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🇮🇹Last verified August 22, 2026

Italy citizenship through a parent

Usually eligible

A claim through an Italian-born parent (or a parent who held exclusively Italian citizenship when you were born) remains eligible for administrative recognition even after the 2025 reform. This is now the cleanest Italian case.

The Rules That Decide It

  • Law 74/2025 (Art. 3-bis) restricts recognition, but claims through a parent born in Italy — or a parent who held only Italian citizenship at your birth — fall inside the statutory exceptions.

  • The naturalization test still applies: if your parent naturalized elsewhere before your birth (pre-1992 rules), the line may have broken.

  • The Constitutional Court upheld the 2025 law in Sentenza 63/2026, so these rules are settled for now.

What To Do Next

  1. 01

    Order your parent's Italian birth certificate (estratto) from the comune first.

  2. 02

    Obtain naturalization records or a certificate of non-existence to prove the line never broke.

  3. 03

    File at your consulate (€600 fee) or, if resident in Italy, at the comune.

Not Sure?

Get a definitive read on your line

Take the free eligibility test — it walks through the exact rules above for your specific ancestor and dates.

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Passport Heritage provides informational guidance and document organization services. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice. Rules can change without notice — always confirm current requirements with the relevant consulate, embassy or archive before acting.