Italy: Further Revised Restrictions on Citizenship in Effect

Effective May 24, 2025, Italy has introduced revised restrictions on pathways to citizenship. Initially, a variation of these restrictions came into effect as a so-called ‘emergency decree’ on March 28, 2025 before being further revised via parliamentary discussions in May 2025.

First, descendants of Italian citizens born outside Italy are now only eligible for Italian citizenship if they have either: a parent or a grandparent who holds, or held (if deceased), exclusively Italian citizenship (the April restrictions were slightly more restrictive on this point requiring an applicant’s parent or grandparent to have been born in Italy); or if they have a parent who has lived in Italy for two continuous years after acquiring Italian citizenship. These restrictions do not apply to individuals who have applied for citizenship before March 28, 2025.

Second, children born outside Italy to Italian parents no longer automatically acquire Italian citizenship. Rather, their parents must now submit a declaration within one year of the child’s birth in order for the child to obtain Italian citizenship. If this does not occur, the child will be eligible for Italian citizenship only if they subsequently reside in Italy for two years. As a limited exception, parents of eligible children not registered before May 24, 2025 have until May 31, 2026, to submit a declaration on their child’s behalf.