According to Italian law n.555 published in 1912, you are eligible to claim Italian citizenship by right of descent if your Italian-born ancestor naturalized after the birth of the next-in-line. However, there are many other aspects that need to be taken into consideration to determine whether you qualify. 

At FTIC we offer a free eligibility consultation. Our citizenship experts will evaluate your case from a legal and genealogical point of view and will eventually confirm which path fits you best to claim Italian citizenship by descent.

No, there is no generational limit, you can go back as many generations as needed.

No worries! Our genealogy service can take care of completing your citizenship application documentation.

No, it is not necessary to understand or speak Italian to apply for citizenship by descent. The interview at the consulate will be in English and our citizenship experts will be available to translate all the instructions you will receive during your appointment.

However, learning the language will play a special role in  bonding you to your Italian roots.

Most likely not. It was very common for Italian immigrants to change their name to better blend in the new US society and most times the name change was made legal by naturalization. If you wish to have an expert’s opinion on the discrepancies you found in your documents, you can avail of our Discrepancy consultation service at this link.

The maximum waiting time for a feedback after your appointment at the consulate is 24 months.

Yes, once you are recognized as an Italian citizen, your minor children will automatically become Italian citizens. Adult children will need to file their own applications, but your recognition simplifies their process.

A new “circolare” on the minor age issue has been published by the Italian ministry of Interior. This is not a new law but a “memo” following two recent judgements by the Italian Superior Court, that consider the Italian line broken in the following scenario:

• The Italian born ancestor emigrated in a country where citizenship “jus soli” applies (jus soli means all children born in that country acquire its citizenship automatically)
•  The Italian ancestor naturalized when his child born abroad (your “next in line”) was still a minor child
• The child resided together with his/her parents when they naturalized
• This happened before 1992

If your lineage is affected by the minor age issue, there are several alternative paths you can take:

• You can check your female ancestry, because often times females did not voluntarily naturalize (or they did, but later on in their life);
• You can check if your next-in-line resided with his/her parents: if not you have still a viable path;
• You can file your case at court under certain conditions: court judges can still decide according to their own professional experience and knowledge.

If you think you may no longer qualify, get in touch with us and let’s discuss your options together!

The team of Fast Track Italian Citizenship will assist you with the Italian Records Retrieval. We will help you locate the documents pertaining to your ancestry, carrying out in-depth and comprehensive research on your behalf. Our genealogy experts will investigate your roots and get in touch with the Comune (Town) of birth of your Italian ancestors. We deal with Italian local authorities in order to untie the knots of Italian bureaucracy and obtain the records as fast as possible.

Applications are typically individual, meaning that each person must file their own official request before the Italian Authorities. However, if multiple relatives are applying through the same Authority under the same Italian line you will be allowed to share genealogical documentation.

No. Applications through consulates are exclusively handled in your country of residence. However, if you decide to apply through an Italian municipality to speed up the process, you will be required to travel and establish your residency in Italy.

Yes: adopted and biological minor children can be recognized Italian citizenship by descent through their adoptive or biological parents.

Yes: you can claim Italian citizenship through your adoptive family.

Yes: you can claim Italian citizenship through your biological family even if you have been adopted by another non-Italian family.

According to the 2025 new budget law, the fee for each Italian citizenship application through any Italian Consulates abroad is €600 per adult applicant. Minors included at no additional cost.

In general, the documents do not have an expiration date after they have been legalized with apostille. However, in some specific cases there might be the need to re-acquire some of the documents in order to meet the special requirements of the Italian public administration.