In cases where recognition or judicial establishment of parentage concerns an adult, the individual will acquire Italian citizenship only from the moment they express their intention to do so through the legal act known as an “election of citizenship.”
Judgment No. 5518/2024 of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation provided a new interpretation of Article 2, paragraph 2, of Law No. 91/1992, according to which the acquisition of citizenship by a child whose parentage is recognized or judicially established during adulthood takes effect from the individual’s date of birth.
REQUIREMENTS
In light of the reform of Law No. 91 of 5 February 1992, the applicant must meet at least one of the following requirements:
- Be born in Italy to at least one Italian parent (including an adoptive parent), regardless of the date of birth;
- Be born to a parent (including an adoptive parent), or have a grandparent, who, on the applicant’s date of birth, held Italian citizenship exclusively. If the grandparent through whom citizenship is claimed died before the applicant’s birth, the requirement of exclusive Italian citizenship will be assessed as of the date of death;
- Be born to an Italian citizen parent or adoptive parent who resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the child’s date of birth or adoption.
It is also necessary for the parent whose Italian citizenship the applicant wishes to elect to already be an Italian citizen. If the parent does not yet hold Italian citizenship, they must first request an appointment for citizenship reconstruction before proceeding with the citizenship application for the recognized adult child.
Acquisition of citizenship as a child recognized during adulthood is subject to a €250 fee, payable to the Italian Ministry of the Interior. Payments made at the Consulate are not accepted, nor will receipts be accepted if the applicant’s name does not appear in the payment reference/purpose.
The applicant must be resident within the consular district of the Consulate General of Italy in Jeddah. Proof of residence must be provided.
To initiate the procedure, an appointment must be requested by email at anagrafe.gedda@esteri.it, specifying in the subject line “Election of Citizenship Following Recognition of Parentage During Adulthood” and attaching the applicant’s birth certificate showing the marginal annotation concerning the recognition of parentage.