Frequently Asked Questions
Literally ‘law of blood’, otherwise known as Italian citizenship by descent.
Genealogical research is required if you do not know enough about your Italian ancestry to determine if you qualify for Italian citizenship by descent.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer, but some work-arounds include using baptismal certificates or other church records, and having delayed birth or marriage certificates issued by the court where the person resided at the time of the event.
Under the current laws, only those whose last Italian born ancestor was a parent or grandparent who never naturalized qualify for Italian citizenship by descent.
Some documents can be amended through the municipality where they are held, or they can be amended by court order.
To request your records from the Italian comune where your ancestors lived, you need to reach out to them via PEC email (certified mail) and pay the fee. You can also hire someone to make the request on your behalf.
Under the current laws, you can claim Italian citizenship by descent through your grandparents, but not great grandparents or further.
Through genealogical research we can help you uncover where your ancestors were born.
Their last Italian born ancestor is a great grandparent or further back. Or their Italian born ancestor naturalized abroad (outside of Italy).
Birth, marriage, and death records (when applicable) of everyone in your direct line (not including spouses, unless you are applying at a consulate that requires them) and proof that your Italian ancestor did NOT naturalize and remained solely Italian for the entirety of their life. *If you are applying at a consulate, please check their website for a detailed list of documents as they may require additional documentation.
Any document that is not Italian and is issued by a country that participates in the Hague Convention of 1970 needs to be Apostilled. For countries that do not participate in the Hague Convention, the documents must be legalized by the appropriate authorities in order to be used in Italy.
Comuni legally have six months to respond to a PEC email.
- Differences in spelling of the family surname.
- Incorrect spelling of a first name
- Date discrepancies between documents.
- Incorrect ages of the individuals listed on a document.
- Middle names added in later documents that are not listed on the birth certificate.
In order to apply in Italy, you must become a legal resident. This process usually takes a month or two depending on the comune- but most comuni will require a long term lease (at least one year) before agreeing to process residency.
There are no guarantees on how quickly your application will be processed. For most cases, a citizenship application in Italy is processed in 6-12 months.
Check your local Italian consulate’s website. Each consulate may have different requirements. You must apply for your visa in your home country, and you must go through the local consulate that serves your area.
To become a legal resident in Italy you must have a valid visa, Italian citizenship, or citizenship from another EU country. Non-EU spouses of Italian citizens also have the right to legally reside in Italy without being a citizen.
Cost depends entirely on your personal living standards. Although there is a lot you can do on a budget, if you plan to move to Italy and live ‘cheap’ you will be disappointed.
If living in a community with other expats is important to you, do some research on social media pages like reddit and facebook to find local groups. Big cities are usually pretty diverse and full of expats, but aren’t always the right fit for everyone. There are plenty of small or mid-sized towns with their own groups of expats.