards adults, they acquire Italian citizenship only if they express their will to do so within a year of the ruling by means of a “choice of citizenship” (Article 2, paragraph 2, of Law No. 91/92).

In the event that the acknowledgement or judicial ruling concerns adults, pursuant to Article 3 of Presidential Decree No. 572 of October 12, 1993 (Regulations for implementing Law No. 91/92), the declaration for choosing citizenship referred to in Article 2, paragraph 2, of the Law shall be accompanied by the following documents:

– birth certificate (for exactly identifying the person concerned);

– acknowledgement certificate or certified copy of the ruling with which paternity or maternity is declared;

– parent’s citizenship certificate.

These above stated certificates are the prerequisite for requesting citizenship.

Lastly, it should be noted that the judicial ruling of acknowledgement of parentage may have been made abroad: in this case, the one-year period for making the declaration to choose citizenship shall be calculated from the date on which the foreign ruling is made effective and binding in Italy.

 

  1. Citizenship granted as a result of benefits granted by law to certain groups of people (Article 4)

This type of acquisition, regulated by Article 4 of Law No. 91/92, refers to cases that apply only to the Italian territory. Hence reference shall be made to the Interior Ministry for the relevant regulations.

 

  1. Granting of citizenship pursuant to Article 9 (including work carried out for the State)

 

Article 9 of the Law envisages the granting of Italian citizenship by Decree of the President of the Republic, providing for different ways and methods based on specific requirements and graduating the period of legal residence required to legitimize the submission of the related application.

As a general rule, legal residence on the Italian territory for at least ten years is required for non-EU foreigners (Article 9, subparagraph f), but there are many cases for which the period of residence required is shorter:

– 3 years of legal residence for the foreigners whose father, mother, or any of the second-degree ascendants in a direct line were Italian by birth or for the foreigners born in Italy and residing there;

– 4 years for the citizens of an EU Member State;

– 5 years of legal residence following adoption for the foreigners of legal age or following the recognition of the status of stateless people or political refugees.

The requirement of residence is not envisaged for the foreigners who worked also abroad for the Italian State for at least five years (Article 9, subparagraph c).

As to the cases which apply only to the Italian territory, reference shall be made to the Interior Ministry for the related regulations.

Article 9, paragraph 2, lays down that Italian citizenship may be granted by Decree of the President of the Republic – after hearing the Council of State’s opinion and with a prior resolution of the Council of Ministers, upon proposal of the Interior Minister, jointly with the Foreign Minister – to foreigners who rendered eminent services to Italy, or when there is an exceptional interest of the State.

The starting of the procedure does not require an initiative by the person concerned, but requires a proposal made by bodies, organizations, public personalities, associations, etc., proving a thorough assessment of the existence of the requirements established by law.

The procedure envisages that the opinions of the law enforcement agencies and, for those living in Italy, of the Prefecture of the place of residence are obtained.

It is, however, necessary to obtain the declaration of agreement by the party interested in acquiring citizenship.

Even in this case, the Presidential Decree granting Italian citizenship is not effective and binding if the person concerned, when living abroad, does not take an oath of allegiance to the Italian Republic before the relevant consular authorities, as provided for by Article 10 of the Law.

The achievement of the Italian status civitatis shall be effective and binding as from the day following the oath.

 

  1. Granting of citizenship based on the principle of ius soli as a residual and supplementary criterion

 

Italian citizenship is granted to:

– the subjects born on Italian soil whose parents are unknown, stateless or cannot pass their citizenship onto their children, in accordance with the laws of the State of which they are citizens (Article 1, paragraph 1, subparagraph b, of law No. 91/92);

– the children of unknown parentage who are found abandoned on Italian soil, whose citizenship cannot be ascertained (Article 1, paragraph 2, of Law No. 91/92).

 

  1. Loss of citizenship

Italian citizens can lose citizenship automatically or formally renouncing it.

Citizenship is lost automatically by:

  1. any Italian citizen who voluntary enlists in the armed forces of a foreign country or accepts a government post with a foreign State, despite this is expressly prohibited by Italian law (Article 12, paragraph 1, of Law No. 91/92);
  2. any Italian citizen who served during a state of war with a foreign country, held a government post or acquired citizenship of that State (Article 12, paragraph 2, of Law No. 91/92);
  3. adoptees whose adoption is revoked by fault of their own, provided that they hold or acquire citizenship of another country (Article 3, paragraph 3, of Law No. 91/92) .

 

  1. Renunciation of Italian citizenship

 

The following subjects lose citizenship provided that they formally renounce it:

  1. adoptees of legal age, following revocation of adoption by fault of their own, provided that they hold or reacquire citizenship of another country (Article 3, paragraph 4, of Law No. 91/92);
  2. any Italian citizen living abroad and holding, acquiring or reacquiring citizenship of another country (Article 11 of Law No. 91/92);
  3. any subject of legal age who acquired Italian citizenship as a minor, following the acquisition or reacquisition of citizenship from either parents, provided he / she holds citizenship of another country (Article 14 of Law No. 91/92).

In case of residence abroad, the declaration for renouncing citizenship shall be made at the competent consular office. It shall be accompanied by the following documents:

– birth certificate issued by the Municipality where the birth certificate is registered;

– certificate of Italian citizenship;

– documentation relating to the possession of foreign citizenship;

– documentation relating to residence abroad, where required.

The minor does NOT lose Italian citizenship if one or both parents lose it or reacquire foreign citizenship.

 

  1. Reacquisition of citizenship
  2. The reacquisition of citizenship is regulated by the provisions of Article 13 of Law No, 91/92. In particular, citizens living abroad, who lost their citizenship, can reacquire it, pursuant to paragraph 1, subparagraph c), with a prior specific declaration to the consular office, if they take up residence in Italy within a year since said declaration;
  3. Women married to foreigners prior to January 1, 1948, who – by virtue of marriage – automatically acquired their husbands’ citizenship, lost the Italian citizenship and can reacquire it, even though they live abroad, by means of a declaration. In case of residence abroad, the declaration for the reacquisition of citizenship shall be made to the competent consular office.
  • It shall be accompanied by the following documents:
  • birth certificate issued by the Municipality where the birth certificate is registered;
  • documentation proving past possession of Italian citizenship;
  • documentation relating to the possession of foreign citizenship or stateless status;
  • family status certificate or equivalent document.

 

  1. Statement of uninterrupted possession of citizenship for women married to foreign citizens since January 1, 1948

Women who, after January 1, 1948, automatically acquired foreign citizenship as a result of marriage with foreign citizens or as a result of their Italian-born husbands becoming naturalized citizens of other countries did NOT lose their Italian citizenship. In order to keep the civil status records updated, the women concerned (or their descendants) shall express their desire to maintain said citizenship to the competent consular authorities through a statement of uninterrupted possession of citizenship.

nationals living in Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia from 1940 to 1947, who lost their property when those territories were assigned to the Yugoslav Republic in accordance with the Treaties of Paris of February 10, 1947, and their descendants;

the Italian nationals living until 1977 in the so-called “Zone B” of the former Free Territory of Trieste, who lost Italian citizenship when said territory was assigned to the Yugoslav Republic pursuant to the Treaty0, 1975, and their descendants.

 

  1. Granting of citizenship pursuant to Law No. 379/2000 and Law No. 124/2006

1) to the people born and formerly living in the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and their descendants, pursuant to Law No. 379 of December 14, 2000 (no longer in force as from December 20, 2010)

The declaration designed to obtain Italian citizenship for the persons born and formerly living in the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and their descendants, pursuant to Law No. 379/2000, could be made by December 20, 2010 to the Italian consular office if the applicant was living abroad, or to the Civil Status Registrar of the Municipality if the applicant was living in Italy.

The declarations submitted by the deadline are examined by an Interministerial Committee set up within the Interior Ministry, which provides its opinion on the existence of the requirements set by law. If the opinion is favourable, the Interior Ministry shall issue an authorization to the granting of citizenship.

The necessary requirements for granting Italian citizenship are the following:

– ancestor’s birth and residence in the territories formerly belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and acquired by Italy at the end of the First World War with the Treaty of San Germano;

– ancestor’s emigration abroad in the period between December 25, 1867 and July 16, 1920.

2) to the Italian nationals living in Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia and to their descendants pursuant to Law No. 124 of March 8, 2006, which is still in force940 to 1947, who lost their property when those territories were assigned to the Yugoslav Republic in accordance with the Treaties of Paris of February 10, 1947, and their descendants;

Italian nationals living until 1977 in the so-called “Zone B” of the former Free Territory of Trieste, who lost Italian citizenship when said territory was assigned to the Yugoslav Republic pursuant 1975, and their descendants.

Italian citizenship may be granted to:

  • the Italian nationals living in Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia from 1940 to 1947, who lost Italian citizenship when said territories were assigned to the Yugoslav Republic, in accordance with the Treaties of Paris of February 10, 1947, and their descendants;
  • the Italian nationals living until 1977 in the so-called “Zone B” of the former Free Territory of Trieste, who lost Italian citizenship when said territory was assigned to the Yugoslav Republic pursuant to the Treaty of Osimo of November 10, 1975, and their descendants.

The applications shall be submitted to the Italian consular office if the applicants live abroad, or to the Municipality if they live in Italy.

Two separate groups of beneficiaries shall be distinguished:

  1. subjects falling within the scope of Article 19 of the Peace Treaty of Paris, as already resident in the territories assigned in 1947.

In order to prove the existence of the requirements set out by Article 17 bis, paragraph 1, subparagraph (a), of Law No. 91/92, the following documents shall be attached to the application for being granted citizenship:

  1. a) birth certificate, possibly on an international standard form;
  2. b) certificate attesting to possession of foreign nationality;
  3. c) current residence certificate;
  4. d) certification or documentation proving residence – on June 10, 1940 – in the territories assigned to the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;
  5. e) certification proving that the person concerned was an Italian citizen on September 15, 1947 – the date on which the Peace Treaty of Paris came into force – (or equivalent documentation such as registration certificate, passport, etc.);
  6. f) certification issued by any clubs, associations or communities of Italians present in the foreign territory of residence, showing the date of registration, the habitual language of the person concerned and any other useful element proving knowledge of the Italian language;
  7. g) any other useful documentation proving the habitual language of the person concerned (e.g. copies of certificates of attendance of Italian language schools, school reports, etc.). The children or descendants in a direct line of the subjects falling within the scope of Article 19 of the aforementioned Peace Treaty of Paris, who intend to avail themselves of Article 17-bis, paragraph 1, subparagraph b), shall attach the following documents to the application for being granted Italian citizenship:

– certification or documentation showing that the applicant’s parent or direct ascendant meets the requirements set out under d, e, f and g above;

– birth certificate proving the direct descent relationship between the applicant and the parent or ascendant;

– certificate attesting to the possession of foreign nationality;

– certification issued by any associations or communities of Italians, present in the foreign territory of residence, certifying the applicant’s knowledge of the Italian language and culture;

– any other useful documentation proving the applicant’s knowledge of the Italian language and culture.

  1. Subjects falling within the scope of Article 3 of the Treaty of Osimo, formerly resident in the territory of the so-called “Zone B” of the former Free Territory of Trieste

In order to prove the existence of the requirements set out by Article 17 bis, paragraph 1, subparagraph (a), of Law No. 91/92, the following documents shall be attached to the application for being granted citizenship:

  1. a) birth certificate, possibly on an international standard form;
  2. b) certificate attesting to the possession of foreign nationality;
  3. c) current residence certificate;
  4. d) certification or appropriate documentation proving their residence and Italian citizenship on April 3, 1977 (date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Osimo);
  5. e) certification issued by any clubs, associations or communities of Italians present in the foreign territory of residence, showing the date of registration, the habitual language of the person concerned and any other useful element proving knowledge of the Italian language;
  6. f) any useful documentation proving they belong to the Italian ethnic group, as provided for in the aforementioned Article 3.

The children or descendants in a direct line of the subjects falling within the scope of Article 3 of the Treaty of Osimo, shall attach the following documents to the application for being granted Italian citizenship, submitted pursuant to Article 17-bis, paragraph 1, subparagraph b):

– certification or documentation showing that the applicant’s parent or direct ascendant meets the requirements set out under d, e and f above;

– birth certificate proving the direct descent relationship between the applicant and the parent or ascendant;

– certificate attesting to the possession of foreign nationality;

– certification issued by any associations or communities of Italians, present in the foreign territory of residence, certifying the applicant’s knowledge of the Italian language and culture;

– any other useful documentation proving the applicant’s knowledge of the Italian language and culture.

The applications are examined by an Interministerial Committee set up within the Interior Ministry, which provides its opinion on the existence of the requirements set by law. If the opinion is favourable, it shall issue an authorization to the granting of citizenship.

 

  1. Administrative simplification and costs

Please note that in the light of Articles 43, paragraph 1, 46 and 47 of Presidential Decree No. 445/2000 (as amended by Law No. 183/2011) and with the limits set out in Article 3 of the aforementioned Presidential Decree, Italian public administrations are obliged to acquire ex officio the information, data and documents that are already in the Public Administration’s possession, subject to the provision by the person concerned of the elements that are essential for retrieving the information or data requested.

Therefore, in the case of applications for the acquisition or renunciation of citizenship submitted by Italian, EU or non-EU citizens legally residing in Italy, applicants shall not provide certificates containing information or data already in the Italian Public Administration’s possession, but shall simply indicate in the application all the elements that are essential for finding such information or data.

As from August 8, 2009, the applications or declarations for choosing, acquiring, reacquiring, renouncing or granting Italian citizenship are subject to the payment of a fee equal to 250 euros. As from July 8, 2014, all applications for the granting of Italian citizenship submitted by people of legal age are subject to the payment of a fee for processing the application equal to 300 euros.