Italian Dual Citizenship
Which Type of Dual Citizenship?
Italian Citizenship by marriage (jus matrimonii)
Foreign spouses of Italian citizens residing in Italy may apply for Italian citizenship 2 years following their marriage, civil union, or civil partnership. If they have minor children (under 18 years of age), the waiting time is shortened to 12-18 months.
For couples residing outside of Italy, the foreign spouse or partner can apply for Italian citizenship after 3 years. This time is reduced to 18 – 24 months if they have minor children.
Same-sex civil unions or partnerships are recognized in Italy (since 2016) and are afforded the same rights as marriages. On this point, an Italian Court of Cassation ruling in May 2018 held that same-sex marriages must be registered as civil unions in Italy, and such unions have the same rights as marriages, including obtaining citizenship through your Italian partner.
Also in 2018, Italian law introduced the language requirement for Italian citizenship marriage (jus matrimonii) applications. Together with the application for citizenship, the applicant must prove that she/he has sufficient Italian language knowledge and obtain the equivalent of the B1 certification at specially certified language programs. B1 is an intermediate language level and the requirement only applies to spouses or partners seeking to obtain Italian citizenship by marriage or civil union.
If you live in Italy, the application can be made online through the Italian Ministry of Interior’s portal. If you live outside Italy, the application must be made through the Italian Consulate that serves your area. For instance, if you live in Brooklyn or Bergen Country, NJ, the Italian Consulate with jurisdiction would be the Italian Consulate of New York in Manhattan; etc.
Pre-1983 Marriage of Women to Italian Men
Before 1983, a foreign woman who married an Italian man automatically attained Italian citizenship upon marriage. This law was later ruled unconstitutional since it only applied to foreign women and not foreign men who married Italian women. After April 26, 1983, foreign women and men were treated equally and no longer granted automatic Italian citizenship upon marriage.
However, if you are a woman who married an Italian man before the 1983 cut-off date, and was in a valid marriage up until that date, you may be eligible for Italian citizenship, even if your spouse is deceased or you are no longer married.
Contact us for a free consultation with one of our Italian citizenship by marriage lawyers and we will walk you through how to get dual citizenship in Italy.
Italian Citizenship by descent (jus sanguinis)
Jus sanguinis is the claim of Italian citizenship through the right of bloodline or descent, not place of birth. Italy recognizes citizenship from one generation to the next within the limits set by Law 74/2025. If you can show a direct unbroken blood relationship to an Italian parent or grandparent, you may qualify for recognition of Italian citizenship by descent. Claims based solely on a great-grandparent are no longer treated as descent claims; third-generation descendants must instead establish ten years of lawful residence in Italy and apply for naturalization. In that sense, the child or grandchild of an Italian citizen is, in principle, Italian by birth through jus sanguinis, subject to proper recognition.
For individuals born abroad, the Italian government must formally acknowledge citizenship status. The person of Italian descent, depending on where she/he reside, must present proof of Italian lineage and eligibility to the competent Italian authority—typically the Italian consulate or embassy with jurisdiction over their residence, or the local Italian municipality (comune) if applying in Italy. Recognition is completed through registration of vital records in Italy; without this formal recognition, your citizenship is not operative for administrative purposes.
The oldest Italian descendant must have been alive on or after March 17, 1861 – when the Italian state was born. Before 1948, the right to citizenship jus sanguinis passed only through the father. With the enactment of the Italian Constitution in 1948, women were afforded equal rights and, in principle, the right to pass their citizenship to their children. The 1992 law then allowed dual citizenship by eliminating the automatic loss of Italian citizenship upon naturalization in another country.
Most recently, the 2025 Reform limits recognition by descent to claims through a parent or grandparent; third-generation claims (through a great-grandparent) are no longer recognized via jus sanguinis and instead require 10 years of legal residence in Italy followed by naturalization.
The individual seeking to obtain recognition of Italian citizenship through jus sanguinis must re-create a genealogical (unbroken) line from their Italian ancestor within the permitted generations. For instance, the bloodline might arise from your grandmother, born in Italy, who gave birth to your mother in the U.S. and never became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Even though your mother is a U.S. citizen, she inherited the right to Italian citizenship from her mother, and in turn, you have the right to Italian citizenship through your mother. The line of jus sanguinis cannot skip a generation.
If your closest Italian-born ancestor is a great-grandparent (third generation), the descent route no longer applies; your path is naturalization after 10 years of lawful residence in Italy.
Contact us for a free consultation with one of our Italian citizenship by descent lawyers and we will walk you through how to apply for dual citizenship in Italy.
Italian Citizenship through the maternal line
Previously, under Italian law, Italian-born women and women of Italian descent could only transmit Italian citizenship to children born after 1948. A recent line of court cases has challenged this as discriminatory against women (since men had no such limitation). Cases falling under this category are brought applying the principles of gender equality set out in the 1948 Constitution retroactively through so-called “1948 cases.” Under the 2025 Reform, however, recognition by descent is generally limited to claims through a parent or grandparent.
In 2022, as part of an effort to reform Italian courts, new legislation requires that citizenship court cases be filed in the court with territorial jurisdiction over the Italian ancestor’s municipality (comune) of birth. Local courts shall now process citizenship cases for their citizenry who have immigrated, (i.e., the district court in the seat of the Court of Appeal that serves that comune). Previously all cases were heard by the Court of Rome, irrespective of the ancestor’s birthplace.
Italian Citizenship through Naturalization
If you have legally resided in Italy for at least ten years, you may apply to naturalize as an Italian citizen. The ten-year residence requirement is reduced if certain criteria are met.
• Three-year residence requirement for grandchildren of Italian grandparents or children of Italian parents.
• Four-year residence requirement for nationals of EU member states.
• Five-year residence requirement for stateless persons or individuals adopted as an adult by an Italian citizen.
Contact our Italian dual citizenship lawyer today
Contact our Italian dual citizenship attorneys today to streamline the complex process of acquiring your Italian citizenship. Our team of skilled and experienced attorneys from With_Papers is dedicated to providing personalized guidance and support throughout every step of the application journey. Do not miss out on the opportunity to reclaim your ancestral heritage and enjoy the benefits of dual citizenship. Contact one of our knowledgeable Italian dual citizenship lawyers today, and together, we will bring your Italian citizenship dreams into a tangible reality. Give us a call at 917-310-2246 or contact us here.
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