Italian Citizenship by Descent - Steps in the Process (2024)

When preparing to begin the process of Italian citizenship, it can be a wonderful idea to have a step by step guide so you can complete the required tasks in an order which will help you to accomplish the process as efficiently as possible. We would like this article to serve as a general outline of each part of the process to assist you when embarking upon the journey to your recognition of Italian citizenship.

If you are seeking more detailed information, we recommend going through our in-depth A to Z Guide to Italian Citizenship co-authored by ICA’s founder and Italian attorney Marco Permunian and Rafael Di Furia, friend of ICA, both of whom also host one of our favorite projects to date, The Italian Citizenship Podcast.

Step 1 – Where To Begin

The first step is to determine who is the Italian ancestor you are able to make a claim through. You may want to take into consideration how accessible the relevant/essential information necessary will be, which includes the following:

• Where your Italian-born ancestor was born
• The name of the city or village that he/she was born in
• The birth date and any possible aliases used by that ancestor
• If/when that ancestor naturalized
• names of all the individuals in the applicant’s Italian line and their dates of birth and marriage, starting from the ancestor who was born in Italy

Step 2 – Confirming Eligibility

It will then be necessary to confirm your eligibility for recognition of Italian citizenship. This will heavily rely upon the information you’ve found through the previous step. If your Italian ancestor naturalized before the birth of the next generation that comes between you and your Italian ancestor, that may immediately disqualify a hopeful claimant. However, if a naturalization either never occurred or took place after the birth of the next generation in your family, then this is very good news and will help you to take the next steps on your Italian citizenship journey.

Please note: if your male Italian-born ancestor naturalized before the birth his US-born child you may still be able to claim citizenship through your female Italian-born ancestor (for more info on 1948 cases click here)

Step 3 – Information / Document Gathering
Acquiring necessary certificates and records…

In order to back up your claim to Italian citizenship, the first 3 records which we recommend obtaining would be the birth certificate of your Italian ancestor and the document which establishes their residency status within the US (citizen or alien resident or never registered) as well as the birth certificate of the person next in line. This step can be required as part of step one to help you with step two. However, some applicants may know these details before having the documents in their hands to confirm this vital information.

Once you’ve received the copies of the documents confirming your eligibility, it may be prudent to make your appointment with the Italian consulate as soon as possible due to the fact that appointments are normally booked far in advance. Because you will likely have time before your appointment you should have more than enough time to accomplish the next steps. Gathering your documents before making your appointment may unnecessarily delay your process.

Step 4 – Building Your “Citizenship Packet”

Once you have confirmed all of the information on the acquired documents, you will then need to procure all the other relevant documents for you and your family line such as: certificates of birth, marriage, divorce, death and name changes, all of which document the family line of descent from your Italian born ancestor down to you.

Step 5 – Certifications and Legalizations
Certification, legalizations and translations of all non-Italian records. In this step, once you have received all of your necessary vital documents to support your case, you will need to make sure the non-Italian records have the appropriate authentications, which allow certified copies to be used abroad. Once you have collected all of the certified copies and endorsem*nts, you will then need to translate these documents. This is a service which we include as part of our service packages. If you plan on applying in Italy, it will be necessary to also have your translations certified, whereas if applying outside of Italy, translations are often certified as part of the consular fee.

Step 6 – Show and Tell

The next step would be to attend your meeting and apply for recognition of your Italian citizenship. When making an application for Italian citizenship by descent either through a consulate or directly in Italy it will be necessary for all adult claimants to appear in person at the consulate or at an Italian municipal office. The documents will be looked over and thoroughly checked by a clerk responsible for such matters. This is when the clerk will decide whether or not further documentation is required. When an applicant applies on their own, unfortunately, it is a common occurrence as it is very easy to overlook a small detail here and there. However, due to our diligent team of dual citizenship experts and attorneys, our clients are rarely ever asked for additional supporting documentation. For more information and details about how we can help you please do not hesitate to contact us

Step 6a

If you are given any “homework” (gathering of supplemental information), you will need to make sure that the consulate or Italian municipality (if applying in Italy) has those records so that the process may continue.

Step 7 – The Hard Part

You may find this the most difficult and frustrating step… waiting. At this point there is nothing you have to do to expedite the process, you have done your part, you will simply need to wait for the answer from the Italian authorities in regard to your citizenship status. Many find this period frustrating since the consulates or the comuni often don’t communicate their progress on processing until after a person has already been registered as a citizen of Italy. Nevertheless, in some situations it can be prudent to be in contact with the office responsible for your case. Keep in mind it is not unusual for processing to take between 6 months and 1 year but in spite of that, some applicants are fortunate enough to enjoy a process that takes only 1 to 6 months.

Step 8 – Almost There!

If you are living outside of Italy and have gained recognition of citizenship, you will need to confirm your registration in the AIRE (The Italian Government’s Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad) which allows you to get your Italian passport. Applying for a passport can only be accomplished after being registered in the AIRE (a step that is often automatically completed when applying outside of Italy). To do this you will then have another appointment with the Italian consulate so you can apply for your Italian passport. Or, if you have completed the process in Italy, AIRE registration is not necessary and you will be registered in the municipality where you have applied. You will first need to get your Italian identification card from the local municipality of your Italian residence. After that you will then be able to make an appointment to apply for your passport at your local Italian Police headquarters. Although, in some locations it is still possible to make a request for an Italian passport without an appointment.

Keep in mind, it is already before this step that you are already officially an Italian citizen. This final step is simply a procedure to solidify your status and give you tangible proof that you are an officially recognized Italian citizen!

Click here to download our PDF guide:Italian Citizenship – Steps in the process

Should you have any questions about the process feel free to send us an email ([emailprotected])