If you’re at a stalemate with your plans to get an Italian passport after the new generational limit imposed on foreigners applying for citizenship, you’re not alone.
Frustrated would-be Italian citizens flocked to social media groups and forums in solidarity when the Italian Council of Ministers approved changes to rules for the recognition of Italian citizenship by descent or jure sanguinis on March 28, 2025. Before that ruling, Italian citizenship could be recognized for foreign nationals through not just a grandparent or a parent, but a great-great- or great-grandparent. With the new decree, there’s now a generational limit, allowing descendants to apply for recognition of Italian citizenship only if they have an Italian-born parent or grandparent.
The Italian government’s cited reasons for the change included ensuring that citizenship applicants had an established connection with Italy and an interest in participating in civic activities such as voting, as well as living long-term in Italy. The post-COVID boom of people targeting Italy as a part-time base for retirement or remote work fueled this reasoning, but at the same time left those with a genuine interest in building an Italian life in a difficult position.
As the experts at Italian Citizenship Assistance will tell you, there’s still hope if you want to make Italy your home, but don’t have an Italian parent or grandparent.
Q: Can the previous jure sanguinis rules still apply to those whose applications were already in progress?
In Italy, rules are often fluid and the same goes for the new generational limit for jure sanguinis.
The newly converted jure sanguinis law establishes time-sensitive conditions that stand as exceptions to the rule from March 28, 2025, even if your case is still in limbo. If your Italian citizenship application was submitted to an Italian consulate or an Italian municipality by 11.59pm on March 27 (CET), the previous rules will apply to your case. Moreover, your case will also follow the old rule if you filed an Italian court case by 11.59pm on March 27 (CET).
Q: I finished all of my paperwork for a great-great- or great-grandparent before the March ruling, but I couldn’t get an appointment at an Italian consulate and couldn’t submit my documents. What should I do?
Getting a citizenship appointment at an Italian consulate in the United States can feel like finding a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket inside a chocolate wrapper. People report logging on to appointment sites that never show availability even after days, weeks or months of trying, or finally securing appointments two years out. Because of this bureaucratic black hole, if you had your application documents ready before the March 28, 2025 announcement but couldn’t get an appointment to have your case reviewed, you may have recourse. It’s possible to judicially claim the involuntary inability to present your case at an Italian consulate for objective reasons and have your case assessed by an Italian court for a constitutional review of the new legislation. If you think you might be eligible for this complicated route, working with a citizenship expert like Italian Citizenship Assistance is likely your best bet.
Q: I have all my paperwork for a great-great- or great-grandparent. Should I wait? Will the rule change?
If you’re banking on a great-great- or great-grandparent for your Italian citizenship, and have already gathered all of your documentation, the experts recommend a wait-and-see approach. Further updates on the interpretation of the provisions included in the March 28, 2025 decree, and updates regarding the conversion into law of the aforementioned decree, will be released as they become available. The Italian constitutional court is also expected to announce a new decision at the beginning of 2026 and this could open the door for some cases.
Q: I have Italian heritage but don’t have an Italian parent or grandparent, and I’m set on moving to Italy. What should I do?
There are an estimated 5.4 million foreigners who live in Italy even without Italian lineage. Many enter Italy with visas for work, study, investment or elective residency (which some call the retirement visa because it does not permit working in Italy) and then declare residency in Italy. After five years of continuous legal residency in Italy, a foreign citizen can then apply for a long-term residence permit (valid for 10 years for adults). After 10 years they are eligible to apply for Italian citizenship. An important note is that a recent referendum aimed to shorten the 10 year citizenship rule to five years of continuous residency, which shows that the path from residency to citizenship might become shorter in the future.
Citizenship by residency may be a long game, but if you’ve exhausted all other options, it’s still possible to get your citizenship, starting with a visa to move to Italy. It will take time, as would gathering documents for a jure sanguinis case, but there are no limitations of Italian lineage to stop you.
If you are interested in determining your eligibility to apply for Italian citizenship by descent or residency the team at ICA will offer a completely free preliminary assessment of your case, with no obligation attached. For more information about ICA, visit the organization’s website or contact info@italiancitizenshipassistance.com.
