Citizenship In Italy

Don’t forget that if gaining citizenship and a passport in your new home is a goal, you should think it through before you make any residency applications.

Italy in particular is an interesting country for seeking citizenship, as so many Americans claim Italian ancestry, which could make them eligible to seek citizenship…

Italy recognizes jus sanguinis, meaning any child born to at least one Italian parent is an Italian citizen, even if born abroad.

Additionally, Italy is one of several countries, mostly in the European Union, that offer citizenship by ancestry. If you have ancestors who were born in Italy, you’re eligible to claim citizenship (provided no one in your Italian lineage renounced their citizenship).

The program favors paternal lineage; if the Italian parent is your mother, you have to have been born after 1948. There is no such restriction for paternal Italian ancestry. There are categories for great-grandparents as well, again favoring the male side. That is, it’s easiest if your great-grandfather from Italy had a son who is your grandfather, who had a son who is your father.

Here are particular qualifying scenarios:

Category 1: Your father was an Italian citizen at the time of your birth and you never renounced your right to Italian citizenship;

Category 2: Your mother was an Italian citizen at the time of your birth, you were born after January 1, 1948, and you never renounced your right to Italian citizenship;

Category 3: Your father was born in the United States or a country other than Italy, your paternal grandfather was an Italian citizen at the time of your father’s birth, neither you nor your father ever renounced your right to the Italian citizenship;

Category 4: Your mother was born in the United States or a country other than Italy, your maternal grandfather was an Italian citizen at the time of your mother’s birth, you were born after Jan. 1, 1948 and neither you nor your mother ever renounced your right to Italian citizenship;

Category 5: Your paternal or maternal grandparents were born in the United States from Italian parents and they never renounced their right to Italian citizenship.

If one of the above scenarios applies to you, the best place to start is your local Italian consulate, where you should be able to get answers to your questions and details on the procedure to follow.

More information on citizenship is available from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation here (in Italian).