Italian citizenship by descent is transmitted from one generation to the next without limitation. However, the eligibility requirements may be subject to change, as a new Act is currently under review by the Italian Parliament as of May 2025.
Eligibility for Italian citizenship by descent
Italian citizenship is passed from an original Italian ancestor to the following generations, with no temporal restrictions, provided the original Italian ancestor was alive in 1861, the inception year of Italy as a nation.
If the ancestor was alive in 1861, then in each subsequent generation the Italian parent must hold Italian citizenship at the time of their child’s birth, thereby passing down Italian citizenship.
If an Italian ancestor relinquishes or loses their Italian citizenship before their child’s birth, then the child is born to a non-Italian citizen and cannot inherit Italian citizenship, thereby breaking the chain.
There are three ways this may happen:
– Voluntary acquisition of another citizenship before 1983.
– Active renounciation (giving up) of Italian citizenship
– A woman marrying a foreign citizen before 1948. In such instances her descendants can still pursue Italian citizenship, but this must be done through an Italian court of law with the services of an Italian lawyer.
Documents required to apply for Italian citizenship by descent
- the Italian unabridged birth certificate of the Italian ancestor who first emigrated from Italy, issued by the Italian Municipality or Comune where he/she was born (more on how to apply for the Italian birth certificate);
- the original unabridged marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor;
- the original unabridged birth and marriage certificates of all the descendants that link you to the Italian ancestor;
- a certificate of naturalisation issued by the Department of Home Affairs stating the exact date when your Italian ancestor naturalised or stating that he/she didn’t naturalise;
- a sworn translation of the above documents
Ready to apply?
We offer help in corresponding with the Italian Municipalities where needed, as well as legalised sworn translations when you submit your documents to the Italian Consulates in South Africa or to an Italian Court in Italy.
Contact us for more information or a quote: starlingtranslationsCT@gmail.com