Recognition of Italian citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis)

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PROCEDURE DURATION

The law provides a maximum processing time of 24 months from the date of submission of the application, complete with all required documentation.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS RECOGNITION OF CITIZENSHIP BY DESCENT?

FROM MARCH 28, 2025, foreign-born citizens who hold another citizenship (for example, Canadian citizenship) are eligible to apply for Italian citizenship BY DESCENT only if:

1. a) they are first- or second-degree descendants of Italian citizens who hold, or held at the time of death, exclusively Italian citizenship. This must exist at the applicant’s date of birth, OR
2. b) a parent or adoptive parent has been resident in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the applicant’s date of birth or adoption.

In this case, a historical certificate of residence issued by the competent Italian municipality and a historical certificate of citizenship issued by the same municipality must be presented.

ATTENTION: It is not sufficient for the second-degree ascendant (grandfather/grandmother) to have, or had at the time of death, only Italian citizenship. In any case, it is necessary to verify that the line of transmission of Italian citizenship is intact for the first-degree ascendant (father, mother).

ERRORS AND DISCREPANCIES:

All documents listed must be carefully checked for errors and discrepancies regarding names, surnames, dates, and places of birth. Certificates/documents with errors/discrepancies must be corrected before requesting an apostille, and then translated, or corrected before requesting legalization and certified translation (if issued in countries not party to the Hague Apostille Convention).

Canadian birth, marriage, and death certificates (or foreign ones for those born elsewhere) must be in “Certified Copy of Registration” format. Please note that “wallet-size” certificates will NOT be accepted. Please note that Canadian or foreign certificates must be apostilled and translated into Italian (click here for more information).

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DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

1. Application for recognition.
2. Payment of the non-refundable consular fee 7bis. This fee will be paid at the counter when submitting the application for recognition according to the procedures set forth on the dedicated page.
3. Copy of Canadian passport and proof of residency (copy of driver’s license or any other utility). These documents do not need to be apostilled or translated.
4. Full extract of the applicant’s Canadian (or foreign) birth certificate, apostilled and translated.
5. If required: Marriage, divorce, or naturalization certificate. See note no.2

CASE OF FIRST-DEGREE ASCENDANT (father/mother exclusively Italian)

Add:

1. Copy of identity documents (including expired in the event of death) of first-degree ascendants (of both parents).
2. Documentation proving that the parent possessed, or possessed at the time of death, exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of the applicant’s birth. See note 1.
3. Full birth certificate of the exclusively Italian parent and photocopy of the spouse’s birth certificate. See note 2.
4. Marriage certificate, divorce certificate (if applicable), and death certificate (if applicable). See note 2.

CASE OF SECOND-DEGREE ASCENDANT (exclusively Italian grandparent)

Add:

1. Copy of identity documents (including expired ones in the event of death) of the second-degree ascendants (grandparent and grandmother).
2. Documentation proving that the second-degree ascendant (grandparent) possesses, or possessed at the time of death, exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of the applicant’s birth.See note 1.
3. Full extract of the birth certificate of the exclusively Italian second-degree ascendant and photocopy of the spouse’s birth certificate. See note 2.
4. Marriage certificate, divorce certificate (if applicable), and death certificate (if applicable) of the exclusively Italian second-degree ascendant. See note 2.

NOTES

Note 1: It is the applicant’s responsibility to conclusively demonstrate that one of the ascendants was exclusively an Italian citizen at the time of the applicant’s birth. THE CONSULATE CANNOT PROVIDE ADVICE PRIOR TO SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION. For example, it is possible to submit an apostilled and translated copy of the Permanent Resident Card, or a document demonstrating that the Italian parent has never acquired Canadian citizenship. These apostilled and translated documents can be requested from Citizenship and Immigration Canada through the Search of Citizenship Records or “Access to Information” procedure. When requesting information regarding married women, it is important to specify both surnames—maiden (before marriage) and married (after marriage)—in the request.

Note 2: If the ascendant was born in Italy, a recent birth certificate issued by the Italian municipality of birth must be submitted. Click here to download the application form for the Italian municipality. Be sure to request an “Extract of the Birth Certificate” and not a “Birth Certificate”. Photocopies of old passports or other certifications issued in Italy are optional, but it is recommended to present them at the counter to complete the information relating to your ancestor.

If both ascendants were born in Italy, it is mandatory to present the extract of the birth certificate for both and the documentation relating to Canadian citizenship in order to update the data with the municipality of origin.

• If the ascendant/applicant was born in Canada or another foreign country, the apostilled and translated birth certificate must be submitted.
• If the ascendant/applicant is married, the apostilled and translated marriage certificate and a photocopy of the spouse’s birth certificate must be submitted.
• If the applicant is divorced, the divorce decree, divorce certificate, and marriage certificate (to which the divorce refers), apostilled and translated, must be submitted. For more information, see the dedicated section.

Note 3: For example, certificates of non-renunciation, certificate of Italian citizenship, and a valid Italian passport may be submitted.

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HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

The submission of the documentation takes place in person, exclusively by appointment on Prenot@mi.

Please, see below for information on how to book an appointment.

The Citizenship Office receives ONLY by appointment through the ONLINE application Prenot@mi for the processing of citizenship reconstruction cases in favour of descendants of Italian citizens.

Please note that appointments are always FREE OF CHARGE and CANNOT be requested through THIRD PARTIES, but only PERSONALLY, BY THE INTERESTED PARTY.

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CONSULAR FEES

For the examination and processing of applications for the recognition of Italian citizenship in favour of a person over the age of 18, check art. 7bis here. This fee is paid BEFORE the formal examination of the application at the counter and, regardless of the positive or negative outcome, is NOT refundable.

Please note that the aforementioned fee must be paid at the counter in Canadian dollars and in CASH only (credit cards or other forms of digital payment are not accepted).

In addition to the aforementioned fee, legalisations (Art. 69) may have to be paid, if legalisations are required.