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Recognition of Italian citizenship by descent

Decree-Law No. 36 of March 28, 2025 was converted, with modifications, into Law No. 74 of May 23, 2025, and became effective on May 24, 2025. The conversion law amends Law No. 91 of February 5, 1992, whose updated full text is available at the following link. Special attention should be given to the new Article 3-bis:

By way of exception to Articles 1, 2, 3, 14, and 20 of this law; Article 5 of Law No. 123 of April 21, 1983; Articles 1, 2, 7, 10, 12, and 19 of Law No. 555 of June 13, 1912; and Articles 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 of the Civil Code approved by Royal Decree No. 2358 of June 25, 1865, a person born abroad—even before this article came into force—is considered to have never acquired Italian citizenship if they hold another citizenship, unless one of the following conditions applies:
a) Their citizenship status is recognized—under the laws applicable as of March 27, 2025—based on an application submitted with the required documentation to the competent consular office or mayor no later than 11:59 PM (Rome time) on that date;
a-bis) Their citizenship status is recognized—under the laws applicable as of March 27, 2025—based on an application submitted with the required documentation on the date of an appointment communicated to the applicant by the competent office by 11:59 PM (Rome time) on March 27, 2025;    b) Their citizenship status is confirmed by judicial ruling, in accordance with the laws applicable as of March 27, 2025, based on a judicial petition submitted no later than 11:59 PM (Rome time) on that date;
c) A first- or second-degree ancestor holds or held exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of their death;
d) A parent or adoptive parent resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the birth or adoption of the child.

Therefore, under the updated Law No. 91/1992, the following individuals are recognized as Italian citizens by descent (iure sanguinis) from birth:

  •     Applicants born in Italy, regardless of the date;
  •     Applicants who hold only Italian citizenship, do not have and cannot acquire any other citizenship;
  •     Applicants who fall under one of the scenarios listed in points a), a-bis), b), c), or d) of Article 3-bis.

 

In other words, as of March 28, 2025, foreign-born citizens who hold another citizenship (for example, Canadian citizenship) are eligible to apply for Italian citizenship BY DESCENT only if:

a) they are first- or second-degree descendants of Italian citizens who hold, or held at the time of death, exclusively Italian citizenship. This must exist at the applicant’s date of birth, OR

b) a parent or adoptive parent has been resident in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the applicant’s date of birth or adoption.

In this case, a historical certificate of residence issued by the competent Italian municipality and a historical certificate of citizenship issued by the same municipality must be presented.

PLEASE NOTE: It is not sufficient for the second-degree ascendant (grandfather/grandmother) to have, or had at the time of death, only Italian citizenship. In all cases, it is necessary to verify that the line of transmission of Italian citizenship is intact for the first-degree ascendant (father/mother).

 

Important Clarifications under the New Law:

  1. Only applications submitted before March 27, 2025, at 11:59 PM (Rome time), with all required documentation, will be evaluated under the previous legal framework. “Submitted” means:
  • Delivered in person to the consular office before the above deadline;
  • Sent by mail with tracking showing a date and time prior to the deadline;
  • Sent by mail without tracking but received by the consular office before the deadline;
  • Submitted via Fast-It before the deadline.
  1. Only applications with the required documentation submitted on the day of an appointment communicated to the applicant by the competent office no later than 11:59 PM (Rome time) on March 27, 2025, will be evaluated under the previous legal framework. “Appointment communicated to the applicant by the competent office” means an email confirmation received via the Prenot@mi portal or from the official email address of the consular section handling the application.
  2. In all other cases, the new law applies.

The applicable consular fees are listed in the Table of Consular Fees that is available at this web page.

 

DOCUMENTATION TO BE SUBMITTED

As per Ministry of the Interior Circular K.28.1 of April 8, 1991, the applicant must provide:

  1. Recognition application form, to be signed in the presence of the Consular Officer on the day of the appointment. Consult the checklist to make sure you have all the documents required.
  2. Payment of the non-refundable consular fee 7bis. This amount must be paid at the counter when submitting the recognition application, according to the procedures outlined on the dedicated page.
  3. Applicant’s documents:
    1. Copy of the Canadian passport.
      1. Valid Permanent Resident Card and the passport used to enter Canada (including visas and entry stamps), if required.
    2. A second government-issued photo ID.
    3. Proof of residence (copy of driver’s license or a utility bill).

PLEASE NOTE: These documents do not need to be apostilled or translated.

  1. Certified long-form Canadian (or foreign) birth certificate of the applicant, apostilled and translated.
  2. If applicable: Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or naturalization certificate. See note no. 2.
  3. For applications under the new legal framework, the following additional documents may be required:
  • To prove exclusive possession of Italian citizenship (examples include):
    – Negative citizenship certificates (e.g., Search of Citizenship Records issued by the Canadian government), duly apostilled and officially translated;
    – Proof of renunciation of other citizenship(s);
    – Certificates of non-enrollment in electoral rolls;
  • To prove residence in Italy for at least two consecutive years:
    – Historical certificate of residence (certificato storico di residenza).

 

CASE OF A FIRST-DEGREE ASCENDANT (exclusively Italian parent)

Add:

  1. Copy of the identity documents (including expired documents, if deceased) of the first-degree ascendants (both parents).
  2. Documentation proving that the parent holds, or held at the time of death, exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of the applicant’s birth. See note no. 1.
  3. Certified long-form birth certificate of the exclusively Italian parent and a photocopy of the spouse’s birth certificate. See note no. 2.
  4. Marriage certificate, if applicable divorce certificate, and if applicable death certificate (apostilled and translated). See note no. 2.
  5. Any available Italian documentation, if applicable, such as passports, citizenship certificates, emigration records, or other relevant documents (an apostille is not required for these documents).

CASE OF A SECOND-DEGREE ASCENDANT (exclusively Italian grandfather/grandmother)

Add:

  1. Copies of the identity documents (including expired documents, if deceased) of the second-degree ascendants (grandfather and grandmother).
  2. Documentation proving that the second-degree ascendant (grandfather or grandmother) holds, or held at the time of death, exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of the applicant’s birth. See note no. 1.
  3. Certified long-form birth certificate of the exclusively Italian second-degree ascendant and a photocopy of the spouse’s birth certificate. See note no. 2.
  4. Marriage certificate, if applicable divorce certificate, and if applicable death certificate of the exclusively Italian second-degree ascendant (apostilled and translated). See note no. 2.

 

Note 1: It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide conclusive evidence that one of the ascendants was exclusively an Italian citizen at the time of the applicant’s birth. THE CONSULATE CANNOT PROVIDE ADVICE OR PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENTS BEFORE THE APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED.

Examples of documentation that may demonstrate exclusive Italian citizenship include:

  • Certificates of renunciation of another citizenship;
  • Negative citizenship certificates (certificates confirming non-acquisition or non-possession of another citizenship);
  • Certificates confirming non-registration on electoral rolls.

These apostilled and translated documents can be requested from Citizenship and Immigration Canada through the Search of Citizenship Records or “Access to Information” procedure. When requesting information regarding married women, it is important to specify both surnames—maiden (before marriage) and married (after marriage)—in the request.

Note 2: 

  • Record (Estratto dell’atto di nascita) from the Italian municipality of birth must be submitted. Be sure to request an “Estratto dell’atto di nascita” and not a “Certificato di nascita” (Birth Certificate). Photocopies of old passports or other certificates issued in Italy are optional but are recommended to provide at the counter in order to supplement the information relating to your ascendant.

If both ascendants were born in Italy, it is mandatory to submit, for each of them, the certified extract of the birth record as well as the documentation relating to their Canadian citizenship, so that their records can be updated with the municipality of origin.

  • If the ascendant or the applicant was born in Canada or another foreign country, an apostilled and translated birth certificate must be submitted.
  • If the ascendant or the applicant is married, apostilled and translated marriage certificate must be submitted, together with a photocopy of the spouse’s birth certificate.
  • If the spouse is a foreign national, submit the spouse’s passport and a photocopy of the spouse’s birth certificate (a translation is required if it is not issued in English or as otherwise required by the Consulate).
  • If the applicant is divorced, the following documents must be submitted, apostilled and translated:
    • the divorce judgment;
    • the divorce certificate; and
    • the marriage certificate to which the divorce relates.

Note on demonstrating possession (or exclusive possession) of Italian citizenship by an ascendant: The documentation required varies depending on the individual circumstances and the countries in which the ascendant has historically resided. It is the applicant’s responsibility to demonstrate, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the ascendant possessed (or exclusively possessed) Italian citizenship. By way of example, supporting documentation may include a certificate of non-renunciation of Italian citizenship, an Italian citizenship certificate, or a valid Italian passport.

 

ERRORS AND DISCREPANCIES: All of the documents listed above must be carefully reviewed to ensure they are free of errors or discrepancies relating to names, surnames, dates of birth, and places of birth.

Any certificates or documents containing errors or discrepancies must be corrected before an Apostille is obtained and before they are translated. If the documents were issued in a country that is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, they must be corrected before legalization and before obtaining a legalized translation. Canadian birth, marriage, and death certificates (or foreign certificates for individuals born outside Canada) must be issued in the “Certified Copy of Registration” format. Please note that the “wallet-size” version of these certificates will not be accepted.

Canadian and foreign certificates must be apostilled and translated.

 

WHO MAY SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF ITALY IN VANCOUVER?

1) Descendants of Italian citizens who were born in Canada and reside within this Consulate General’s jurisdiction.

2) Descendants of Italian citizens who were born in a country other than Canada, provided they hold a valid Canadian Permanent Resident Card and reside within this Consulate General’s jurisdiction.

(To verify see the dedicated page.)


HOW TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
Applications for recognition of citizenship by descent are to be accepted only by in-person appointment. Permanent residents of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Yukon must schedule an appointment at the Citizenship Office in Vancouver exclusively through the online booking system Prenot@mi (click here to access).

CONSULAR FEES

For the examination and processing of applications for the recognition of Italian citizenship in favour of a person over the age of 18, a fee of €600 is due.
This fee is paid BEFORE the formal examination of the application at the counter and, regardless of the positive or negative outcome, is NOT refundable.

Please note that the aforementioned fee must be paid at the counter in Canadian dollars only. Payment is required in cash or money order made out to the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver. For the current amount in Canadian dollars, consult art. 7bis of the Table of Consular fees. Please check the current fees prior to the appointment as the amount in Canadian dollars may change quarterly. In addition to the aforementioned fee, legalization fees (Art. 69) may apply for the certification of translations.

 

Page last updated on: August 10th, 2026