Citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis)
Advice on recognition of Italian citizenship iure sanguinis
Italian citizenship by descent: consultation
SH Immigration Specialists is much more than an agency that handles paperwork for foreign nationals.
We are a team of professionals, including immigration specialists and qualified immigration lawyers, ready to help you find the best route to Italian citizenship by descent.
Gathering documents for citizenship iure sanguinis
We help you gather your documents and check that you meet the requirements to apply for citizenship iure sanguinis.
Submitting your iure sanguinis citizenship application
We submit your documents and handle communications with the municipality (Comune) and the court, so that your application for citizenship by descent proceeds within the time limits set by law.
L'avvocato ha dedicato tempo a spiegarmi chiaramente quali fossero le mie opzioni e ha guidato ogni passo del percorso.
La comunicazione è stata efficiente, e ho apprezzato particolarmente la chiarezza e la trasparenza nell'affrontare ogni aspetto della mia situazione.
Consiglio molto di affidarvi a lui Allessio nonostante sia giovane e molto preparato .
Top bravo ragazzo 🤩👏
In questo paese distrutto dalla burocrazia, sono riusciti a farmi ricredere e a continuare a sperare che qualcosa possa finalmente cambiare e molto in positivo!... Meritano davvero tanti stima e "successo"! Provare per credere!
La chiudo qui perché se dovessi raccontare la mia esperienza, dovrei partire da mooolto lontano e la mia recensione non sarebbe più efficace! ?
Ho avuto un'esperienza unica usufruendo di servizio dei ragazzi e vorrei testimoniare che fanno un lavoro eccellente,professionale all massimo e al livello umano senza rivali,un AIUTO IMMENSO!
Ne sono grata,auguro prosperita e tantissime persone felici di avervi incontrati.
Grazie infinite,abbiate tutto il bene del mondo.Grazie Hamza Ameer.Di cuore.
Con stima e affetto,Teresa.
Book a consultation with us today
Use our assistance and advisory service for your Italian citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis) application, to simplify the procedures involved and avoid wasting time.
Italian citizenship by descent
Bureaucracy is a machine that often moves slowly and can be hard to follow. We know this well. That is why we created this service to help you handle all the paperwork needed for recognition of Italian citizenship iure sanguinis (citizenship by descent).
On this page you can find the requirements and documents needed to apply for Italian citizenship by descent, a right you can claim under current Italian law.
What the law says
Also known as citizenship by descent or by right of blood, citizenship ius sanguinis (or ius sanguis) is the recognition of Italian citizenship for the descendants of Italian citizens.
In Italy, citizenship has always been acquired “iure sanguinis”, that is, by “right of blood”. This means that the children of an Italian citizen are themselves Italian, regardless of where they were born, as stated in Article 1 of Law no. 91/92: “a child of an Italian father or mother is a citizen”.
So why do you need to apply for Italian citizenship?
It is fair to ask why you are not already an Italian citizen if you have Italian ancestry.
The answer is that Italian citizenship is granted automatically if you are born in Italy and your birth is recorded in the Italian civil registry (anagrafe).
Not if you are born abroad: if you are born abroad to an Italian parent, you are not recorded in the Italian civil registry and you do not receive citizenship automatically. That is why you need to apply for it.
Ius soli - right of the soil
Unlike Italy, in other countries people acquire the citizenship of their country of birth, not that of their parents, under the principle of “ius soli”, Latin for “right of the soil”, which links citizenship to place of birth.
To protect people born abroad to Italian families, Law no. 555/1912 established that the child of an Italian citizen is recognised as an Italian citizen through the paternal line, regardless of place of birth.
This means that even people born in a country that applies “ius soli” are entitled to be recognised as “Italian citizens” if they can prove they have an Italian ancestor, with no generational limit.
Requirements for citizenship iure sanguinis
The requirements are few but important, because they are tied to Italian history and in particular to two key dates:
17 March 1861: birth of the Kingdom of Italy
1 January 1948: birth of the Italian Republic and of equal rights for women.
1st requirement: the Italian ancestor must have died after 17 March 1861. So if they had a child abroad (who acquired citizenship ius soli, not Italian citizenship) and then died before that date, the child is not entitled to Italian citizenship.
2nd requirement: women pass on citizenship only from 1 January 1948, the date the Constitution came into force, and only by bringing a case before an Italian court.
3rd requirement: citizenship was passed on only if the ancestor did not renounce Italian citizenship before having a child.
Please note: residence in Italy is not required, and people living abroad do not need to travel to Italy. The application is handled by the Italian Consulate or an Italian court.
Documents required for Italian citizenship by descent
The documents required are those that prove the requirements listed above:
First Italian ancestor: birth, death and marriage certificates and certificate of non-naturalisation
Other family members in the bloodline: birth, death and marriage certificates
Applicant: birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport, Italian tax code (codice fiscale)
Legalisation and translation of documents
All documents issued abroad in a foreign language must be translated and legalised by the Italian embassy, or apostilled and translated into Italian.
How to apply for citizenship iure sanguinis
Recognition of Italian citizenship by descent requires submitting an application to the competent authority, together with all the necessary documents.
The citizenship application must be submitted:
- to the Italian Consulate (if you live abroad)
- to the municipality (Comune) where you live (if you live in Italy)
Italian citizenship iure sanguinis through the Consulate
If you live abroad and cannot move to Italy, you can gather your documents and submit your application for recognition of citizenship by descent directly to the Italian Consulate responsible for your place of residence.
Italian citizenship iure sanguinis through the municipality, with a residence permit pending citizenship
Recognition of citizenship by right of blood is normally handled by the municipality (Comune). If you plan to move to Italy, you can gather all your documents from abroad and apply directly in Italy.
Once you have obtained your tax code (codice fiscale), you can submit your application and wait for it to be recognised. In the meantime, the Questura (police immigration office) can issue you a temporary permesso di soggiorno (residence permit), called a residence permit pending citizenship, which allows you to stay in Italy while you wait for your right to be recognised.
Italian citizenship iure sanguinis through the courts
In some specific cases, you can entrust your application from abroad, through a special power of attorney, to an Italian citizenship lawyer who will file it on your behalf directly with an Italian court.
This is possible when
- it can be shown that the Consulate would take too many years
- the bloodline includes a woman who gave birth before 1948
Book a citizenship by descent consultation
How SH Immigration Specialists can help you
As an agency for foreign nationals, we provide immigration and advisory services to support our clients with the following:
- Checking feasibility, requirements, documents and the best route to take.
- Filing the application through the courts.
- Applying at the municipality for people already in Italy with a residence permit.
- Applying at the municipality for people who do not live in Italy but plan to move here (possible for those who can enter Italy without a visa, such as US citizens). In this case we help the applicant obtain a residence permit pending citizenship while recognition is under way.
- Registering the grant of citizenship in the civil registry.
- Booking the appointment for the issue of your Italian passport.
- Appealing to the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) against a refusal of Italian citizenship iure sanguinis.
- Translating documents into Italian.
As an agency for foreign nationals, our team specialises in immigration matters and includes qualified immigration lawyers. We offer full assistance with entry visas, residence permits, family reunification, citizenship applications, the decreto flussi (work entry quota decree) and regularisation programmes.
Our goal is to make administrative procedures easier through legal support and personalised advice.
Contact us to handle your iure sanguinis citizenship paperwork quickly
Looking for an Italian citizenship iure sanguinis lawyer?
SH Immigration Specialists is much more than an agency for foreign nationals
We do one thing, and we focus on doing it well.
We provide immigration services, and our team includes qualified lawyers who can assist with your application for Italian citizenship by descent.
We work to keep your application moving as quickly as possible.
When you entrust your case to our agency, we take care of the paperwork so you can focus on everything else.
About us
SH Immigration Specialists is much more than an agency that handles paperwork for foreign nationals.
We specialise in immigration matters, and our team includes qualified, experienced immigration lawyers.
Where we work
We offer our immigration services and Italian citizenship iure sanguinis advice to clients abroad in their own language, online throughout Italy, and at our offices in Bologna, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Rome and Naples.
How we work
SH Immigration Specialists has become a leading agency for foreign nationals because, with qualified immigration lawyers on its team, it offers complete, all-round immigration services.
We help you with your application for Italian citizenship by right of blood and support you from gathering your documents through to the conclusion of your citizenship application.
Agency for foreign nationals: what it does
A basic immigration agency fills in forms, often with serious mistakes.
SH Immigration Specialists is much more: our team includes qualified immigration lawyers, and we work to get your paperwork done as efficiently as possible.
Immigration lawyer: what they do
Immigration lawyer: how much does it cost?
The cost of an immigration lawyer depends on the individual case.
Call or write to us to explain your situation and get a quote.
Italian citizenship iure sanguinis consultation:
how it works
how it works
If you want to obtain citizenship iure sanguinis in Italy or from abroad and need advice, contact us.
We will arrange a date and time for our meeting, in your language, online or at our office.
FAQ - Citizenship iure sanguinis
How long does it take to obtain citizenship by right of blood?
The administrative procedure should take no more than 180 days, although this can be extended if the application is suspended because requirements are not met or documents are incomplete.
Which documents are needed for citizenship by descent?
The documents required are:
- First Italian ancestor: birth, death and marriage certificates and certificate of non-naturalisation
- Other family members in the bloodline: birth, death and marriage certificates
- Applicant: birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport, Italian tax code (codice fiscale)
Requirements for documents issued abroad
All documents issued abroad, whether originals or certified true copies, must be legalised at the Consulate or by a public office of the issuing country (Apostille).
Please note: translations made by an official translator abroad must also be legalised.
Start your Italian citizenship by descent application today
L'avvocato ha dedicato tempo a spiegarmi chiaramente quali fossero le mie opzioni e ha guidato ogni passo del percorso.
La comunicazione è stata efficiente, e ho apprezzato particolarmente la chiarezza e la trasparenza nell'affrontare ogni aspetto della mia situazione.
Consiglio molto di affidarvi a lui Allessio nonostante sia giovane e molto preparato .
Top bravo ragazzo 🤩👏
In questo paese distrutto dalla burocrazia, sono riusciti a farmi ricredere e a continuare a sperare che qualcosa possa finalmente cambiare e molto in positivo!... Meritano davvero tanti stima e "successo"! Provare per credere!
La chiudo qui perché se dovessi raccontare la mia esperienza, dovrei partire da mooolto lontano e la mia recensione non sarebbe più efficace! ?
Ho avuto un'esperienza unica usufruendo di servizio dei ragazzi e vorrei testimoniare che fanno un lavoro eccellente,professionale all massimo e al livello umano senza rivali,un AIUTO IMMENSO!
Ne sono grata,auguro prosperita e tantissime persone felici di avervi incontrati.
Grazie infinite,abbiate tutto il bene del mondo.Grazie Hamza Ameer.Di cuore.
Con stima e affetto,Teresa.