Citizenship by birth

Citizenship by birth for children of foreign parents

Obtaining Italian citizenship is the main goal and wish of many of our compatriots who have lived and worked in Italy for many years.
There are several ways in which children can obtain Italian citizenship.
This means citizenship by birth (cittadinanza italiana per nascita), under article 1 of Law no. 91/1992 (l’art. 1 della legge n. 91/1992).
Let us look at some of the most common cases.
The child of a father or mother who is an Italian citizen (so-called iure sanguinis). Italian citizenship by birth passes from parents to child regardless of the place of birth. So the child of a parent who is an Italian citizen is an Italian citizen even if born abroad, provided that the birth certificate has been entered in the civil status register (registro dello Stato Civile). In other words, a descendant born abroad is also an Italian citizen, provided that neither they nor their close relatives (parents, grandparents) have ever declared that they wish to renounce Italian citizenship.

(The law provides for citizenship to be granted to a child of unknown parents who is on the territory of the Republic.) A child of unknown parents found on the territory of the Republic is considered a citizen by birth unless it is proven that they hold another citizenship.

Anyone born on Italian territory (if both parents are unknown or stateless, or if the child does not take the parents’ citizenship under the law of the state to which they belong) acquires Italian citizenship.

One of these cases is citizenship for a child born in Italy to two foreign parents. Italian Citizenship Law no. 91 of 05.02.1992, article 4, paragraph 2 (legge N°91 del 5 febbraio 1992, articolo 4, comma 2) gives children born in Italy to foreign parents the right to become Italian citizens on reaching the age of 18, provided they have never left the country. So children born in Italy to parents who do not hold Italian citizenship must, on turning 18, go to the civil registry office of the municipality (Ufficio dello Stato Civile del Comune) where they are resident (residenza) and apply for Italian citizenship (dichiarazione di acquisto della cittadinanza italiana).

Very important: you have only one year to do this (until you turn 19).
To acquire Italian citizenship you must submit the following documents:
a valid identity document (carta d’identità)
your residence permit (permesso di soggiorno)
a copy of your birth certificate (estratto per riassunto dal registro degli atti di nascita)
a residence history certificate (certificato storico)
payment of €250 (bollettino postale)
a revenue stamp (marca da bollo, €16.00)

The municipal office then issues the person with a new document (carta d’identità) showing Italian citizenship, with which they can go to the Questura (provincial police headquarters) to apply for an Italian passport. Children born in Italy who attended state schools do not need to take an Italian language test.
With Italian citizenship and an Italian passport, a person gains many advantages, rights and duties:
the right to permanent residence, to work, to run a business and to study
the right to cross the borders of EU countries without a visa
visa-free travel to Canada, the USA, Israel, Korea, Japan and dozens of other countries
the right to live and work in any country of the European Union
the right to a state pension, to benefits and to other social programmes for citizens
the right to vote
the right to Italy’s diplomatic protection
the right to pass Italian citizenship automatically to children under 18.
Very important: every procedure has several aspects you need to know. As mentioned above, a residence history certificate (certificato storico) is required, and your registered residence (residenza) must on no account be interrupted. In other words, the parents and the child born in Italy must always be registered at an address (it does not matter whether in different towns or regions)!