- Italy has tightened up its citizenship requirements.
- People applying for a second citizenship with Italy must now have either an Italian parent or grandparent—no great-grandparents are allowed.
- Also, applicants are required to pass a proficiency test in English and an in-person interview.
For those with Italian descent, it’s now a little more difficult to be officially Italian.
On March 28, the Italian Government proposed a law that would make it harder for those with Italian ancestry who wish to apply for citizenship or obtain an Italian passport. It is not necessary for the law to be ratified in parliament. The changes were made to make sure that those who apply for citizenship are truly connected to Italy and not just looking to get one of the strongest passports on the planet.
Previously, anyone who could trace their ancestry A relative who had left Italy in 1861 and could prove the relationship with documentation was able request Italian citizenship. Now, under iure sanguinis Citizenship by descent is a term that only applies to those with an Italian grandparent.
There are additional requirements now, too—applicants must be able to pass an Italian language proficiency test, and they need to have lived in the country for three years to qualify. Italian consulates won’t be able process any applications anymore. All applications will now be processed in Italy. An in-person interview is required.
Before the changes, it took around two years to obtain Italian citizenship. Some applicants, who are in the process of acquiring documents, will not be able claim citizenship.
The majority of people who have applied for Italian nationality abroad in the past decade are from Argentina or Brazil. In the past year, around 30,000 people from Argentina received Italian citizenship and 20,000 from Brazil.
According to the decree, dual citizens with Italian passports can lose their Italian passports if they do not perform civic duties such as voting, paying taxes or renewing ID cards. For those married to Italians, they must reside in the country for a minimum of two years.
Italy was often listed in the past as one of the easiest places to get citizenship—that sentiment is likely to change with this new decree.
