Italian Dual Citizenship

Italy has allowed dual nationality since 1992. This guide covers the three paths to Italian citizenship, what it entitles you to as an EU citizen, and the 2025 reform.

Italy permits dual nationality. If you hold Italian citizenship alongside another, you do not have to choose between them. This guide explains what Italian dual citizenship is, the three main paths to obtaining it, and what it entitles you to once you have it.

Nothing on this page is legal or tax advice. For questions about your specific situation, consult a licensed Italian immigration attorney or a qualified citizenship consultant.

Italy allows dual citizenship

Since 16 August 1992, acquiring a foreign citizenship does not cause the loss of Italian citizenship. The governing law is Legge 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91, which replaced the stricter 1912 framework under which voluntary naturalization abroad generally meant losing Italian nationality.1

The practical consequence: an Italian-American, Italian-Canadian, or Italian-Australian can hold both passports simultaneously without Italy requiring them to renounce either. Formal renunciation of Italian citizenship is still possible under Art. 11 of L. 91/1992, but it requires a deliberate declaration at a consulate and is entirely voluntary.1

Three paths to Italian dual citizenship

By descent (jure sanguinis)

This is the path most relevant to people with Italian ancestry. Under L. 91/1992, Italian citizenship passes from parent to child at the moment of birth, automatically and without registration. If your ancestor was an Italian citizen when their child was born, that child was born Italian under Italian law, even if the birth happened abroad, even if no one knew it at the time. The status then passes to the next generation and the next, as long as the chain is unbroken.

The application process does not create a new status. It asks the Italian state to recognize what its own law says was always true. You apply through the Italian consulate with jurisdiction over your residence, or directly through an Italian comune if you establish residency in Italy.2

Two things can break the chain: a naturalization break (an ancestor became a citizen of another country before the next child in the line was born), and the 2025 reform, which added new restrictions for applications filed after March 27, 2025. See the section on the 2025 reform below, and the full citizenship by descent guide for eligibility rules, document requirements, and application paths.

By marriage

The foreign or stateless spouse of an Italian citizen can apply for Italian citizenship under Art. 5 of L. 91/1992. The waiting period is 2 years of legal residence in Italy, or 3 years of residence abroad from the date of marriage. Both periods are halved if the couple has minor children.3 4

Since December 2018, applicants for citizenship by marriage must also demonstrate Italian language proficiency at B1 level (CEFR) or above. This requirement was introduced by Decree-Law 113/2018 and confirmed by Law 132/2018.5 6 7

By residency (naturalization)

Foreign nationals who establish legal residence in Italy can apply for citizenship by naturalization under Art. 9 of L. 91/1992, by decree of the President of the Republic on proposal of the Ministry of the Interior. The standard minimum residence period is 10 years for non-EU citizens and 4 years for EU citizens, with shorter periods for certain categories including descendants of former Italian citizens and persons born in Italy.1

The B1 Italian language requirement also applies to the naturalization path, on the same terms as the marriage path.5

The 2025 reform

On March 28, 2025, the Italian government enacted Decree-Law 36/2025, converted into Law 74/2025 (Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 118, May 23, 2025), with effect from May 24, 2025.8 The law inserted a new Article 3-bis into L. 91/1992, significantly restricting jure sanguinis for applicants born abroad who hold another citizenship.

Under Art. 3-bis, such a person is considered to have never acquired Italian citizenship by descent unless one of three conditions applies:9 10

  1. The application was submitted (or a judicial proceeding begun) by March 27, 2025 (cases filed before the deadline are processed under the prior rules).
  2. A parent or grandparent held exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of the applicant’s birth or at the time of the parent’s or grandparent’s death.
  3. An Italian parent resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the child’s birth.

The reform also introduced a time-limited reacquisition window (July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027) for certain former citizens who lost Italian citizenship under the 1912 law before August 15, 1992.9

For a full analysis of how these conditions apply to specific lineage situations, see the citizenship by descent guide.

What Italian citizenship entitles you to

Italian citizens are EU citizens. That status is granted automatically by Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and carries rights that apply across all 27 EU member states.11

  • Free movement and residency. Under Directive 2004/38/EC, EU citizens have the right to move and reside freely in any member state. After five years of continuous legal residence in a host member state, the right of permanent residence applies.12
  • Right to work. Italian (and EU) citizenship means no visa or work permit is required to live and work anywhere in the EU.
  • Italian passport. An Italian passport is issued by Italian diplomatic missions abroad and functions as an EU travel document. Dual nationals traveling to Italy must identify themselves at the border using their Italian passport or EU identity card.
  • Consular protection. Under Art. 23 TFEU, EU citizens can receive consular protection from any EU member state’s mission in a country where Italy has no representation.11
  • Voting rights. Italian citizens living abroad can vote in Italian national elections, referendums, and European Parliament elections via the overseas constituency (Circoscrizione Estero), established by Law 459/2001.13 14

What Italian citizenship requires of you

Holding Italian citizenship while living abroad comes with one obligation that catches many new citizens off guard: AIRE registration. Under Law 470/1988, every Italian citizen who moves abroad for more than 12 months must register with the competent consulate within 90 days. Since January 2024, fines apply for non-registration.15 16

For a full account of the obligations and commonly misunderstood downsides of Italian dual citizenship, including the tax residency rules and passport logistics, see the disadvantages guide.

What to do next

For most people with Italian ancestry, the first question is whether their family line qualifies under jure sanguinis rules. That depends on a small number of facts: when your Italian ancestor emigrated, whether they naturalized, and which generation in the line you are.

Sources

  1. Legge 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91, “Nuove norme sulla cittadinanza.”Consolidated text: Normattiva.
  2. Consulate General of Italy, New York, jure sanguinis application guidance: consnewyork.esteri.it.
  3. Consulate General of Italy, New York, citizenship by marriage guidance: consnewyork.esteri.it.
  4. Consulate General of Italy, Los Angeles, citizenship by marriage guidance: conslosangeles.esteri.it.
  5. Decreto-Legge 4 ottobre 2018, n. 113 (introducing Art. 9.1, B1 language requirement). Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 231, 4 October 2018: Gazzetta Ufficiale.
  6. Legge 1 dicembre 2018, n. 132 (conversion of DL 113/2018). Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 281, 3 December 2018: Gazzetta Ufficiale.
  7. Consulate General of Italy, San Francisco, announcement on B1 language requirement, January 2019: conssanfrancisco.esteri.it.
  8. Legge 23 maggio 2025, n. 74 (conversion of Decreto-Legge 28 marzo 2025, n. 36). Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 118, 23 May 2025: Gazzetta Ufficiale.
  9. Integrazione Migranti (official inter-ministerial portal), “Cittadinanza italiana, convertito il DL 36/2025. Le novità principali”: integrazionemigranti.gov.it.
  10. Camera dei Deputati, dossier on Decreto-Legge 36/2025: temi.camera.it.
  11. Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Arts. 20–23 (EU citizenship and consular protection): EUR-Lex.
  12. Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (right of EU citizens and family members to move and reside freely): EUR-Lex.
  13. Legge 27 dicembre 2001, n. 459 (voting from abroad, Circoscrizione Estero): Normattiva.
  14. MAECI, voting abroad (English): esteri.it.
  15. Legge 27 ottobre 1988, n. 470 (AIRE enabling law): Normattiva.
  16. MAECI, AIRE overview: esteri.it.