Applying for Italian Citizenship: All You Need to Know
The Italian Passport is Only for Citizens
Before starting this in-depth section on Italian citizenship, it is essential to make an important clarification. An Italian passport can be obtained only by those who hold Italian citizenship. The passport is not a means to acquire citizenship, nor does it constitute evidence of nationality in itself; rather, it is the administrative result of a legal status already recognised by the Italian State. The passport is merely a travel document and must not be mistaken for, or confused with, the legal process of obtaining Italian citizenship. Only once citizenship has been formally granted or recognised—through administrative procedures, descent, marriage, naturalisation, or judicial recognition—does the individual acquire the right to request the issuance of a passport. Italian citizenship, therefore, represents the true legal bond between the individual and the State, conferring the complete set of civil, political, and social rights that belong to Italian and European Union nationals. These include the right to vote, to reside and work freely across the EU, to access education and healthcare, and to participate in the civic and political life of the Republic. The passport is merely the outward manifestation of that citizenship—a travel document which symbolises belonging, but which has no independent legal standing without the underlying status of Italian citizen.
Understanding Italian Citizenship
Italian citizenship is a legal status connecting a person to the Italian Republic, conferring rights such as residing and working in Italy (and across the EU), voting in Italian elections, and obtaining an Italian passport. It is crucial to distinguish citizenship from a passport: citizenship is the status of being Italian (which can be held indefinitely and passed to descendants), while the passport is merely a travel document issued to citizens. In practical terms, one must first be recognised as an Italian citizen in order to be eligible for an Italian passport. Italy permits dual or multiple citizenship, meaning foreigners can become Italian without renouncing their original nationality. This policy has made Italian citizenship especially valuable to foreign nationals of Italian heritage or those seeking the benefits of European Union citizenship. Italian citizenship gives access to the full civil and political rights of an Italian national: the right to reside and work anywhere within Italy and across the European Union, to vote in Italian elections, to benefit from consular protection abroad, and to pass this status to one’s descendants. Since Italy recognises dual and multiple citizenship, a person who becomes Italian does not have to renounce their previous nationality, except in those rare cases where the other State prohibits dual nationality. This openness, combined with Italy’s deep cultural and historical identity, has made Italian citizenship particularly sought-after by foreign nationals of Italian origin and by those wishing to integrate permanently within the European Union framework.
The legal foundation of Italian citizenship is contained in Law No. 91 of 5 February 1992, entitled “New Provisions on Citizenship”, together with its implementing regulations—Presidential Decree No. 572 of 12 October 1993 and Presidential Decree No. 362 of 18 April 1994. This law replaced the earlier 1912 legislation and introduced a modern concept of nationality based on personal intention and the principle of continuity of citizenship within families. Unlike previous rules, Law 91/1992 recognises the right to hold multiple citizenships and emphasises the role of personal choice both in acquiring and in losing citizenship. Article 11 of the law, in fact, states that the acquisition of a foreign nationality does not entail loss of Italian citizenship unless the individual expressly renounces it, thus ensuring the preservation of nationality even in cases of emigration or naturalisation abroad.
Four fundamental principles underpin the Italian citizenship system:
- Citizenship by descent (ius sanguinis), which establishes that Italian nationality is transmitted through parentage rather than by place of birth.
- Citizenship by birth on Italian soil (ius soli), recognised only in exceptional and residual cases — for instance, where a child is born in Italy to stateless parents or to parents whose nationality cannot be transmitted.
- Recognition of multiple citizenship, which permits Italian nationals to hold more than one nationality at the same time, without forfeiting their Italian status.
- Expression of intention, a principle that governs both the acquisition and the loss of citizenship, highlighting the voluntary and personal nature of belonging to the Italian national community.
The citizenship framework, as established by Law 91/1992, remained substantially unchanged for over thirty years, until the introduction of the Decree-Law No. 36 of 28 March 2025, later converted with amendments into Law No. 74 of 23 May 2025. This legislative reform, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on 25 May 2025, marked a turning point in Italian nationality law. It redefined several acquisition routes, restricted automatic citizenship by descent for persons born abroad holding another nationality, and introduced stricter documentation and procedural requirements. The new Article 3-bis of Law 91/1992, as inserted by the 2025 reform, establishes that automatic transmission of citizenship to those born abroad is now limited to specific exceptions, thereby replacing the previous unlimited ius sanguinis principle with a more balanced approach centred on an actual connection to Italy.
As of May 2025, Italian citizenship may therefore be acquired according to the methods provided by Law 91/1992 and its subsequent amendments. The main routes include acquisition by descent (iure sanguinis), by marriage (iure matrimonii), by residence (naturalisation), by birth under limited jus soli conditions, by adoption or recognition of parentage, and by reacquisition for former citizens. However, the reform now specifies that the automatic acquisition under points (2.1), (2.2), and (2.3)—namely, citizenship by descent, by recognition, and by adoption—shall not apply automatically to those born abroad who already hold another citizenship, unless they fall within one of the exceptions listed in Article 3-bis of Law 91/1992 as amended.
The 2025 reform thus represents both a consolidation and a modernisation of Italian nationality law. It reinforces the constitutional principle that citizenship should express a genuine and effective link with the Republic, as envisaged by Article 22 of the Italian Constitution and Article 11 of the European Convention on Nationality (Strasbourg, 1997). The objective is to preserve the integrity of Italian citizenship while ensuring that those who claim it maintain a meaningful connection—cultural, territorial, or familial—with Italy.
For detailed guidance on the procedures, requirements, and documents applicable to each specific category of citizenship—by descent, marriage, residence, birth, adoption, or reacquisition—please consult the dedicated sections of our website or contact our legal and linguistic experts for tailored professional advice at info@mmweurope.com .