Am I eligible for Italian dual citizenship?

You can apply for Italian citizenship if one of the following applies to you:

• Your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents are/were Italian citizens who never naturalized as citizens of another country before August 16, 1992 (citizenship by descent-based on the principle of jure sanguinis, e.g., “the right of blood”)
• You are married to an Italian citizen
• You fulfill residency requirements in Italy
• You fulfill the requirements of law no. 124 of 8 March 2006, which provides for recognition of Italian citizenship to Italian nationals resident in Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia between 1940 and 1947—whose property was confiscated and ceded to the Yugoslav Republic by the Treaties of Paris of 10 February 1947—and Osimo of 10 November 1975 and their descendants.

Dual citizenship for minors

Minors born to an Italian parent can automatically get Italian citizenship as long as the parents register the child’s birth certificate in Italy.

The law that currently governs Italian citizenship recognition and acquisition is the legge 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91 (and subsequent addendum DPR 12 ottobre 1993 n. 572 and DPR 18 aprile 1994 n. 362). 

In contrast with the previous law, the current law acknowledges the importance of individual intention in the acquisition or loss of citizenship and allows the right to hold more than one citizenship simultaneously, subject to the provisions of international agreements. Italian citizenship was exclusive prior to August 16, 1992, when becoming a citizen of another country meant automatic loss of Italian citizenship.