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.
About 5 minutes·Free 10-minute call with an expert·No documents needed
The rules keep changing. Find out where you stand today, before the rules change again.
Not ready yet? Get my free guideOur mission
We turn a maze of offices, records and lawyers into one clear plan for your family, so you always know where you stand and what to do next.
Each step builds on the last, and what you pay along the way is never wasted.
Why: about 5 minutes to learn if it is worth going further, before you spend on documents or advice.
Check my eligibilityWhy: a lawyer would typically charge thousands of dollars for this. You get the same clarity for a fraction of the price.
Get my playbookWhy: support from people who do this daily, based in Naples, without paying for a full legal retainer.
Add DIY to my cart Start my Hands-On caseTiming Matters
Italian citizenship law has changed twice in the last eighteen months, and it is still moving. A pathway that is open today can narrow or close with very little warning, and the people who wait for a more convenient moment are often the ones who discover the door has shifted. If Italian citizenship is something you truly want, the smartest first move is to find out exactly where you stand. This isn't meant to scare you, but it is a fact: numerous clients who were eligible just two years ago have come to us only to find out they are no longer eligible under the latest rulings. Don't let the door close on you.
Check My Eligibility, $19.99Why It Matters
Italian citizenship is not a document you file away. It is a standing right to a different life, available to you the moment your claim is recognized, and to your children after you without them ever having to ask.
Settle in any of the 27 member states without a visa and without a sponsor. You move under EU free movement law instead of going through a country's immigration system.
No work permit in any member state, whether employed, self-employed, or opening your own company, with the same treatment as a national on pay, conditions, and registration. Licensing and tax rules still apply. Whether you're allowed to work or do business there does not.
As an Italian citizen, you can enroll in Italy's public healthcare system, ranked among the best in the world, typically for a modest annual contribution rather than private insurance premiums. EU rules extend reciprocal coverage when you live or travel elsewhere in the union.
EU citizens are generally treated as domestic students rather than international ones, which can change the cost of a degree substantially. You can live in the country while you study, and work without a permit.
Recognition can carry citizenship to your children, giving them the United States and the EU from birth. Transmission rules have tightened in recent years, so we look at the rules that apply at the time rather than assume.
When you move to another member state, EU law gives your spouse and close family the right to join you, live there and work. That holds even when they are not EU citizens themselves.
Your Path
Start small, see exactly where you stand, and only go further when you are ready. Every step builds on the last, and nothing you pay for along the way is ever wasted.
About five minutes on any device. A clear verdict for every route, the facts your case turns on, and a free 10-minute call with a professional to talk through your options.
Check My EligibilityYour personal, step by step plan from the very first document to the day you file. Every record, every office, every form, in the right order. Reviewed by our team, with a 30-minute call to walk you through it.
See What's Inside My PlaybookA direct line to an expert while you do the legwork, or let us take the wheel entirely. Either way, the $199 you paid for your playbook comes straight off the price.
Compare My OptionsBefore you file, on either route
It's an extra $79.99 per document, or $350 for every bundle of 5 ($10 off if you have the Playbook), but a professional read of each record catches the wrong copy or the misspelled name before a consulate or comune does, so there are no surprises on the day and no going back to the start.
Not sure yet? Start with step one. For $19.99 you get your answer and a real conversation with an expert, with no obligation to go any further.
Eligibility
The Pre-Eligibility Check is the quickest, easiest way to learn whether you have a real pathway to Italian citizenship. It takes about five minutes, and for only $19.99 you also get a free call with a professional to talk through your options.
Not a definitive yes or no, since that depends on whether your documents tell the same story. Based on the information you provide, you will walk away with a confident understanding of your position as it relates to Italian citizenship, plus the specific facts your case turns on and the records that would settle them.
A true confirmation of eligibility can only come from a review of your actual documents. This is meant to give you an honest read on where you stand and whether starting the journey toward citizenship makes sense for you, not a legal opinion. Matters requiring formal legal representation are referred to a qualified Italian attorney.
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. In March 2026, Italy's Constitutional Court upheld this law (sentenza 63/2026). 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 →
Italy's Supreme Court has now ruled, and it went in applicants' favor. Where a child held dual citizenship at birth, Italian by blood, and American, Canadian or British by birthplace, that child keeps Italian citizenship even if a parent naturalized while they were still a minor. This reverses the harsher 2023–24 interpretation that had briefly closed off many US-born cases. An August 2026 Interior Ministry circular now instructs consulates and comuni to follow it, and lets previously denied applicants request re-examination instead of refiling. If you were told in the last two years that a parent's naturalization broke your line while you were a minor, that answer is worth revisiting.
The Citizenship Playbook
You've done the research. What's left is the exact order, the right forms and the right records, and that's what the Playbook gives you. It covers everything you need to request citizenship by descent (apart from complicated situations requiring litigation), whether you apply at your local consulate or in person in Italy. I've pieced together the entire playbook and aligned it with your information, so every detail is specific to your case. Steps A to Z, in an easy to follow guide, with every form, where to go and when, and what to bring.
A lawyer would typically charge thousands of dollars to do this for you. The reality is you can do it on your own, or with support from ItalianToBe, for a fraction of the price.
“It’s what I wish I had when I went through the citizenship process myself. It would have saved me tons of stress, money and time.”Erik Holzer, founder, Italian-American dual citizen
How We Can Help
Start with the Pre-Eligibility Check, then the Citizenship Playbook. When you would like more support along the way, there are two ways we can walk beside you.
Self-Guided Option
Think of it as opening a direct line to an expert. You follow your playbook at your own pace, and whenever you need us we are a call, a message or an email away, so you feel supported through the whole journey. Ideal for people who want to stay hands-on with an expert in their corner. 3-month package.
Full-Service Option · Most Cases
Prefer to hand over the wheel? With Hands-On Support we take the steering wheel and you become the passenger, as we cross the citizenship finish line together. Whether it is your codice fiscale, residency or your permesso di soggiorno, it is all covered. For clean, straightforward jure sanguinis cases, with full end-to-end case management from document strategy through consulate or comune submission.
Not sure which is right for you? Start with the $19.99 eligibility check. Your free 10-minute call is the perfect moment to ask.
Some cases turn out more complex than a standard flat fee fits, a 1948 rule court claim, a minor issue complication, or records that are missing or hard to trace. Take the assessment and see where you actually stand.
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.
Not Sure Where To Start?
Let's see if you have a path worth exploring. The rules keep changing, so the best time to find out is today. For only $19.99 you get a clear read on your citizenship eligibility and a free call with a professional, before you walk down any bureaucratic pathway.
Take My Pre-Eligibility Assessment
Who We Are
Every case is handled personally, and where a matter calls for formal legal representation, a court proceeding, a contested line, a question of how the law applies to your family, we work with a qualified Italian attorney in Naples rather than working around it. That combination is the point: the procedural work done properly on the ground, with qualified legal judgment available when a case needs it.
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.
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 with Avv. Carmine Cesaro, an Italian attorney based in Naples with extensive experience in citizenship law and court proceedings. Avv. Cesaro is engaged on 1948 rule cases, azione di stato filings, and any matter requiring formal legal representation before Italian courts. Clients engage him directly for legal representation; his fees are separate from ItalianToBe's.
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. Read the full breakdown, including how long it takes and where it's filed.
It varies widely, anywhere from several months to several years, depending on your consulate, your ancestral commune, and document availability. We help you set realistic expectations from the start.
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 has now been settled, and favorably. In Sezioni Unite 24045/2026 (deposited July 26, 2026), Italy's Supreme Court held that a child who was a dual citizen at birth, Italian by descent and a citizen of their birth country by being born there, keeps Italian citizenship regardless of a parent naturalizing during their minority. On August 10, 2026, the Interior Ministry issued a circular directing every consulate and comune to apply the ruling, and instructing them to accept a request for re-examination of the original application rather than requiring applicants to file a new one from scratch. Read the full breakdown, including exactly who this affects.
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. Take a Pre-Eligibility Assessment and book a call with us to discuss what may apply to your situation.
Free 10-Minute Call
Once you have completed the Pre-Eligibility Check, book 10 minutes with us to go over what it found. We can speak to specifics because we already have them, not a first conversation from scratch.
Short, focused, and respectful of your time.
Speaking with someone who lives this process every day.
Find out what's possible before deciding anything.
Already done it? Open the link from your results email, the call booking link is there once your results are ready.
Via Zoom · Available internationally · Conducted in English
News & Updates
Breaking news, real fraud cases, and law changes that affect your citizenship claim.
Breaking · Law Change 2026
Italy's Constitutional Court upheld sweeping new restrictions in March 2026. If your Italian ancestor is a great grandparent or further back, here is what it means for you.
Read moreReal Case · Fraud Warning
Operation Carioca: municipal employees in Naples sold Italian citizenship documents for €40 each. A Brazilian TV presenter ended up cited in the investigation.
Read moreReal Case · Fraud Warning
A criminal operation in Sicily sold fake Italian citizenship to 500 people for €3,500 each. Some were deported. Some were treated as accomplices. All of it was preventable.
Read more