Becoming An Italian Citizen

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I am married to an Italian citizen and we live abroad. Since when have I been entitled to apply for Italian citizenship and where must I apply for it?

The foreign-born spouse of an Italian citizen residing abroad may apply for Italian citizenship through marriage three years after it was celebrated. This term is reduced to a half in the case of children born to or adopted by both spouses.

The applicant must register on the portal of the Ministry of the Interior called ALI, at the following link

After logging in, you will be given access to the online procedure to apply for Italian citizenship.

The diplomatic or consular delegation territorially competent for the applicant’s place of residence will verify the documentation uploaded online by the applicant before accepting the application.

Once the application is accepted, the applicant will be summoned to the office to be identified and to deposit for verification the original documents uploaded online as well as any other required document. For more information, please consult the “Citizenship” page

I would like to know the state of progress of my application for citizenship through marriage filed at the Consulate.

The Ministry of the Interior is the competent Authority to define the administrative procedure whereby to award Italian citizenship. Once the application is accepted, it will be assigned an identification code (K10/C – followed by a number) with which it will also be possible to access the online consultation service on the state of progress of the application by accessing the ALI portal with the credentials assigned at the time of registering to file the application.

I was born in Italy to foreign parents, after which we all returned to their country of origin when I was very young. Am I entitled to Italian citizenship or to an Italian passport?

No. The Italian law on citizenship (Law 91/1992) does not entitle someone to acquire Italian citizenship for the mere fact of being born on the Italian territory. In addition to being born on the Italian territory, Art. 4 of the Law subordinates the acquisition of Italian citizenship to the legal and continuous residence in Italy from the person’s date of birth until his/her coming of age. For more information, please consult the “Citizenship” page

How can I have my Italian citizenship recognised? My grandparents were Italian.

Recognition of Italian citizenship is subordinated to the applicant providing proof that his/her direct progenitors have continuously maintained and handed down their Italian citizenship. For more information, please consult the “Citizenship” page or contact the Authority that will have to vet the application: if you reside abroad, the competent  Italian Consular Office (see the list), if you reside in  Italy, your Town Hall.

How do I go about obtaining my grandparents birth certificates?

You must contact the Italian town where they were born. The Italian Consulates generally provide request forms on line. If there were no registries in existence at the time of your ancestors’ birth, you will have to submit a parish baptismal certificate, with the authentication of the pastor’s signature by the authorised bishop’s office, along with the response from the town hall confirming the non-existence of a registry office on the date in question.

List of Italian embassies and consulates

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