Getting Dual Citizenship in Italy: The Step-by-Step Process Under the 2025 Rules

Getting dual citizenship in Italy is a five-step process that runs through American records, Italian comune archives, and a consulate appointment. The 2025 reform changed who qualifies but did not change the steps themselves. Here is the path, in order, with the parts most people get wrong.

• Step one is confirming you still qualify under Law 36/2025.
• Step two is gathering Italian records the consulate will actually accept.
• Step three is the apostille, translation, and consulate booking.

Step One: Confirm You Still Qualify in 2026

Getting dual citizenship in Italy starts with one question. Are you still eligible after Law 36/2025 took effect in March 2025?

The reform tightened Jure Sanguinis (right of blood, the citizenship principle) to parents and grandparents in most cases. Great-grandparents and beyond no longer qualify under the standard administrative path. Three exceptions remain.

• The 1948 cases. If your line passes through a woman who had a child before January 1, 1948, a judicial path through the Italian courts is still open.
• The minor-issue rulings. If your Italian-born ancestor naturalized while their child was still a minor, recent decisions (especially from 2023 onward) carved out openings for families previously turned away.
• Recognition through a parent already recognized. If your mother or father was recognized as Italian before March 2025, your own claim flows from theirs.

This step matters because the rest of the process is expensive. A family from Long Island came to us in early 2026 ready to spend money on records. Their direct line was cut by the 2025 reform, but the bisnonna (great-grandmother) had a child in 1942 from Avellino. A 1948 case opened the door their grandfather’s naturalization had closed.

Some claims are tougher than others, and we will tell you straight after a free consultation which path fits your family.

Step Two: Pull the Italian Records

Italian citizenship is proven on paper. Specifically, Italian paper, pulled from the Italian comune (the local Italian municipality where civil records are kept), in the format the consulate accepts.

For each Italian-born ancestor in your line, you need:

• Atto di nascita (birth act), full estratto, not the short summary form.
• Atto di matrimonio (marriage act) if married in Italy.
• Atto di morte (death act) if they died in Italy.

The estratto versus the short certificato is where most DIY applicants stumble. They look similar. Only one is accepted. The wrong version sends a file back unread.

Italian civil registration (stato civile) reaches back to about 1866 in most regions. For ancestors born earlier, the records sit in parish books in Latin. The Antenati portal (the partial online state archive) covers some southern comuni well and many northern ones poorly. When the digital trail ends, the records still live in steel cabinets at the comune or in the regional Archivio di Stato (the State Archive).

Unlike Ancestry.com, which surfaces only what its US partners scanned, Antenati holds the actual Italian state’s records. Even so, it is incomplete. The full file usually requires in-person archive work somewhere on the peninsula.

Step Three: Pull the American Records

While the Italian side is in motion, the American side starts moving in parallel. Each US-born descendant in your direct line needs a vital record set.

• Birth certificate, long-form, from the issuing state.
• Marriage certificate, where applicable.
• Divorce decree, where applicable.
• Death certificate, where applicable.

Each one must be a state-issued long-form copy. County courthouse copies are sometimes rejected. Hospital souvenir certificates definitely will be.

You also need the US naturalization paperwork (or sworn statement of non-naturalization) for the Italian-born ancestor. The exact date your ancestor became American can make or break the line. If they naturalized before the next person in the chain was born, your direct path is closed and you need to know that immediately.

Step Four: Apostille and Translate

Every American document needs an apostille from the Secretary of State of the issuing state. The apostille is the international certification under the Hague Convention that says your document is genuine. Italy will not accept a US document without it.

Each non-English document then needs a certified Italian translation. Not a Google Translate printout. A sworn translation by a translator the consulate recognizes.

The Italian-side records you pull from the comune carry their own apostilla (Italian apostille certification) once they are issued. We handle this end-to-end so the package arrives at the consulate in one consistent format.

This is where DIY files most often unravel. The records are correct. The certifications are wrong. A single missing apostille resets the timeline by months.

Step Five: The Consulate Appointment

With the allegati (the supporting document bundle for Jure Sanguinis) assembled, you book a consulate appointment in the jurisdiction that covers your state of residence. New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington each cover defined US territories.

Wait times in 2026 vary from six months in the smaller consulates to two years or more in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The wait does not start until your file is complete and your appointment is booked.

At the appointment, the officer reviews the file in person. If the records are correct and the chain is unbroken, recognition typically follows within twelve to twenty-four months of the appointment. The Italian passport application starts immediately after recognition.

The smell of stamped paper at the consulate counter, the soft thud of a stamp on your file, the moment a clerk hands the receipt back across the desk. That is what success looks like.

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FAQs

How long does getting dual citizenship in Italy take?

Records research runs four to ten months for a clean grandparent case. Apostille and translation add one to three months. Consulate appointment wait times in 2026 range from six months to over two years depending on the jurisdiction. Total timelines from start to recognized citizen typically run twenty to thirty-six months.

Do I have to give up my US citizenship?

No. The United States permits dual citizenship and Italy does as well. You keep your American passport and add an Italian one.

Can my children become dual citizens through me?

Once you are recognized as Italian, your minor children are automatically recognized too. Adult children file their own claim through your established line, which is procedurally simpler than your original application.

What is the cost of getting dual citizenship in Italy?

Records research, apostille, certified translation, consulate fees, and any 1948 court costs (if applicable) typically total between five thousand and twenty-five thousand US dollars. The free consultation gives you a realistic range for your specific line.

Can I do the whole process from the United States?

The standard administrative path is filed at the Italian consulate in the United States, so yes. You can also relocate to Italy and apply through your ancestor’s comune, which can be faster but requires temporary Italian residency. 1948 court cases are filed in Rome through Italian counsel.

Expert Tips

• Start with the eligibility check. Spending money on records before you know whether the 2025 reform allows your claim is the most expensive mistake we see.
• Pull the US naturalization document early. The exact date matters more than any other single piece of paper in the file.
• Find the exact comune of birth before ordering Italian records. “From near Naples” gets you nothing.
• Ask for the full estratto, not the short certificato. Sending the wrong version is the most common reason a file gets bounced back.
• Free 15-minute call tells you if the line works and what the realistic timeline looks like for your consulate jurisdiction.

Related Resources

• Dual Citizenship Italy USA: What American-Italians Need to Know
• Apply for Italian Citizenship by Descent: Documents, Timeline, and How the Process Works
• Italian Citizenship by Descent Cost: What You Are Actually Paying For