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Italian citizenship iure sanguinis and 2025 reform: documentary guide

Iure sanguinis, Law 74/2025 reform, Comune records and legalisations: an informational guide focused on documentation—not legal advice.

April 18, 2026 · 10 min

Recognition of Italian citizenship iure sanguinis requires a documentary chain: birth and marriage records, any naturalisations, from the Italian Comune of origin through to the applicant. It does not replace the consulate, the Comune or a qualified professional: it is about which records to look for and where.

In 2025 the framework changed: Decree-Law no. 36 of 28 March 2025, converted by Law no. 74 of 23 May 2025, in force from 24 May 2025. The substance of the law remains with the competent authorities; this page describes the documentation offices may ask for.

This article is not legal advice. Eligibility and procedures are assessed exclusively by the competent authorities (consulates, municipalities, courts). Rules and administrative practice can change: always verify up-to-date official sources.

Country and period of emigration: where to look for records

From the late nineteenth century through much of the twentieth many Italian families moved abroad. Knowing which country and which period the ancestor emigrated to indicates which civil, consular or parish archives to consult.

In the search for records, the most frequent countries of emigration are Argentina and Brazil, then Uruguay, the United States and Canada. The country indicates the language of the records, the issuing authority and, usually, the type of Apostille or legalisation. The year of departure indicates which registers—civil, parish or consular—it is realistic to consult.

Family documents, passport, and certificates for a citizenship application — Civil-status records and certificates used in citizenship documentation.

Why the country and year of departure shape the search

Understanding where your ancestor left from helps you understand where to search for documents. An emigrant from 1890 does not leave the same records as one from 1960: registers, foreign transcriptions, naturalisations, and Italianised or adapted names all change. The administrative geography of the Comuni and the registers of the country of emigration have to be reconstructed together.

Argentina and Uruguay: often rich civil and consular archives; watch naturalisations and marriage dates
Brazil: variation between states; certificates in Portuguese with apostille and translation
USA and Canada: federal or provincial naturalisations that may affect transmission
Europe and Oceania: more recent flows but sometimes fragmented records

What iure sanguinis means

In Latin, iure sanguinis means “by right of blood”. In practice it is the principle by which Italian citizenship passes from parent to child when, at the child’s birth, the parent was already an Italian citizen—unless the law provides for an interruption in transmission.

It is not a “citizenship application” in the ordinary sense of naturalising after years of residence: it is recognition of an existing status, to be proved with a coherent documentary chain. It differs from iure soli and from naturalisation by residence: each path has its own documents and timelines. People often speak of recognition at the consulate or, in some cases, a judicial route when documentation is incomplete or disputed.

How transmission is shown from one generation to the next

The documentation must connect every generation to the Italian ancestor without gaps: the Italian ancestor, the child born abroad, the grandchild, then the applicant. For each generation you must show that, at the child’s birth, the parent held Italian citizenship and that no statutory interruption occurred (the most debated is the parent’s naturalisation before the child’s birth while the child was still a minor—an area where case law has offered important guidance).

Maternal and paternal lines

Until 1 January 1948, automatic transmission from an Italian mother to children born abroad was limited: many families therefore have two distinct paths (administrative recognition for the paternal line, possible action in Italy for the pre-1948 maternal line). This is not a minor technical detail: it is often the first point to clarify with a professional or the competent consulate.

Marriages, divorces, and name changes

A surname error, a marriage not transcribed in Italy, or a divorce registered only abroad can make the line look incomplete to the office. Marriage records and any transcriptions in the competent Italian Comune are as central as birth certificates.

Build a paper family tree: for each person note date and place of birth, naturalisation dates (if known), and Italian Comune of origin. You will immediately see where records are missing.

2025 Italian citizenship reform (Law 74/2025)

Decree-Law no. 36 of 28 March 2025, converted with amendments by Law no. 74 of 23 May 2025, inserted Article 3-bis into Law no. 91 of 5 February 1992. The text is published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale; the conversion law entered into force on 24 May 2025.

This is not merely “more document checks”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that, under the new rules, automatic acquisition of citizenship by descent (and for other cases listed on the institutional page) for people born abroad who hold another citizenship is subject to the exceptions in Article 3-bis. Primary competence on citizenship remains with the Ministry of the Interior; for residents abroad, assessment takes place at the territorially competent consular office.

In the coordinated wording of Article 3-bis, a person born abroad (even before the article entered into force) who holds another citizenship is generally treated as never having acquired Italian citizenship, unless one of the conditions listed in the provision applies. Those conditions include—beyond cases linked to applications filed by 23:59 (Rome time) on 27 March 2025 or an appointment notified by that deadline—requirements relating to ancestors and to residence in Italy of a parent or adoptive parent. We do not apply them here to an individual case: interpretation and assessment belong to the authorities or a qualified professional.

The reform also amended other provisions of Law no. 91/1992 (including Articles 4 and 14). The Foreign Ministry gives examples of documents offices may request to evidence the new criteria—for instance certificates relating to exclusive Italian citizenship or a historical residence certificate. Lists can change: check the MAECI website and your competent consulate.

The currently applicable wording of Article 1(1-ter) of Decree-Law no. 36/2025 also provides a separate transitional rule: for anyone who was a minor on 24 May 2025 and is the child of citizens by birth in the conditions of letters (a), (a-bis) and (b) of Article 3-bis, the declaration under Article 4(1-bis)(b) of Law no. 91/1992 may be filed by 23:59 (Rome time) on 31 May 2029. It does not apply to all minors or to every citizenship case: it covers only the situations set out in the provision. Eligibility depends on the facts of the case; ItaloDocs does not assess it. Requirements should be verified with the competent authority.

What this means if you are preparing a documentary file

Reconstructing civil-status records is often still required when the authority asks for it: on its own it does not replace the statutory conditions.
Birth dates, naturalisations, residences, and multiple citizenships can be decisive: they must be checked against official sources and the facts of the case.
Consular and municipal lists can change: review them before apostilling or translating.

Official sources

To consult the legislation and institutional updates on Italian citizenship:

Civil registry record in a municipal archive — Records from the ancestor’s *Comune* of origin are used to identify the Italian line in the file.

Documents for each generation

There is no identical list for everyone, but the recurring structure is: for each generation from the Italian line to you, you generally need birth certificate, marriage certificate (if applicable), and in some cases death certificate of the Italian ancestor. Foreign acts often need apostille and translation into Italian in a form accepted by the receiving authority. If the file is already before a court and must be translated as a set, see sworn translations for citizenship court files.

Birth certificate of the Italian ancestor (extract or full copy from the Comune)
Birth certificate of each descendant in the line, up to the applicant
Marriage records and related transcriptions in Italy, where required
Certificate of non-naturalisation of the Italian ancestor (or equivalent statement from the country of residence, if required by the consulate)

Registry certificates and the ANPR portal

For records in Italy, many registry certificates can now be requested online through ANPR. Knowing which type you need—summary extract, multilingual extract, historical family status—avoids wrong requests and weeks of delay. See our guide on ANPR registry certificates.

Information to gather before contacting a Comune

Before writing to a Comune or an archive, gather the information already available on the Italian ancestor. It is used to identify the record, not to replace it.

full given names and surnames;
date of birth;
Comune or locality of birth;
parents’ names, if known;
approximate year of emigration;
older family documents that help locate the record (passports, military booklets, certificates the family already holds).

Family documents and notes on the Comune of origin — Name, date and place of birth, and the year of emigration, are used to locate the record at the Comune or in an archive.

Where to look for the records

State Archives and municipal websites for historical civil status
Parish registers (useful when civil status is incomplete)
Migration databases and ship manifests at ports
Consulates and Italian communities abroad for local addresses and practice

Record every source: “certificate no. … issued by … on …”. When an application drags on, knowing where a fact came from is as valuable as the fact itself.

Frequent documentary mistakes

Going to the consulate without checking that every generation is documented
Confusing summary extract, full copy, and multilingual certificate
Ignoring a naturalisation that occurred “too early” in the line
Using translations not suitable for the receiving office
Requesting transcriptions from the wrong municipality
Underestimating timelines: months of waiting are normal, not exceptions
Relying on outdated information from generic forums

A missing or inconsistent record can block the entire application. Completing the search for records before the consular appointment reduces requests for further documents.

AIRE, consulate, and next steps

For those living abroad, AIRE registration and the relationship with the consulate of jurisdiction are part of the path, especially after recognition or when coordinating civil status acts. The dedicated guide on AIRE registration explains timelines, obligations, and links to civil status procedures.

Different consulates can have very different waiting lists. Book an appointment only when documentation is nearly complete: a postponement for supplements can mean more months on the calendar.

Consular paperwork for AIRE and citizenship — AIRE and the consulate coordinate residence abroad and civil status records.

ItaloDocs: Italian documentation (not citizenship processing)

ItaloDocs handles documentation in Italy and in coordination with Comuni: searching for records, certificates, legalisation or Apostille where required, sworn translation of foreign records, and documentary follow-up of the file. It does not process citizenship, does not represent the applicant before consulates or courts, and is not a substitute for a lawyer or patronato.

Research and requests for records from Comuni and archives (birth, marriage, historical family status, etc.)
Italian certificates in the form required by your consulate or trusted adviser
Legalisation and apostille of documents for use abroad, where applicable
Sworn translation into Italian of foreign acts, matching the receiving office’s requirements
Documentary follow-up of the file (not management of the citizenship application before the authorities)

If you are preparing an iure sanguinis file—including in light of the 2025 reform—we can help you obtain and organise the Italian records in the file. Recognition decisions always remain with the competent authorities.

Related services: civil status certificates, registry certificates, sworn translation, and legalisation / apostille. For an overview of documents often needed in descent cases, see documentation for iure sanguinis—documentation only, not citizenship processing.

In short: for each generation you need the records that reconstruct the line, the details that locate the Italian ones and, when the office asks, Apostille and translation. Recognition remains a decision of the competent authorities.