We explore every path your bloodline opens — jure sanguinis, the 1948 rule, residency, marriage. If there's a way to your Italian passport, we find it.
Eligibility
Italy grants citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis). If your parent or grandparent was Italian, you may have a legal right to an Italian passport. Italy's 2025 reform limits the automatic claim to two generations.
As of May 24, 2025, jure sanguinis is limited to two generations: your Italian-born ancestor must be a parent or grandparent. Great-grandparent and further claims are no longer automatic for new applications. On March 12, 2026, Italy's Constitutional Court upheld this law — the two-generation limit is now constitutionally confirmed. If your application was filed before March 27, 2025 (11:59 pm Rome time), old rules still apply. Special 1948 rule and residency paths remain available. Learn more below →
On April 14, 2026, Italy's Supreme Court (Sezioni Unite) heard a landmark set of cases addressing whether a parent's naturalization while a child was a minor breaks the citizenship chain for all descendants. The written ruling has not yet been issued and could significantly affect eligibility for many applicants. We will update this site as soon as the decision is published.
Under Law 74/2025, the two-generation limit applies. Your parent or grandparent must be the Italian-born ancestor. Claims through great-grandparents are no longer automatically valid under the new law.
Naturalization breaks the chain. We help you determine exactly when — and if — this applies to your case.
Female-line claims before 1948 are called "1948 cases" and require a separate court process — still possible, just different.
Birth, death, and marriage certificates from both Italy and the US. We show you the exact list you need.
Under Italy's 1912 law, if an Italian ancestor naturalized as a foreigner while their child was still a minor living with them, that child automatically lost Italian citizenship too — breaking the chain for all descendants. Before March 10, 1975, the age of majority in Italy was 21 (not 18). This issue is currently before Italy's Supreme Court (ruling pending April 2026). It's one of the most important — and overlooked — eligibility questions. See FAQ below →
The Process
The process takes real work, but it's navigable. Here's how we move from your family tree to your Italian documents.
We review your lineage, identify your Italian ancestor, and confirm whether you have a valid claim before you invest time or money in documents.
Birth, death, and marriage records from each generation, both US and Italian, apostilled and certified. We give you the exact list with no guessing involved.
Every case runs through the Italian municipality your ancestor came from. We guide you through contacting them, in Italian when needed.
File at the Italian consulate in your home country or directly in Italy. We prepare you for every step of the appointment and what to expect.
How We Can Help
We start with a free eligibility conversation to understand what you're working with. From there, your case is handled at the level it actually requires.
Self-Guided Option
You do the legwork. We make sure you're doing it right. Ideal for people who want to stay hands-on but need an expert in their corner to guide, review, and course-correct along the way. 3-month package.
For clean, straightforward jure sanguinis cases. Full end-to-end case management from document strategy through consulate submission.
$1,500 — parent is Italian ancestor, single comune, records accessible.
$2,200 — grandparent is ancestor, multiple comuni, more generations of records.
For cases with meaningful complications — but that stay out of court. One or more factors require deeper analysis, legal consultation, or significant additional work.
$3,000 — one complicating factor, low-risk minor issue, difficult but findable records.
$4,000 — multiple complications, borderline minor issue, ambiguous dates or damaged records.
For cases requiring Italian court proceedings — primarily the 1948 rule azione di stato. We coordinate everything including Italian legal counsel. Legal fees are separate and disclosed upfront.
$5,000 — clear-cut 1948 case, strong records, established precedent applies.
$7,000 — multiple legal issues combined, weak records, or complex proceedings.
Not sure which tier fits your situation? Get your custom quote and we'll figure it out together.
Add-On Service
We handle the full process of retrieving your Italian ancestral records on your behalf — drafting the formal request in Italian, submitting it to the anagrafe, following up until received, and reviewing what comes back. Available as an add-on to any tier.
Other Routes
Law 74/2025 closed the automatic descent route for many — but it also created new options. Here are the legitimate alternatives worth knowing about.
Law 74/2025 actually created an accelerated path: if your parent or grandparent was an Italian citizen by birth, you can relocate to Italy, register at your municipality, and apply for naturalization after just 2 continuous years of legal residence — reduced from the previous 3.
This is a discretionary state grant, not an automatic right, and requires you to genuinely live in Italy. But for those who've been thinking about making the move anyway, it's a real option.
Italy grants citizenship to anyone who has resided legally and continuously in the country for a set number of years: 10 years for non-EU nationals, 4 years for EU citizens, 5 years for stateless persons or recognized refugees.
No Italian ancestry required. This is the same path available to anyone who builds a life in Italy regardless of heritage.
If you are married to an Italian citizen, you may apply for citizenship after 2 years of marriage while residing in Italy, or 3 years if residing abroad. These timeframes are reduced by half if the couple has children together.
This is a well-established route with its own document requirements — and a realistic option for those with an Italian spouse.
Free Resource
Download the free Italian citizenship qualification guide. We walk you through the key eligibility questions, the most common disqualifiers, and exactly what to research next. At no cost.
Who We Are
ItalianToBe is built around one core belief: that the people best placed to guide you through the Italian citizenship process are those who have lived it themselves, based in Italy, with direct access to the legal and bureaucratic systems you need to navigate.
We combine on-the-ground experience with qualified Italian legal expertise. Every case is handled personally. For complex cases involving court proceedings or advanced legal questions, we work alongside specialized Italian citizenship lawyers — not as an afterthought, but as an integral part of how we operate.
The Team
Italian-American dual citizen with 15 years in Italy, 10 in Naples. Navigated the citizenship process firsthand and has since guided others through every stage. Handles all client relationships, eligibility assessments, document strategy, and consulate preparation.
ItalianToBe works in direct partnership with Avv. Carmine Cesaro, an Italian attorney based in Naples with extensive experience in citizenship law and court proceedings. Registered with the U.S. Consulate in Naples, Avv. Cesaro is engaged on 1948 rule cases, azione di stato filings, and any matter requiring formal legal representation before Italian courts.
Common Questions
The process raises a lot of questions. Here are the ones we hear most often.
Under Italy's reformed citizenship law (Law 74/2025, effective May 2025), jure sanguinis is now limited to two generations: your parent or grandparent must be the Italian-born ancestor. Previously, there was no generational limit. Claims through great-grandparents or further are no longer automatically recognized for new applications under the updated law.
No. The United States allows dual citizenship, and Italy actively grants it. You keep your US passport in full and gain an Italian one alongside it.
This is known as a 1948 case. Italy's 1912 law didn't allow women to transmit citizenship, so if a female ancestor needed to pass the chain to a child born before 1948, that link was broken under the old rules. You can still claim citizenship — but it requires filing directly with an Italian court (an azione di stato), not the standard consular route. It's a longer process, but it absolutely works. See the full breakdown above.
It varies widely, anywhere from 12 months to several years, depending on your consulate, your ancestral commune, and document availability. We help you set realistic expectations from the start.
Birth, death, and marriage certificates for each generation in your lineage, both Italian and American records, apostilled and officially translated. Our guide gives you the exact list for your situation.
Yes. The consulate route lets you apply through the Italian consulate in your home country. No move required, though an Italy visit can sometimes speed up the commune records step.
Under Italy's 1912 citizenship law, if an Italian ancestor voluntarily naturalized in a foreign country while their child was still a minor living with them, that minor child automatically lost Italian citizenship too — breaking the chain. Critically, before March 10, 1975, the Italian age of majority was 21, not 18. This means a "child" who was 19 or 20 at the time of the parent's naturalization may still be affected. This is an active and evolving area of law — Italy's Supreme Court (Sezioni Unite) heard landmark cases on this exact issue in April 2026, with a written ruling still pending.
Alternative pathways exist for those who don't qualify by descent under the new rules, including residency-based naturalization and citizenship through marriage. Eligibility and timelines vary — book a discovery call to discuss what may apply to your situation.
Free Discovery Call
Every citizenship case is different. In 10 minutes, we'll look at your family history together, identify which pathway might apply to you, and give you an honest picture of where you stand — no legal jargon, no pressure, just clarity.
Short, focused, and respectful of your time.
Speaking with someone who lives this process every day.
Find out what's possible before deciding anything.
Via Zoom · Available internationally · Conducted in English
Special Cases
Italy's original 1912 citizenship law didn't allow women to pass citizenship to their children. The 1948 Constitution changed that — but if the critical link in your family chain happened before 1948, you need a different path. It's more complex, but it works.
Under Italy's 1912 law, citizenship passed through the father only. A woman could not transmit Italian citizenship to her children. When Italy's 1948 Constitution introduced gender equality, it didn't automatically fix the chain for people already born — so if a woman in your lineage needed to pass citizenship to a child born before 1948, the chain was broken under the old rules.
Italian courts have since allowed claims to be filed directly in Italy to correct this injustice. These "1948 cases" argue that — had equal rights applied from the start — citizenship would have passed unbroken. The court can recognize the transmission retroactively. This is called an azione di stato (action of status).
This requires filing in an Italian civil court, typically in the ancestral municipality, with legal representation in Italy. It is a longer and more involved process than the consular route — but for many, it's the only path, and it works.
Post-March 27, 2025 note: 1948 cases filed after this date must also satisfy the two-generation limit introduced by Law 74/2025. This means the female ancestor at the center of the 1948 claim must be the applicant's parent or grandparent — not a great-grandparent or further back. Cases filed before that date are evaluated under the old rules.
Consider a case like this:
Born in Italy, emigrated to the US. Later naturalized as American in the 1950s.
Born before X naturalized — so X was still Italian at Y's birth. But Y was born before 1948, and X was female. Under the 1912 law, X could not pass citizenship to Y.
Seeking Italian citizenship through X → Y → Z. Z was born after X's naturalization, but that doesn't matter — the chain is evaluated at each person's birth, not at the end.
The verdict: Z's claim is a 1948 case — not a standard consular application. X's naturalization doesn't break Y's claim because Y was born before X naturalized. The broken link is X (female) → Y (born before 1948), which requires the Italian court process. And importantly: Z's claim is still valid under Law 74/2025, because X is Z's grandparent — within the two-generation limit.