The Italian Citizenship can be recognized according to the principle of ius sanguinis where the descent from an Italian citizen is proven, and there is no interruption in the line of transmission of citizenship in accordance with the different laws and regulations that have been enacted over time.
For the applicants born abroad, the transmission of citizenship is subject to the limitations introduced by Decree-Law no. 36 of 28 March 2025, converted with amendments by Law no. 74 of 23 May 2025. Specifically, in accordance with the amended Article 3-bis, paragraph 1, letters c) and d) of Law No. 91/1992, the recognition of Italian Citizenship is possible only if:
- A parent or grandparent own only Italian citizenship, or must have held only Italian citizenship at the time of their death;
- The Italian parent had resided continuously in Italy for at least two years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the date of birth of the child.
Applications for citizenship by descent must be submitted by adult applicants at the consular office of the applicant’s country of permanent residence.
Documents to submit are:
- Original birth certificate of the applicant;
- Registry Office certificates of the applicant: marriage certificate, divorce decree or spouse’s death certificate (if applicable), and –if any- second marriage certificate;
- Registry Office certificates of the ascendants (grandparents and/or parents): birth certificate (for the ascendant born in Italy, “estratto dell’atto di nascita”), marriage certificate, divorce decree or spouse’s death certificate (if applicable), and eventual second marriage certificate, death certificate.
- Declarations of negative naturalization of the ascendant;
- Proof of residence within this consular district.
Italian certificates must be original, of recent emission, issued by the competent Italian municipality.
Registry Office certificates or declarations issued in other countries must be apostilled/legalized by the competent Authority/Italian Consulate and accompanied with a certified translation.
For further information regarding the legalization procedure, the correct format of Registry Office certificates, the documentation required in the event of divorce, the declaration of negative naturalization and so on, please refer to the information provided on the website of the competent Italian Consulate.
With specific regard to the proof of residence:
- For Thailand, the applicant must possess the “Permanent Residency in Thailand” (a non-immigrant visa is not sufficient);
- For Cambodia, the applicant must prove that they have resided continuously in the country for at least three years by presenting a certificate of residence issued by the competent local authority (“Sangkat”) alongside an English translation certified by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
- For Laos, the applicant must prove that they have resided continuously in the country for at least three years by presenting a certificate of residence issued by the competent local authority alongside an English translation certified by the Laotian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
With specific regard to the limitations introduced by the amended Article 3-bis, paragraph 1, letters c) and d) of Law No. 91/1992, please note that:
- In order to prove the sole ownership of Italian citizenship by the ancestor, the applicant may provide additional documentation such as negative citizenship certificates issued by third countries or any other document deemed suitable for this purpose;
- In order to prove that the Italian parent had resided continuously in Italy for at least two years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the date of birth of the child, the applicant must present a certificate of residence records (“certificato storico di residenza”) issued by the competent Italian municipality.
In order to schedule an appointment for a preliminary assessment of the supporting documents, the applicant is requested to send an email to the Consular Office with subject line indicating their first and last name followed by “Citizenship by descent”, and to attach a scanned copy of the proof of residence.
Requests that do not meet the above criteria will not be taken into consideration.
Please note that the processing of the application is subject to a consular fee of 600 Euro to be paid in Thai Baht (in cash or by QR code). This payment is non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the procedure.