Italian citizenship is transmitted from generation to generation («Iure sanguinis») without limits of descent, without gaps between generations.
To acquire Italian citizenship, it is necessary to be a direct descendant of a relative who is an Italian citizen (for example: great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather, father).
Citizenship can only be granted to those who apply for it in person. This recognition is subject to the applicant proving a direct blood link with an Italian ancestor (grandfather), and that his or her descendants in a direct line back to the applicant have maintained the right to Italian citizenship continuously, without interruptions.
The following are Italian citizens by birth (or "Iure sanguinis"):
To begin this process it will be necessary:
REQUIREMENTS
Italian citizenship by marriage or Iure Matrimonii can be obtained by anyone who has married an Italian citizen and depending on the date on which the marriage took place, citizenship may be automatic.
Italian citizenship by marriage can be applied to two large groups of people:
2) Foreign women married after April 27, 1983 to an Italian citizen
(born in Italy or abroad) and men married at any time to an Italian citizen (born in Italy or abroad).
The spouse of an Italian citizen may obtain citizenship by marriage (naturalization) by decree of the Minister of the Interior, after three years of marriage, provided that there has been no dissolution of the marital bond, annulment or divorce and that the spouses are not legally separated.
The three-year period is reduced to two years if the spouses are legally resident in Italy. Furthermore, these periods are halved in the presence of children born or adopted by the spouses.
NOTE: Since April 27, 1983, the dissolution of marriage (due to divorce or widowhood) does not result in the loss of citizenship acquired through marriage.
If the dissolution of the marital bond took place before the April 27, 1983, The woman lost the Italian citizenship acquired through marriage if she resided abroad and reacquired or maintained her foreign citizenship of origin.
REQUIREMENTS
ITALIAN EXAM LEVEL B1 or, failing that, a degree issued by a public or private educational institution recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) or by the Ministry of Education (MIUR), such as, for example, the Italian Institute of Culture and the Dante Alighieri Institute.
Naturalization is the process by which a citizen of one state acquires the nationality of a second country, due to the ties established by his or her legal stay in that country or for other reasons, such as marriage. By adopting a nationality by naturalization, those who meet the requirements for coming of age also become citizens of that country.
The foreign and/or stateless individual may apply for Italian Citizenship by Naturalization if he/she falls into the following cases:
NOTE: An Italian citizen who became a naturalized foreign citizen while still a minor (even before August 16, 1992) never lost his Italian citizenship, provided that his father maintained Italian citizenship and the person concerned, upon reaching the age of majority, did not expressly renounce his Italian citizenship.
Previously, until 9 March 1975, Italian citizens reached the age of majority upon reaching the age of 21; since 10 March 1975, the age of majority is reached upon reaching the age of 18.
For the purposes of the transmission of Italian citizenship, the place of birth is not relevant. According to Argentine law, anyone born in Argentina is automatically considered an Argentine citizen; however, the opposite occurs in Italy, where not all those born in its territory are Italian citizens. Even if someone is born outside the territory of the Italian Republic, he or she will be an Italian citizen by origin if, at birth, at least one of his or her parents had Italian citizenship.
There are, however, exceptions to this principle.