Based on Article 4, paragraph 1-bis of Law No. 91/1992 and Article 1, paragraph 1-ter of Legislative Decree No. 36/2025, minor children born abroad to an Italian parent by birth who does not automatically pass citizenship may acquire Italian citizenship.
Please note, the minor who benefits from this will not be a citizen by birth or by jure sanguinis. According to Article 15 of Law No. 91/1992, the minor child does not acquire citizenship by birth, but from the day after the conditions established by law are met.
In the first case (Article 4, paragraph 1-bis of Law No. 91/1992), the following requirements must be met:
- One of the parents is a citizen by birth. This excludes cases of citizens by naturalization pursuant to Article 9 of Law No. 91/1992 or “by benefit of the law” pursuant to Article 4 of Law No. 91/1992, or by marriage pursuant to Article 5 of Law No. 91/1992 or Article 10 of Law No. 555/1912, or by reacquisition pursuant to Articles 13 or 17 of Law No. 91/1992, or by iuris communicatione (Article 14 of Law No. 91/1992); AND ALSO
- Both parents (including the foreign parent) or the legal guardian submit a declaration to acquire citizenship within one year of birth (or from the date of the acknowledgement of paternity/maternity or on which the adoption by an Italian citizen is declared). If paternity/maternity is recognized by both parents who are Italian citizens by birth, the one-year period will begin from the first acknowledgment (because the first acknowledgment already entails the transmission of citizenship). If, however, acknowledgment occurs first by a foreign parent (or an Italian citizen not by birth), the one-year period will be calculated from the acknowledgment by the second parent who is an Italian citizen by birth.
The declaration must be formal and made in person, in the presence of an employee authorized to perform civil status functions. If the parents do not submit the declaration at the same time, the legal requirement is considered satisfied on the date the declaration of intent to acquire citizenship is submitted by the second parent. In case the minor has only one parent (or if the other parent is deceased), the declaration of one parent will suffice.
If the minor establishes legal residence in Italy, the declaration may also be submitted after one year from birth, but residency must last for at least two consecutive years after the declaration of intent to acquire citizenship submitted by the parents.
The second case (paragraph 1-ter of Article 1 of Legislative Decree No. 36/2025) applies when all of the following conditions are met:
- Minor age on the date the conversion law came into force, i.e., persons who had not reached the age of 18 on May 24, 2025;
- children of citizens by birth meeting the conditions set forth in letters a), a-bis), and b) of Article 3-bis of Law No. 91/1992. In other words, the parents must be recognized as citizens based on an administrative or judicial application submitted by 11:59 PM (Rome time) on March 27, 2025, or on the basis of an application submitted by appointment communicated by the Consular Office or the Municipality by the same date;
- The parents’ or guardian’s declaration must be submitted to the Consular Office by May 31, 2026. If the applicant, minor on May 24, 2025, becomes an adult in the meantime, the declaration must be submitted in person by the same deadline.
Declarations must be made in person at the Consular Office before officials designated for Civil Registry functions.
The applicant and the child’s identity document, proof of residence in the consular district, and the documentation listed on the relevant declaration form must also be attached.
For Italian citizens registered with AIRE in the consular district of residence, the father’s or mother’s Italian citizenship certificate by birth may be replaced by a self-certification.
Pursuant to Article 9-bis of Law No. 91/1992, a contribution of €250 per minor to the Ministry of the Interior is payable by bank transfer, with any fees borne by the person instructing the transfer:
Beneficiary: “Ministero dell’Interno D.L.C.I Cittadinanza”
Bank of the benefciary: Poste Italiane S.p.A.
IBAN: IT54D0760103200000000809020
Reason of transfer: Acquisto cittadinanza a seguito di dichiarazione ex art. 9-bis L. 91/1992 – FULL NAME of the child
BIC/SWIFT di Poste Italiane: BPPIITRRXXX (from abroad)
BIC/SWIFT: PIBPITRA (if EUROGIRO)
Please note that the interested party may renounce his/her Italian citizenship acquired in the ways indicated above upon reaching adulthood, provided that this does not result in statelessness.
Documentation required:
- Application form duly completed and signed by both parents;
- Original Israeli birth certificate (photocopies are not accepted) complete with “Apostille” (for more information on obtaining an Apostille, click here);
- Italian translation of the birth certificate;
- Photocopy of both parents’ passports or identity cards;
- The foreign citizenship certificate proving possession of foreign citizenships translated and apostilled (if Israeli citizenship: “Teudah HaMeida Al Ezrahut Israelit”);
- The father’s or mother’s Italian citizenship certificate by birth (if the certificate was not sent by this Embassy);
- If acknowledged, additional documentation relating to the acknowledgment establishing parentage or the adoption order;
- If one or both parents are missing, documentation proving the status of guardian or sole parent of the minor;
- Proof of payment of €250.
If the documentation is incomplete, the citizenship declaration cannot be received.