Significant Shift in Italy's Citizenship by Descent Laws
Understanding Italy’s New Citizenship Decree
On the 28th of March 2025, the Italian government enacted Decree-Law No. 36, marking a significant pivot in policies regarding citizenship by descent. This alteration fundamentally revises the ius sanguinis (right of blood) provision that has governed Italian nationality laws, affecting millions worldwide with Italian lineage.
Previously, individuals of Italian descent could acquire citizenship regardless of generational distance or their tangible association with Italy. This leniency purportedly positioned over 80 million individuals globally as potential beneficiaries of Italian citizenship.
The newly implemented decree disrupts this framework, imposing stringent generational limits and the necessity for a concrete affiliation with Italy.
Stringent Conditions and Genuine Links
Under the new regime, direct lineage is restricted to just two generations. This means that individuals born outside of Italy are only deemed Italian by birth if they have an Italian parent or grandparent. The broader implication here is a decisive end to the automatic inheritance of citizenship for descendants beyond this limit unless specific criteria are met.
A cornerstone of the reform is the introduction of the “effective bond” requirement, demanding proof of a recent and real connection to Italy. This shift mirrors policies in several other EU nations that emphasize substantial ties over ancestral links for citizenship rights.
Potential applicants must now provide evidence of such connections, whether through residence or direct parental involvement with Italy.
Implications for Prospective Citizens
The immediate fallout from this decree is profound. All applications lodged post the cutoff on the 27th of March, 2025, must conform to the stringent new criteria. This procedural redirection is poised to substantially decrease the number of eligible applicants, reshaping the Italian diaspora’s interaction with their ancestral homeland.
Applicants who only trace their Italian heritage to great-grandparents or further without recent familial or residential ties will find themselves ineligible under the automatic ius sanguinis framework. Instead, eligibility will now depend on the demonstrated connection through parents’ citizenship or residency and grandparents’ nationality.
In pushing this decree, the Italian government cited concerns over the diluted national ties in the burgeoning population of citizens by descent, posing potential risks in the contexts of national security and EU obligations.
This law aims to mitigate uninhibited growth in citizenship claims that could strain Italy’s administrative resources and compromise national security.
For global citizens and expatriates in regions like Singapore, where efficient legal and tax systems often attract those seeking secondary citizenship options, Italy's new decree underscores the importance of maintaining genuine links to the country of your ancestral roots.
Navigating a New Pathway to Italian Citizenship
As the Italian Parliament moves to solidify Decree-Law No. 36/2025 into permanent law, potential applicants must navigate a landscape that prioritizes material connections over historical ones.
This evolution in law not only impacts those seeking Italian citizenship but also sets a precedent that could influence other nations' citizenship policies.
The message from Italy is clear: heritage alone no longer suffices for citizenship.
A palpable, active relationship with the country is now mandatory, signaling a shift towards more restrictive and considered citizenship practices that balance historical identity with contemporary national obligations and securities.
