- LEGAL FRAMEWORK
Italian citizenship is based on the principle of descent (iure sanguinis).
Essential requirements:
- Only applicants with a parent or grandparents born in Italy can apply for citizenship by descent (decreto legge n. 36, 28/03/2025).
- If any of the ancestors voluntarily acquired another nationality before the birth or while the next descendant born abroad was still minor, and in any case before 15/08/1992, they automatically lost Italian citizenship and interrupted the line of descent (artt. 7, 8, 12 Law n. 555/1912, Circolare Ministero dell’Interno n. 43347, 03/10/2024).
The main Italian ancestor, who emigrated abroad, must have been born in Italy after 17 March 1861 (date of the proclamation of the Reign of Italy) or following their place of birth had been annexed to the Reign of Italy. Exceptionally, applications for citizenship by descent will be accepted even if the Italian ancestor was born before 17 March 1861, provided they died after that date.
Acquiring Italian citizenship through maternal line is possible only if descendants of Italian women were born after 01/01/1948.
NB: Italian women married to a foreign citizen before 01/01/1948 automatically lost Italian citizenship, following the automatic acquisition of citizenship by marriage by law of the husband’s country of nationality.
Example: an Italian woman married to a British citizen on 31/12/1947 automatically acquired British citizenship and lost her Italian citizenship at the same time ( Documents to submit for re-acquisition of Italian citizenship ex nunc, for Italian women who lost Italian nationality by marriage with a British citizen before 01/01/1948)
Minor children of Italian citizens can be automatically recognized as Italians only if:
– one of the parents or grandparents was born in Italy,
– one of the parents, if born abroad, lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years before their birth.
For more information on the registration of birth certificates, please refer to: Registry Office – Consolato Generale d’Italia Londra.
Riferimenti normativi
- DOCUMENTS TO SUBMIT AT THE APPOINTMENT
Applications for citizenship by descent should be submitted in the applicant’s country of permanent residence. If the applicant is resident abroad, they should contact the Italian consular office responsible for that consular district. If resident in Italy, they should contact the Municipality.
On the day of the appointment, the applicant must submit all the documents in original, duly legalised by apostille and translated into Italian. This office reserves the right to request additional evidence and supporting documentation at the appointment when assessing the case. The original documents requested have no expiration date and will not be returned.
Applicants, who are resident in this consular district and whose family members have already been recognised Italian by descent through this Consulate General, should contact the Citizenship office via email (cittadinanza.londra@esteri.it ) one month before the appointment, to provide personal data and details of the family members already recognised as Italian. New applicants who fall into this category can simply present photocopies of all the originals already in our possession, in addition to the other original documents required to assess their individual application.
Applicants who are resident in this consular district and whose family members have already been recognised Italian by descent through another Italian Consulate or in Italy via a local Municipality, must submit all documents in original concerning their ancestors.
Applications for citizenship by descent and iure matrimonii (marriage of a foreign woman to an Italian male citizen before 27/04/1983, as per art. 10, Law n. 555/1912) are subject to a fee of 600 EURO (Consular fees – Consolato Generale d’Italia Londra).
The payment must be made in pounds exclusively by British debit card on the day of the appointment.
Please note that the payment is NON-refundable, regardless of the outcome of the application.
2.1 APPLICATION PROCESSING TIMES
Law n.132/2018 (articles 5, 9ter) sets a time limit to process an application with all the required documents and no inconsistencies, at a maximum of 24 months, extendable to 36, if the application is complete and presented without discrepancies.
2.2 DOCUMENTS CHECKLIST
BRITISH CITIZENS OF ITALIAN ORIGIN
NON-BRITISH CITIZENS OF ITALIAN ORIGIN
- HOW TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
To book an appointment for citizenship by descent you need to create an account on Prenot@MI.
New slots are automatically released on Mondays and Wednesdays at 17.00 (local time).
Please note that each appointment is individual.
The applicant will receive a reminder email, 10 days prior to the date selected, to confirm their appointment. Failure to do so will result in the automatic cancellation of the appointment.
The Prenot@MI system is centrally managed by our MOFA – therefore, please refrain from sending appointment requests via email directly to the Citizenship Office.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
This Consulate General in London reminds all users that the Prenot@MI booking portal is COMPLETELY free of charge.
We invite all users to be wary of anyone claiming to be able to arrange appointments at short notice against payment of a fee. We strongly advise against paying for this kind of service. The Consulate General of Italy fully and unequivocally dissociates itself completely and categorically from any website, agency or individual that offers similar services and reserves every right to take necessary measures when required.