On 28 March 2025 the Italian government passed an emergency decree introducing significant changes to how Italian citizenship by descent (cittadinanza per discendenza) is recognised. Some of these changes are already in force—although only temporarily—while others have been proposed as draft laws and may soon be debated in Parliament. The situation is evolving and nothing has changed immediately but, if you or your family are planning to apply for citizenship by descent, it’s important to understand what is happening.
- What Happened?
- What Has Already Changed (For Now)
- What Has Been Proposed (But Not Yet Approved)
- Why Is This Being Criticised?
- If You Already Have Citizenship or Have Applied
- If You Plan to Apply for Citizenship
- How likely is that these rules will actually be approved?
What Happened?
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, together with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, brought forward a proposal to the Council of Ministers, aimed at drastically limiting the recognition of citizenship for descendants of Italians born abroad.
They argue that there is an urgent need to curb citizenship applications by lineage since they place too much pressure on Italian offices. As a result, the government passed an emergency decree (decreto-legge) – Law Decree no. 36 published in the Official Gazette on the same day, Friday 28 March, 2025 and entered into force the following day. This is temporary law that is immediately enforceable but must be confirmed by Parliament within 60 days—or it will lose effect.
Source: Italian Government Press Release on Citizenship news (March 28, 2025)
New Law Decree no. 36 on the Official Gazette
What Has Already Changed (For Now)
Until the decree is confirmed (or not) by Parliament, the following rules are already in force—but only temporarily:
Automatic citizenship is limited to two generations: Only individuals with a parent or grandparent born in Italy will be considered Italian citizens automatically at birth.
Children of Italian citizens will gain citizenship automatically only if:
They are born in Italy, or
One of their Italian parents has lived in Italy for at least two continuous years before their birth.
Court applications for citizenship will now require applicants to prove more, including that there were no legal reasons why citizenship should not have been passed down or retained.
What Has Been Proposed (But Not Yet Approved)
Alongside the emergency decree, the government also presented two draft laws to Parliament, aiming to fully reform how citizenship by descent is recognised. These proposals are not yet law, but if approved, would bring in the following changes:
1. Proof of a Real Link with Italy
Citizenship would no longer be passed automatically beyond the second generation. Descendants beyond that (i.e. those whose parents and grandparents were born abroad) would need to:
Live in Italy for at least two continuous years before applying;
Register their birth in Italy before the age of 25;
Could lose citizenship if they do not exercise citizenship rights (such as voting) or fulfil civic duties for 25 years.
In order to evaluate the dramatic impact of such proposal, we should consider that, even for those who may be in a position to move to Italy, it could be impossible for most to do it. In fact, the government has not proposed any changes to the current visa rules. At the moment, a two-year stay in Italy is only possible for close family members of Italian citizens or for wealthy individuals. For most non-EU citizens—especially retirees, workers, and students—visas are very limited and hard to obtain. This means that the proposed requirement of two years of residency would, in practice, exclude almost all descendants whose grandparents were born outside Italy.
2. Longer Waiting Times
Consulates would have up to 48 months (instead of 24) to process applications for citizenship by descent. Such term is likely in breach of the Italian national and of European standards of fair administrative process.
3. Limits on Citizenship from Female Lines
The proposal also seeks to restrict recognition of citizenship through Italian mothers and grandmothers. According to the draft, only descendants born after 1 January 1927 (and therefore under 21 at the time the Constitution entered into force in 1948) would qualify. This would exclude those born before 1927 and all their descendants.
4. Restrictions to reacquire citizenship
The proposal also aims to restrict the possibility of reacquiring Italian citizenship for those who previously lost it. Currently, it is enough to make a formal declaration and move to Italy within one year. Under the new proposal, however, only those who live in Italy for at least two continuous years would qualify.
The proposal also fails to include any simplified path to citizenship for the children of those who lost it—despite strong support in Parliament for such a measure (see this article: LINK). According to the government’s plan, these children would still be required to live in Italy for at least three uninterrupted years in order to apply for citizenship.
5. Restrictions to acquire citizenship by marriage
The Government proposes to restrict access to citizenship to spouses who reside in Italy, thus excluding those living abroad.
Why Is This Being Criticised?
These proposals and the emergency decree have received strong criticism, both for how they were introduced and what they propose.
Constitutional concerns: Many of these measures appear to conflict with the Italian Constitution. For this reason, they will likely be modified—either by Parliament during the approval process or later by the courts, including the Constitutional Court. Significant changes are therefore to be expected.
No proven urgency: The decree and related proposals may be unlawful, as they appear to violate the Constitution. In fact, the Constituion provides that emergency decrees are allowed only in cases of real and proven urgency (Article 77). In this case, the government claims an “invasion” of citizenship requests without ties to Italy—but there is no evidence to support this. In fact, the opposite is true: for years, Italian authorities have failed to inform descendants of their rights and have not provided the necessary support through consulates and local offices.
Systemic delays: Many people eligible for citizenship have faced long delays, closures, or refusal by consulates and municipalities. As a result, a growing number have had to go through Italian courts to be recognised as citizens. In the vast majority cases, the courts have ruled in their favour—and often ordered the government to pay legal costs for unnecessary delays.
Political concerns:
The Government is pushing through an unprecedented reform of the core principles that have shaped Italian citizenship for generations. It is doing so despite a pending case before the Constitutional Court, which will examine the constitutionality of Article 1 of the Italian Nationality Law—the article that recognises all descendants of Italian citizens as citizens themselves. This important issue is scheduled for a hearing on 24 June 2025.
At the same time, it is highly likely that the Government will force Parliament to approve these sweeping changes through a vote of confidence. This would bypass normal debate and pressure MPs into rushed decisions. The result could be serious: not only would it harm the rights of millions of Italian descendants, but it could also deepen divisions within Italian society as a whole.
If You Already Have Citizenship or Have Applied
It’s important to know that:
If you’ve already been recognised as an Italian citizen by a court, a consulate, or a town hall (Comune), your citizenship remains valid.
Applications that are fully documented and submitted by 27 March 2025 will still be processed under the old rules.
If You Plan to Apply for Citizenship
It is important not to make hasty decisions, given that the situation could still change and several legislative changes have been proposed. It is advisable to continue preparing the applications and documentation to be submitted even for those who are third-degree descendants and beyond, should the possibility of obtaining the application of the rules that have been in force until now arise again, for example if the urgent decree-law is not confirmed by Parliament within 60 days.
It may still be useful to submit the application to the court, contesting the decree for lack of real urgency and other disputes relevant to your specific case.
Alternatively, you can wait for the developments of the parliamentary debate before deciding to submit an application for citizenship.
How likely is that these rules will actually be approved and applied?
The temporary decree stays in effect for 60 days unless Parliament approves it. The draft laws linked to it may still change during debate. However, the Government is expected to push hard for approval and may even force a vote of confidence. At the same time, the concerns of Italians abroad and their descendants are still poorly represented and often misunderstood by many MPs.
While some amendments will likely be proposed to reduce the impact of the changes, the Government currently has the upper hand. This means that many affected individuals may have no choice but to go to court to defend their rights. Legal action may be necessary to uphold key constitutional and European principles—such as the protection of family ties, respect for Parliament’s authority in citizenship matters, the rights of Italians abroad and their descendants, the right to timely decisions from public offices, and the right to fair treatment and compensation when these rights are violated.
My team and I will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates. If you’re considering applying for Italian citizenship, or if you’ve already started the process, now is the time to stay informed and act where possible.
Stay connected with me, and keep track of all changes to protect your rights.