Italy Announces Major Change for Foreigners Claiming Citizenship through Ancestry

• Italy passed Law No. 11/2026, which moves adult citizenship-by-descent applications to a new office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs starting January 1, 2029
• The Italian Consulate General in Sydney has suspended new appointments for adult citizenship-by-descent applicants following the law's introduction
• Italy also capped citizenship transmission at two generations under a separate 2025 law, adding new conditions for those born abroad

Italy has introduced sweeping changes to its citizenship-by-descent programme, restructuring how adults living abroad can claim Italian nationality through their ancestry.

Under Law No. 11/2026, applications for citizenship recognition submitted by adults residing outside Italy will, from January 1, 2029, be handled exclusively by a dedicated office set up within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) in Rome, rather than through embassies and consulates.

Until December 31, 2028, diplomatic and consular offices are still permitted to accept a limited number of applications.

However, the Italian Consulate General in Sydney has already announced it is suspending new appointments for adult applicants, citing the volume constraints introduced by the new legislation.

Italian citizenship: Who is affected and who is exempt?

The restrictions do not apply to everyone. Recognition of Italian citizenship for minors through descent remains unaffected, as do non-automatic acquisitions such as naturalisations and grants based on legal entitlement under existing Italian law.

A separate law, Law No. 74 of May 23, 2025, has also reshaped the rules around generational transmission. Italian citizenship can now only pass from parent to child across a maximum of two generations.

For this to apply, the Italian parent must not have renounced Italian citizenship or naturalised in another country before the birth of the direct descendant.

For those born abroad, at least one of three additional conditions must also be satisfied: the applicant holds no other citizenship and cannot acquire one; a parent or grandparent held exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of the applicant's birth or the ancestor's death; or an Italian parent lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years after gaining citizenship and before the applicant's birth or adoption.

There is also a longstanding rule that remains in place: a woman can only transmit Italian citizenship to descendants from January 1, 1948 onwards.

Italian citizenship: What applicants in Australia must know

For those applying through the Sydney Consulate, eligibility is limited to Australian citizens or permanent residents living in New South Wales.

Applications must be made by appointment through the Prenot@mi portal, and all original documents must be submitted in person on the day, fully legalised and translated into Italian.

The processing fee is 600 euros (roughly ₦1,065,000), payable in Australian dollars by cash or debit card. This fee is non-refundable under any circumstances, regardless of the outcome of the application.

The standard processing time is 730 days, as set by a presidential decree from January 2014. Original documents submitted will not be returned; they will be kept on file by the Consulate.

Legit.ng reported that Italy announced 89,000 seasonal work permits for foreign workers in 2027.

In a related story, Legit.ng reported that Italy published its residency requirement for permanent residence applicants.

Website for foreigners desiring to work in Italy

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Italy shared a website for foreigners seeking to work in the country.

The new resource, hosted on Cliclavoro, the digital platform managed by Italy's Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, separates guidance for EU and non-EU workers and aims to give prospective migrants a clearer picture of what to expect before and after arriving in the country.

For citizens of the 27 EU member states, the portal explains rights to freedom of movement, residence, and employment in Italy under Legislative Decree No. 30 of 6 February 2007, which implemented the EU's freedom of movement directive.

Source: Legit.ng