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Italian Republic · citizenship by descent

Citizenship acquisition by declaration — children of citizens by birth

By · Last reviewed:

Guidance updated 15 November 2026. Full-review date shown above.

A separate acquisition procedure for qualifying foreign or stateless children of Italian citizens by birth, with current three-year and protected-cohort deadlines.

Qualifying citizen-by-birth parent, actual declaration branch, proper declarants, evidence and statutory deadlineCitizenship claim or grantCitizenship if the acquisition conditions are met; it takes effect after those conditions and formalities, rather than retroactively from birth.
Processing time
Complete the qualifying declaration by the applicable statutory deadline. Document checking and appointment availability vary; uploading a request is not the formal declaration.
Government fees
From 1 January 2026 the specified Article 4(1-bis)(b) and protected-cohort declarations are exempt from the former EUR 250 contribution. Certificates, translation and other document costs remain separate; other citizenship bases have different fees.
Typical duration
Citizenship if the acquisition conditions are met; it takes effect after those conditions and formalities, rather than retroactively from birth.
Required support
Qualifying citizen-by-birth parent, actual declaration branch, proper declarants, evidence and statutory deadline
Outcome
Citizenship status or grant; see qualifying basis
Reviewed Italian legislation — Normattiva ↗

In short

A separate acquisition procedure for qualifying foreign or stateless children of Italian citizens by birth, with current three-year and protected-cohort deadlines. Guidance updated 15 November 2026. Costs, application stages and eligibility conditions are set out with their sources below.

Cite this: https://visaatlas.org/visas/italy/child-citizenship-declaration#answer

What is the Citizenship acquisition by declaration — children of citizens by birth in Italian Republic?

Qualifying citizen-by-birth parent, actual declaration branch, proper declarants, evidence and statutory deadline. Follow the actual citizenship or residence basis and competent authority procedure. Indicative government fees are From 1 January 2026 the specified Article 4(1-bis)(b) and protected-cohort declarations are exempt from the former EUR 250 contribution. Certificates, translation and other document costs remain separate; other citizenship bases have different fees; indicative processing time is Complete the qualifying declaration by the applicable statutory deadline. Document checking and appointment availability vary; uploading a request is not the formal declaration; typical duration is Citizenship if the acquisition conditions are met; it takes effect after those conditions and formalities, rather than retroactively from birth. This procedure concerns citizenship status or a citizenship grant, rather than a permanent residence visa.

Primary guidance checked with Italian legislation — Normattiva on 15 November 2026.

Overview

Where Italian citizenship did not pass automatically, a qualifying child may acquire it through a formal parental or guardian declaration under Article 4(1-bis). This is acquisition after the statutory conditions and formalities are satisfied, not recognition as a citizen from birth. The2026 changes extend the ordinary declaration period to three years and the specific protected former-minor cohort deadline to 31 May 2029.

Additional sources

Eligibility

Typical criteria

  • ✓Article 4(1-bis) concerns a foreign or stateless minor with a parent who is an Italian citizen by birth. Parents or the guardian must make the required declaration; a parent who acquired citizenship through another basis is not interchangeable with a citizen by birth for this procedure.Italian legislation — Normattiva ↗
  • ✓The ordinary branch allows a declaration within three years of birth or the later establishment of parentage, including adoption. Another statutory branch requires at least two continuous years of lawful residence in Italy after the declaration; it is not an automatic waiver of all conditions.Italian legislation — Normattiva ↗
  • ✓The protected cohort must have been under 18 on 24 May 2025 and have the qualifying citizen-by-birth parent under Article 3-bis(a), (a-bis) or(b). Its declaration deadline is23:59 Rome time on 31 May 2029; the extension does not expand the cohort.Italian Ministry of the Interior ↗

Common blockers

  • !A filing or appointment request is not the formal declaration. The official Córdoba procedure requires an in-person declaration; when both parents declare separately, completion occurs with the second declaration. A sole legally established parent, deceased-parent case or guardian follows the applicable evidence rules.Italian Consulate General, Córdoba ↗
  • !If a person in the protected24 May 2025 cohort has since become an adult, that person must make the declaration personally within the same2029 deadline. It is not a general application window for all adult descendants.Italian Ministry of the Interior ↗
  • !Do not confuse automatic recognition, this voluntary acquisition and acquisition through a parent’s naturalisation or reacquisition. Their parent-status and residence rules differ.Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ↗

Typical evidence

  • ·Prepare the child’s birth record, parent and child identity documents, evidence of the parent’s citizenship by birth, residence and any custody, sole-parent or guardianship basis. Authenticate and translate foreign documents as required by the competent authority.Italian Consulate General, Córdoba ↗
  • ·For the protected cohort, substantiate the age on 24 May 2025 and the parent’s protected recognition or filing branch. For the ordinary branch, establish the birth or legally relevant parentage date; for the residence branch, evidence the required lawful Italian residence after declaration.Italian legislation — Normattiva ↗
  • ·Follow the competent authority’s preparation and appointment process. Córdoba requests documents through Fast It before the in-person declaration. Such a preliminary channel does not substitute for the required formal declaration.Italian Consulate General, Córdoba ↗

Application pathway

  1. Distinguish recognition from acquisition

    Check whether citizenship passed at birth under the current rules. If it did not, establish the citizen-by-birth parent and the precise declaration branch.

  2. Calculate the actual deadline

    Check the ordinary three-year period or protected24 May 2025 cohort and31 May 2029 deadline. The separate lawful-residence branch requires its own conditions. A now-adult protected-cohort applicant must act personally.

  3. Prepare the authority’s required evidence

    Provide identity, birth, parent citizenship, relationship and residence evidence, plus the relevant legalised or translated originals and any guardian or sole-parent documents. Use the competent consulate or civil-status authority.

  4. Make the formal declaration

    Complete the required personal declaration by the proper parents, guardian or now-adult applicant, as applicable. A portal upload or request to book is not itself acquisition.

  5. Complete registration after acquisition

    Citizenship takes effect from the day after the required conditions and formalities are fulfilled. Complete the related civil records and any later passport procedure; this is not a citizenship-from-birth determination.

After a successful citizenship decision

For Citizenship acquisition by declaration — children of citizens by birth, use the actual decision and the issuing authority’s instructions to establish what has been granted. A successful application, permission to enter, permission to work and a residence document are not interchangeable.

  1. 1. Check the decision. Confirm the name, passport, status granted, start date and any next action. Resolve an error with the authority before relying on the document for travel or employment.
  2. 2. Establish the travel step. Check whether an oath, registration, certificate or passport application remains outstanding. Do not assume that approval of citizenship is itself a travel document.
  3. 3. Confirm what you may do. Check whether employment, self-employment, remote work or study is permitted under the status granted. Do not infer unrestricted work rights from the absence of an employer sponsor.
  4. 4. Organise the household. Check each accompanying person’s permission separately, then arrange healthcare, accommodation, access to money and the relevant local registrations. A tax number or bank account does not by itself prove a right to work.
  5. 5. Keep the ongoing conditions visible. Check passport-use obligations and the effect on any other nationality before renouncing or using another passport.
Official Citizenship acquisition by declaration — children of citizens by birth instructionsBuild my moving plan for this routeMoving to Italy

Official application links

Where to actually go next

Government links only

These are the official pages to use for this route. Open them before preparing documents: the forms, fees, appointment systems, and sponsor steps can change without warning.

  1. Official guidanceApplicant
    Check current child-declaration branches ↗

    Identify the three-year or post-declaration residence branch.

    Italian legislation — Normattiva · verified

  2. Official guidanceApplicant
    Check the protected-cohort2029 extension ↗

    Check the exact cohort and who must declare if the applicant has become an adult.

    Italian Ministry of the Interior · verified

  3. Official guidanceApplicant
    Read the 2026 fee and deadline changes ↗

    Distinguish the free specified declaration from adult recognition or reacquisition charges.

    Italian Embassy, The Hague · verified

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Frequently asked questions

Is the child Italian from birth under this procedure?+

No. This is a citizenship acquisition procedure. Under Article 15, the effective date follows satisfaction of the required conditions and formalities. Automatic citizenship recognition at birth is a different basis.

Does the old31 May 2026 deadline still apply?+

The specific protected former-minor cohort deadline was extended to 31 May 2029. The ordinary three-year declaration branch and the post-declaration Italian-residence branch remain distinct. The extension does not cover every person with Italian ancestry.

Can one parent always make the declaration alone?+

No. Follow the applicable parents or guardian requirements. Official guidance addresses both parents, separate declarations completed with the second parent, and supported sole-parent or deceased-parent cases. Prove the actual legal situation.

Are all citizenship applications now free?+

No. The2026 exemption concerns the specified child-declaration branches. Adult recognition and the temporary former-citizen reacquisition procedure have different fees; document costs may also remain.

Need tailored advice?

We do not provide legal advice. For an application that depends on your exact circumstances, consult a regulator-listed immigration advisor.

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How we verified this

We check every figure on this page against the primary government source, record the date it was last checked, and re-check it on a regular schedule. Rules change, so always confirm time-sensitive details with the official source before you rely on them. Visa Atlas is an information-only publication and does not give legal advice.

Primary source: Italian legislation — Normattiva

Last checked: 15 November 2026

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