Applying for Italian Citizenship Through Ancestry: 2026 Updated Legal Guide

How to apply for Italian citizenship through lineage? A comprehensive legal guide on Ius sanguinis, citizenship through Italian ancestry, the 2025 reform, Law 91/1992, the two-generation limit, the 1948 female line, naturalization, the chain of documents, and consular and court procedures.

Entrance

Applying for Italian citizenship through ancestry is a special citizenship pathway where individuals of Italian descent can request recognition of Italian citizenship through their ancestors. In Italian practice, this pathway “cittadinanza iure sanguinis” or “cittadinanza per discendenza ,” which translates to citizenship through blood ties or ancestry.

For many years, Italian citizenship law was based primarily ius sanguinis, or right of blood. According to this principle, a person born to an Italian mother or father is, as a rule, considered an Italian citizen by birth. Official Italian consular statements also indicate that Italian citizenship is based on the "right of blood" principle; both the old law of 1912 and Law No. 91 of 1992 adopted this principle. According to the fundamental approach of Law No. 91, a person born to an Italian father or mother is an Italian citizen by birth.

However, significant changes were made to Italian citizenship law in 2025. Decree-Law No. 36/2025 and its enacted version, Law No. 74/2025, introduced serious limitations, particularly regarding the automatic granting of Italian citizenship through lineage to individuals born outside Italy and holding another citizenship. These changes necessitate a more careful legal analysis for many applications that previously proceeded with the argument, "I have Italian ancestors, I can apply without generational restrictions."

Therefore, as of 2026, when applying for Italian citizenship through lineage, simply having an Italian ancestor in the family tree will not be sufficient. The applicant's place of birth, whether they hold other citizenships, the number of generations between the Italian ancestor and the applicant, whether it's the maternal or paternal line, whether the ancestor lost their citizenship, the date of naturalization, whether the application was made before March 27, 2025, whether the parent or grandparent was solely an Italian citizen, and whether the Italian parent lived in Italy before the applicant was born must all be examined separately.

What is Italian Citizenship by Bloodline?

Italian citizenship by descent is the act of requesting recognition of citizenship through an Italian mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, or earlier Italian ancestor. This application is technically considered, in most cases, not as "acquisition of citizenship," but rather as administrative or judicial recognition .

In the classical system, the logic was as follows: Italian citizenship is passed from parent to child at birth. If each person in the chain has not lost their Italian citizenship by the time of the birth or coming of age of the next generation, citizenship continues from generation to generation. Therefore, the applicant had to prove an uninterrupted lineage and uninterrupted transfer of citizenship from their Italian ancestor.

However, this system changed after the 2025 reform. Automatic citizenship is now more limited for applicants born outside Italy and holding another citizenship. According to current consular statements, while citizenship through ancestry is still accepted, for those born abroad and holding another citizenship, the system now focuses more on genuine kinship through a first or second-degree ancestor and, in some cases, actual contact with Italy.

The New System After the 2025 Reforms

The 2025 reform marks a turning point for applications for Italian citizenship through ancestry. Before the reform, it was possible to apply through Italian ancestors from very distant generations, provided certain conditions were met. After the reform, however, automatic citizenship became the exception, not the rule, particularly for applicants born outside Italy and holding other citizenships

According to the latest statement from the Italian Consulate General in New York, Law 91/1992 has been amended by Decree-Law 36/2025 and Law 74/2025. Under this new regulation, Italian citizenship (iure sanguinis) can only be granted in certain circumstances: if the applicant was born in Italy to Italian parents; if the applicant possesses only Italian citizenship and cannot claim other citizenship; if the applicant was recognized before 23:59 Rome time on 27 March 2025 or has duly applied by that date; if the applicant has a parent or grandparent who possesses only Italian citizenship; or if the applicant's Italian parent lived continuously in Italy for at least two years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the applicant was born.

The Italian Consulate General in Sydney, summarizing the new regulations, states that Italian citizenship can be passed from parent to child for a maximum of two generations, provided that the Italian parent has not renounced their citizenship or acquired citizenship of another country while the person in their direct line of descent was a minor. Those born abroad must also meet one of the following conditions: possessing only Italian citizenship, having a parent/grandparent who is solely an Italian citizen, or the Italian parent having resided continuously in Italy for at least two years prior to the applicant's birth.

This change is very important for Turkish citizens. Because an applicant born in Türkiye and holding Turkish citizenship may no longer be able to apply for automatic recognition simply by saying "my great-great-grandfather was Italian" as under the old system. The application must be re-evaluated based on concrete family lineage in light of the new Article 3-bis and the 2025 reform.

Who can apply through blood relation?

As of 2026, there are several different possibilities for those who can apply for Italian citizenship through ancestry.

The first possibility is that the applicant was born in Italy to an Italian mother or father. In this case, the classic ius sanguinis rule applies strongly. If the applicant was born in Italy and one of their parents is an Italian citizen, the likelihood of citizenship being recognized is much more direct.

The second possibility is that the applicant only holds Italian citizenship or cannot claim another citizenship. This category applies to a narrower group in practice. The granting of citizenship is assessed differently for individuals who, even if born abroad, do not hold another citizenship or have no possibility of acquiring one.

The third possibility is that the application is made, an appointment is offered, or the applicant's citizenship is recognized in court/administrative proceedings before 23:59 Rome time on March 27, 2025. This date is a critical threshold for the reform. Transitional provisions may apply to those who duly apply or obtain an appointment before this date.

A fourth possibility is that the applicant's parent or grandparent held only Italian citizenship, or was only an Italian citizen at the time of death. In this case, it can be assumed that the applicant has a closer and more genuine citizenship connection with Italy.

The fifth requirement is that the applicant's Italian parent must have lived continuously in Italy for at least two years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the applicant was born or adopted. This condition is a clear indication of the new system's search for "genuine ties to Italy.".

The Two-Generation Limit and its Practical Implications

The most practical result of the 2025 reform is that automatic citizenship through lineage for applicants born abroad and holding another citizenship will no longer extend indefinitely to distant generations. Current consular statements indicate that citizenship can be passed from parent to child for a maximum of two generations, provided other conditions are met.

This rule is particularly critical for those wishing to apply through their Italian great-great-grandfather or even older ancestor. Under the previous system, applicants could trace their lineage back to a very distant Italian ancestor by completing the necessary birth, marriage, death, and naturalization documents. Under the new system, such applications should no longer be automatically deemed acceptable.

For example, a person born in Türkiye, a Turkish citizen, and whose only Italian connection is through their great-great-grandfather, may face a much tougher assessment under the new regulations than before. Conversely, the case may be stronger if the applicant's parent or grandparent was solely an Italian citizen, or if the Italian parent lived in Italy for at least two years before the applicant was born.

Therefore, a family tree should be established in the initial stage of the application, and the following question should be asked: In which generation does the Italian citizenship connection begin, and is the link between the applicant and their Italian ancestor still recognizable according to the new 2025 criteria?

Does Naturalization Break the Chain of Citizenship?

In citizenship applications through lineage, one of the most important issues is whether the Italian ancestor or a person in the family tree acquired citizenship of another country. This is because, in both the old and new systems, for citizenship to be passed down from generation to generation, the individual must not have lost their citizenship at the appropriate time.

According to the official consular statement, if any person of Italian descent or direct line of descent voluntarily acquired citizenship of another country before the next generation is born or reaches the age of majority, and in any case before August 16, 1992, this may lead to the loss of Italian citizenship and the breaking of the chain of citizenship transmission.

The practical implication of this rule is that the applicant cannot prove ancestry solely with birth certificates. They must also prove whether their Italian ancestor acquired another citizenship, and if so, on what date, and whether that date precedes or follows the birth or coming of age of the next person in the lineage.

For example, if an Italian grandfather came to Türkiye and acquired Turkish citizenship, the date of this naturalization is extremely important. If the grandfather acquired Turkish citizenship before the applicant's mother or father was born, the chain of citizenship transfer may be broken. If naturalization occurred after the next generation was born and the necessary conditions were met, the case can still be reviewed. Therefore, naturalization documents, citizenship acquisition/loss records, and historical accuracy determine the fate of the application.

The 1948 Women's Line Issue

One of the long-debated areas of Italian citizenship law is the transfer of citizenship through female lineage. Current consular statements indicate that Italian women can only transfer citizenship to children born after January 1, 1948

This situation has given rise to a category of applications known in practice as "1948 cases". If the applicant's Italian citizenship is through an Italian female ancestor and the child was born before January 1, 1948, the usual administrative application process with the consulate or municipality may not be appropriate in most cases. Such cases may also require judicial review.

For example, if an Italian grandmother gave birth to a child in Türkiye in 1935 and citizenship transfer is established through this woman, an obstacle may be encountered in the administrative recognition process due to the birth occurring before 1948. Conversely, if the Italian female ancestor's child was born in 1950, this specific obstacle may not exist for citizenship transfer through the female line.

Furthermore, in some periods, the issue of Italian women losing their citizenship upon marrying a foreign man has arisen. Consular statements indicate that, particularly regarding the period before 1948, the citizenship status of women should be examined separately due to the nature of the marriage and the citizenship law of the spouse.

Where to Apply?

Applications for Italian citizenship through ancestry are processed according to the applicant's place of residence. If the applicant lives outside Italy, they should, as a rule, apply to the Italian consulate or embassy responsible for the country and region where they reside. If the applicant resides in Italy, the application is processed with the relevant Comune (municipality). The Italian Consulate General in Houston explicitly states that applications for ancestry should be made to the competent Italian consulate or embassy in the applicant's country of residence; if the applicant resides in Italy, they should apply to the relevant Comune.

This is practically important for Turkish citizens. An applicant residing in Türkiye must process their application through the competent Italian diplomatic mission in Türkiye, depending on their place of residence. For applicants who hold residency in another country and actually reside there, the consular district of that country comes into play. It is often not feasible for an applicant to apply to a consulate where they do not actually reside, simply to secure a faster appointment.

Consulates may limit their appointment systems due to high demand. A recent statement from the Sydney Consulate General indicates that consulates will be able to accept a limited number of citizenship recognition applications until the end of 2028, and new appointments for adult applicants may be suspended. This demonstrates that in applications for kinship recognition, not only legal requirements but also appointment and administrative capacity issues pose a serious practical challenge.

Required Documents

In applications for Italian citizenship through ancestry, the chain of documents is fundamental to the application. The applicant must prove, with official documents, their lineage from an Italian ancestor to themselves. If these documents are incomplete, incorrect, contradictory, or not translated, the application may be rejected or a new appointment may be required.

According to the current consular statement, the following documents are generally required for the application: birth certificate of the Italian parent or grandparent from Italy; long-form birth certificates of all persons in the lineage; marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor; marriage certificates of all persons in the lineage; death certificates, if any; documents from the relevant authorities showing that the Italian-born ancestor was not naturalized in another country or acquired another citizenship; naturalization certificate if naturalized; application forms; passport copy; proof of residence; appointment confirmation and application fee. If the documents were obtained from a foreign country, proper legalization/apostillation and Italian translation are required.

The document chain must be consistent in terms of name, surname, date of birth, place of birth, date of marriage, and parent information. Differences in name spelling in older registration systems from Italy, the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, or other countries, the transition to the Latin alphabet, the old/new name of the place of birth, changes after the surname law, surname differences after marriage, and translation errors frequently create problems in application files.

Especially for Turkish citizens, population registration records, international birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, court decisions, name equivalence certificates, and citizenship/naturalization records should be prepared carefully. Applications should not be submitted without making necessary document corrections, record clarifications, court decision or administrative corrections if required.

Why is the Naturalization Certificate Critical?

One of the most critical documents in ancestry cases is proof of whether the Italian ancestor acquired citizenship of another country. The New York Consulate General states that the applicant must submit a document from the relevant authority showing that the Italian-born ancestor was never naturalized or acquired citizenship of another country; if naturalization occurred, the naturalization certificate must also be included in the file.

This issue is particularly important for Turkish citizens. Because the Italian ancestor may have migrated to Ottoman lands, Türkiye, or another country. Whether this person acquired Turkish citizenship, when they did so, the basis for the citizenship decision, and the relationship of this date to the birth/adulthood date of subsequent generations must be investigated.

If the date of naturalization is misinterpreted, the application may be completely flawed. For example, even if the applicant has collected all birth and marriage certificates, the application may be rejected if it is revealed that the Italian ancestor lost their citizenship before the applicant's ancestor was born. Therefore, a citizenship transfer scheme should be prepared at the very beginning of the application, and the question "Was citizenship transfer continuing at this date?" should be answered for each generation.

Application Fee and Deadline

There is a consular processing fee for applications based on ancestry. Some consular statements indicate that there is a mandatory contribution of 600 Euros for adult applicants applying for citizenship based on ancestry ; this payment is taken to process the application and does not guarantee a positive outcome.

The application process can vary depending on consulate workload, appointment system, missing documents, file complexity, and evaluation criteria stemming from the 2025 reform. The Brisbane Consulate states that the citizenship determination process will be completed within 730 days, within the legal timeframe. However, in practice, the time required to schedule an appointment, gather documents, obtain apostille and translation, and request additional documents can significantly extend this total process.

Therefore, applicants should not view the process simply as "submitting documents on the appointment day." Preparation, document collection, family tree analysis, translation, apostille, naturalization research, and any document corrections can often take months or even years.

Consequences of Incomplete or Incorrect Applications

Incomplete applications for paternity leave registration have serious consequences. The New York Consulate General clearly states that applications must include all required documents; incomplete applications will be rejected, requiring a new appointment and payment.

Therefore, the "I'll apply first and complete the missing documents later" approach is risky. Some consulates may request additional documents; however, missing essential documents, incorrect category, wrong appointment, insufficient fees, or obvious identity discrepancies can result in the application not being processed.

The most common errors are: obtaining the birth certificate of the Italian ancestor from the wrong Comune, submitting short-form documents, missing marriage certificates in the lineage, failure to submit death certificates, absence of a naturalization certificate, submitting Turkish documents without apostille or translation, failure to explain name differences, overlooking the 1948 female line, and planning applications based on a distant ancestor that is no longer eligible after the 2025 reform.

Dual Citizenship for Turkish Citizens

One of the most important questions for Turkish citizens is whether they will lose their Turkish citizenship if they acquire Italian citizenship. As a general rule, Turkey accepts multiple citizenships. The General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs states that if individuals who have acquired foreign citizenship for any reason can document this and it is determined that they are the same person, an annotation indicating that they hold multiple citizenships will be added to their family registry records.

Therefore, the recognition of Italian citizenship through ancestry for a Turkish citizen does not automatically mean that their Turkish citizenship is forfeited. A person can be both a Turkish and Italian citizen. However, after Italian citizenship is recognized, declaring multiple citizenships in Türkiye is important for harmonizing population records.

Renouncing Turkish citizenship is a separate and voluntary process. The General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs states that a person wishing to renounce Turkish citizenship must be of legal age and have the capacity to make reasoned decisions, must have acquired foreign citizenship or have credible indications that they will acquire it, must not be a person wanted for crime or military service, and must not have any financial or criminal restrictions against them.

Strategic Assessment in Paternity Applications

Before submitting a paternity application in 2026, the following strategic analysis must be carried out:

First, the family tree must be established. Who was the Italian ancestor? When and where was he/she born? Can a citizenship connection be established based on the founding date of the Kingdom of Italy, March 17, 1861, or the date the relevant region joined Italy? Old consular statements indicate that the Italian ancestor must have maintained Italian citizenship after March 17, 1861, or the date of the place of birth's incorporation into Italy.

Secondly, eligibility under the 2025 reform must be checked. Was the applicant born abroad? Do they hold another citizenship? Were the parents or grandparents exclusively Italian citizens? Did the Italian parents live in Italy for two years before the applicant was born? Was the application submitted before March 27, 2025? The answers to these questions will determine the basis of the application.

Thirdly, the chain of naturalization must be checked. Did the Italian ancestor, or any of the generations in between, acquire citizenship of another country? If so, on what date? Was this date before the birth or reaching adulthood of the next generation? Does the chain break at this point?

Fourthly, the 1948 woman's case should be examined. Is the transfer of citizenship occurring through the woman? Was the woman's child born before or after January 1, 1948? Is there a possibility that the woman lost her citizenship due to marriage to a foreign man?

Fifth, the quality of the documents should be evaluated. Are the names, dates, locations, surnames, marital status, and parental information consistent in the documents? How will any missing information be completed? Which documents require an apostille and an Italian translation?

Conclusion

Applying for Italian citizenship through ancestry is an important avenue for claiming rights for people of Italian descent; however, since the 2025 reform, it has become far more technical and limited compared to the past. Italian citizenship law still preserves the principle of ius sanguinis; however, automatic granting of citizenship to those born abroad and holding another citizenship is now only possible under specific conditions.

From 2026 onwards, applicants will have to prove not only that they have an Italian ancestor, but also that the transfer of citizenship is still recognizable under the new 2025 criteria. Whether the applicant was born in Italy, whether they hold other citizenship, whether their parent or grandparent was solely an Italian citizen, whether the Italian parent lived in Italy for at least two years prior to the applicant, and whether the application benefits from transitional provisions prior to March 27, 2025 are all critically important.

In addition, the date of naturalization, the 1948 female line, the chain of documents, apostille-translation, consular appointment, and application fee also determine the fate of the application. In some cases, the Italian ancestor's acquisition of citizenship in another country may break the chain of citizenship transfer; births before January 1, 1948, through the female line may also require judicial review.

For Turkish citizens, the recognition of Italian citizenship through ancestry does not automatically mean the loss of Turkish citizenship. Türkiye recognizes multiple citizenships and allows for the annotation of multiple citizenship to be made in the population registers of individuals who have acquired foreign citizenship.

Therefore, before applying for Italian citizenship through ancestry, the family tree, chain of citizenship, naturalization records, 2025 reform criteria, 1948 female line, document corrections, and dual citizenship results should all be analyzed together. A well-prepared application forms a strong case for the recognition of Italian citizenship; an incomplete application or one that does not meet the post-reform requirements may lead to rejection of the application, years of waiting, and unnecessary expense.