Italian citizenship via ancestor
Nicolò Bolla

Nicolò Bolla

Italian citizenship via jure sanguinis

If you are descended from an Italian citizen, you are likely to be eligible to claim Italian citizenship. Having an Italian ancestor is not enough to claim your Italian citizenship, in fact you must also demonstrate that the citizenship was passed forward from your Italian ascendant to you.

Since 1992 Italy allows dual citizenship, meaning that you can be an Italian citizen and US citizen (just an example), before such time, the voluntary acquisition of any non-Italian citizenship meant the automatic renunciation to the Italian ones.

If your ancestor was born overseas in a country that allows the ius soli rule of citizenship, then the foreign citizenship has been acquired involuntarily, hence they could pass the Italian citizenship onwards to their children. A general exception to this rule is if your ancestor renounced the Italian citizenship prior to having any descendent, in such a case the Italian citizenship is not passed forward.

italian citizenship via ancestry
Italian citizenship via ancestry

How to claim your Italian citizenship through heritage?

First of all you need to do some research. You need to identify precisely who your ancestor was, and provide the basic information:

  • Full name;
  • Date of birth;
  • Place of birth;
  • Date of immigration overseas;
  • Date of naturalization (if happened);
  • Lineal descendants.

Once you have this information, you need to find out if you can qualify for Italian citizenship. The following cases qualify you for Italian citizenship.

  • Any child born from an Italian parent, or from a parent with the right to claim Italian citizenship;
  • If the child was born before 1992, the Italian parent should not have renounced Italian citizenship prior the child’s birth;
  • If the lineal ascendant is a woman born before January 1st 1948, the claim to citizenship is not automatic, and you need to appeal to the Tribunal to enforce the citizenship claim;
  • Any ancestor naturalized before June 14 1912 cannot carry forward Italian citizenship under any circumstance.

The above conditions must be met by ALL of the lineal ascendants, if any interruption occurs at any point of the lineage, you are disqualified from claiming your Italian citizenship.

How does the Italian citizenship application process work?

The application process is generally administered by the Italian consulate where you reside. You need to provide to them your personal file, connecting your ancestor(s) to you, therefore you need to file:

  • Your ancestor(s) birth certificates from Italy;
  • Death certificates;
  • Marriage certificates;
  • Documents proving the name change during life (if applicable);
  • Your vital records.

It is also possible to secure a VISA to Italy and request the procedure at any local Comune where you take up your residency. This process is normally faster since the consulate is not in charge of this procedure, thus removing a layer of bureaucracy on top of this process.

What if my ancestor is a woman born before January 1st 1948?

If that is your case, you can still qualify for Italian citizenship, however you need to obtain this recognition through a court order instead of the administrative procedure. This means that you can still have your Italian passport, but you need to hire a lawyer to represent you in front of the court.

This discrimination based law has been challenged in court, and in 2009 the Italian tribunal has stated that the non discrimination laws applied by the Italian constitution approved in 1948 apply retroactively as basic principles.

This court ruling has paved the way to numerous other appeals, allowing the Italian citizenship applicant to claim the Italian passport on the ground of this court order.

Notwithstanding this ruling, you must still prove your ancestry lineage.

Share this post:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

Senior Couple on a Bench - Senior Discounts in Italy

Senior Discounts in Italy

For E.U. and Non-E.U. Citizens Most discounts for seniors are reserved for E.U. residents or those who retire to Italy and not for visitors or tourists. However, some attractions will still extend discounts to tourists if asked. In theory, these subsidized prices are the result of tax collection and are a benefit of belonging to

Padova main square - Cheapest place to retire in Italy

Cheapest Place to Retire in Italy

Retiring to Italy In order to retire to Italy there are only a few qualifications that you must meet in order to obtain the special “elective residence” visa. Because you are retiring you will be unable to work in Italy, but must be able to prove that you can sustain yourself through social security and

Doctor holding tools - Healthcare in Italy for expats

Healthcare in Italy for Expats

Healthcare in Italy The Italian healthcare system ranks second in the world, next only to France, and it only recently dropped out of first place. Italians have the 11th highest life expectancy in the world. Why? Their outstanding healthcare system and medical facilities combined with cutting edge diagnostic and treatment methods. 9% of the country’s

Safety in Italy - Venice canals

Safety in Italy

Traveling to Italy Traveling during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is not risk free, but the risk is certainly lower in some countries and higher in others. At the moment it is possible that any country may restrict travel or introduce new rules with little or no notice. For example, with the outbreak of a new

Retire in Emilia Romagna - Arches of Bologna

Retire to Emilia Romagna

Retiring to Emilia Romagna Emilia Romagna is one of the many Italian regions that stands out for its high quality of life and beautiful cities. Due to its northern placement in the EU, Emilia Romagna is among the wealthier regions in Italy and whose provinces include: Bologna, Modena, Parma, Piacenza and a couple other smaller

Scroll to Top

Join us for
amazing
content

Joing our mailing and receive at your mailbox our amazing real estate opportunities, services updates and the latest news.