Italian Citizenship by Descent

Research hub for jure sanguinis — the right to Italian citizenship through your ancestors. Browse by consulate or by ancestor path below.

All 10 US Italian consulates now have dedicated pages with jurisdiction details, contact info, and appointment guidance. Ancestor path pages are being added progressively.

Last verified: September 7, 2026 · Maintained by The Next Passport (Warner Creates LLC).

Not sure where to start?

Our free eligibility check takes 2 minutes and tells you if you likely qualify, which route you'll use, and what documents you'll need.

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Legal updates · Last updated September 8, 2026

Your consulate now has an annual ceiling on how many citizenship applications it can accept

Legge 19 gennaio 2026 n. 11, in force since February 19, 2026, means each consular office may receive in a year no more applications than the number of proceedings it concluded in 2025 — the statute pegs that benchmark to the year before it took effect, so it is fixed rather than rolling — never fewer than one hundred. The ceiling belongs to the office, not to you, and no per-office figures are published — ask yours what its number is this year. The same law fixes the term for concluding those proceedings at 36 months, superseding the 24 months some consulates still publish. None of it changes who may qualify. The 2025 restriction itself — Article 3-bis, which treats a person born abroad who holds another citizenship as never having acquired Italian citizenship unless one of five conditions applies — is unchanged. The Constitutional Court upheld it in sentenza 63/2026, deposited April 30, 2026, then, by an ordinanza decided on June 9, 2026 and deposited on July 23, 2026, referred the EU-law question to the EU Court of Justice while leaving it in force.

By Consulate

Your Italian consulate is determined by where you live. Each consulate has different wait times, jurisdiction, and document requirements.

Boston Consulate

Jurisdiction: ME, MA, NH, RI, VT

New York City Consulate

Jurisdiction: NY, NJ (north), CT

Philadelphia Consulate

Jurisdiction: PA, DE, southern NJ, most of MD + VA, NC, WV

Chicago Consulate

Jurisdiction: CO, IL, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI, WY

Detroit Consulate

Jurisdiction: IN, KY, MI, OH, TN

Miami Consulate

Jurisdiction: AL, FL, GA, MS, SC, PR, VI

Houston Consulate

Jurisdiction: AR, LA, OK, TX

Los Angeles Consulate

Jurisdiction: AZ, NV, NM, CA (south)

San Francisco Consulate

Jurisdiction: AK, HI, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA, CA (north)

Washington, D.C. Consulate

Jurisdiction: DC, MD (partial), VA (partial)

By Ancestor Path

How you're related to your Italian ancestor determines which law applies and whether you need a court case.

Through Your Paternal Great-Grandfather

A four-generation paternal chain. No 1948 case — but Article 3-bis decides whether it is still open to a new applicant.

Through Your Maternal Great-Grandfather

Check if a 1948 case is needed based on when your grandmother was born.

Coming soon

Through Your Mother (Born Before 1948)

Requires a 1948 judicial case — a court proceeding separate from the consular route.

Grandfather Naturalized After Your Parent's Birth

Turns on the naturalization date, the child's age at the time, and where the child was born.

Coming soon

Through Your Father

The shortest chain there is — one link, from your father's Italian citizenship to yours.

Through Your Paternal Grandfather

Two-generation paternal chain. Whether Article 3-bis restricts you turns on the citizenship your grandfather held, not on where he was born.

Through Your Paternal Grandmother

May require a 1948 judicial case if your father was born before January 1, 1948. Article 3-bis applies to this path too.

Through Your Maternal Grandmother

May require a 1948 judicial case if your mother was born before January 1, 1948. Article 3-bis applies to this path too.

Through an Adopted Ancestor

Special rules apply.

Coming soon

Through Your Paternal Great-Great-Grandfather

Five generations back. Article 3-bis applies, and only its exclusive-citizenship or parental-residence conditions can save this line.

Coming soon

Judicial Remedies

Some eligibility paths cannot be resolved through the consulate alone and require a court proceeding in Italy.

1948 Case (Judicial Citizenship Claim)

When an Italian female ancestor could not pass citizenship before 1948 due to gender discrimination, a 1948 judicial case filed in Italian civil court may restore your eligibility. Learn the court process, timeline, and what to expect under the current Sezioni Unite landscape.

Tools & Calculators

Italian Citizenship Cost Calculator

Estimate the total cost of your Italian citizenship application — consulate fee, documents, apostilles, and translations. Free and updated for 2026.

Italian Citizenship Processing Times

How long Italian citizenship really takes — the consulate appointment wait, consular processing, and the 1948 judicial route are three separate clocks. An honest breakdown of each and what drives it.

Other Countries We Support

The Next Passport also helps with citizenship by descent for other countries.

Canadian Citizenship by Descent

Irish Citizenship by Descent

German Citizenship by Descent

Polish Citizenship by Descent

Portuguese Citizenship by Descent

Hungarian Citizenship by Descent

The Next Passport is not affiliated with the Italian government, any consulate, or any citizenship attorney. Content is informational only and is not legal advice. Verify all details with the official consulate website before submitting documents.