As of 1 January 2026, new provisions concerning Italian citizenship for the children of Italian citizens by birth have entered into force.
The deadline for submitting a declaration of citizenship for minors has been extended from one to three years. The new time limit runs from the child’s birth or from the later date on which filiation is established, including in cases of adoption.
A further important change concerns the cost of the procedure: these declarations of citizenship are now completely free of charge. The payment of the previously required €250 contribution is no longer applicable.
The exemption also applies to declarations submitted by 31 May 2026 concerning the children of at least one Italian citizen by birth who were still minors on 24 May 2025.
Finally, it should be noted that the new provisions do not have retroactive effect: the exemption applies only to applications submitted from 1 January 2026 onwards, and no refunds are provided for applications submitted prior to that date.
For further information, users are invited to consult the relevant section Acquisition of citizenship by “operation of law” (minor children).
