Italian citizenship rules for descendants to be tightened
Italy has approved a law which would tighten the rules for those Italian heritage to be given citizenship. Previously, anyone who had an Italian ancestor who lived in the country after 17th March 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was created, would qualify to become an Italian citizen. This was under the jus sanguinis or descendent blood-line law.
Under the new amended law, ratified by parliament earlier this week, applicants for an Italian nationality need to have at least one parent or grandparent who was a citizen by birth. This, the government said, was to “enhance” the link between the country and its citizens abroad, avoid “abuse” and “commercialisation” of passports, and clear backlogged applications to free up resources.
From the end of 2014 to the end of 2024, Italy’s government said that the number of citizens residing abroad increased by 40%, from 4.6 million to 6.4 million. At the end of March, Prime Minster Georgia Meloni’s government introduced the law at a time when there were reportedly over 60,000 pending legal proceedings for citizenship verification.
This “will free up resources to make consular services more efficient, to the extent that they can be dedicated exclusively to those who have a real need, by virtue of their concrete connection with Italy,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The principle “will not be lost,” according to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who added that descendants of Italians would still be able to become citizens, but precise limits will be set, especially to avoid abuse or phenomena of ‘commercialisation’ of Italian passports.”
Citizenship, he added, “must be a serious thing.”
Stay tuned to EyeOnLondon for the latest news and expert opinions.
Follow us on:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos and updates!
We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!
