Decree-Law No. 36 of March 28, 2025, has been converted, with amendments, into Law No. 74 of May 23, 2025, effective as of May 24, 2025.
The conversion law reforms Law No. 91 of February 5, 1992, whose updated full text is available at the following link.
Particular attention is drawn to the new Article 3-bis:
By way of derogation from Articles 1, 2, 3, 14 and 20 of the present law, Article 5 of Law No. 123 of April 21, 1983, Articles 1, 2, 7, 10, 12 and 19 of Law No. 555 of June 13, 1912, as well as Articles 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 of the Civil Code approved by Royal Decree No. 2358 of June 25, 1865, a person born abroad, even before the entry into force of this article, and who holds another citizenship, is considered never to have acquired Italian citizenship, unless one of the following conditions applies:
a) the individual’s citizenship status is recognized, in accordance with the legislation in force as of March 27, 2025, following an application, accompanied by the necessary documentation, submitted to the competent consulate or mayor no later than 11:59 p.m. (Rome time) on that date;
a-bis) the individual’s citizenship status is recognized, under the same legal framework, following an application, with required documentation, submitted to the competent consulate or mayor on the date indicated in an appointment confirmed to the applicant by the competent office, no later than 11:59 p.m. (Rome time) on March 27, 2025;
b) the individual’s citizenship status is recognized by a court, in accordance with the applicable legislation as of March 27, 2025, based on a judicial request submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. (Rome time) on that date;
c) a first- or second-degree ascendant possesses, or at the time of death possessed, only Italian citizenship;
d) a parent or adoptive parent resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the birth or adoption of the child.
Therefore, under the new Law No. 91/1992, the following individuals are recognized as Italian citizens iure sanguinis (by descent from birth):
- applicants born in Italy at any time;
- applicants who hold exclusively Italian citizenship, i.e., who do not and cannot hold any other citizenship;
- applicants who fall under one of the cases listed in letters a), a-bis), b), c), and d) of Article 3-bis.
In light of the new law, it is specified that:
1) Only applications submitted before 11:59 p.m. (Rome time) on March 27, 2025, with the required documentation, will follow the previous legislation.
“Submitted” means:
- Delivered in person to the Consular Office before the above date and time;
- Sent by mail with tracking showing a date and time before the above deadline;
- Sent by mail without tracking, but received by the Consular Office before the above deadline;
- Received via Fast-It before the deadline.
2) Only applications, with full supporting documentation, submitted to the Consular Office on the day of an appointment confirmed to the applicant by the competent office by 11:59 p.m. (Rome time) on March 27, 2025, will follow the previous legislation.
“Appointment confirmed to the applicant by the competent office” means confirmation by email, either from the Prenot@mi portal or the official institutional email address of the Consular Section responsible for the application.
3) In all other cases, the new legislation applies.
The applicable consular fees are available at the following link.
Required documentation
Applicants must submit all the documentation required by Circular K.28.1 of April 8, 1991 from the Ministry of the Interior, namely:
- Extract of the birth certificate of the Italian ancestor who emigrated abroad, issued by the Italian municipality where he was born;
- Birth certificates, with official Italian translation, of all direct descendants, including that of the person claiming Italian citizenship;
- Marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor (translated into Italian if issued abroad);
- Marriage certificates of all direct descendants, including those of the applicant’s parents;
- Certificate issued by the competent authorities of the foreign country of emigration, with official Italian translation, proving that the Italian ancestor did not acquire foreign citizenship before the birth of the descendant;
- Certificate issued by the competent Italian consular authority stating that neither the direct ancestors nor the person claiming Italian citizenship ever renounced it, in accordance with Article 7 of Law No. 555 of June 13, 1912;
- Certificate of residence.
For applications under the new law, the following additional documentation may be required:
To prove exclusive possession of Italian citizenship, for example:
- Negative citizenship certificates;
- Declarations of renunciation of other citizenships;
- Certificates of non-enrollment in foreign electoral rolls.
To prove residence in Italy for at least two consecutive years:
- Historical certificate of citizenship.
This Embassy accepts requests for recognition or reacquisition of Italian citizenship from foreign nationals who are legally residing in countries within our Consular District. Requests from individuals holding only temporary residence permits are not accepted.
The Embassy provides information and requirements for the most common procedures of recognition and acquisition of Italian citizenship:
- Acquisition of Citizenship by “benefit of law” (minor children)
- Acquisition of Citizenship by minor children living with a parent who is not an Italian citizen by birth
- Reacquisition of citizenship
- Naturalization by marriage
- Recognition based on special laws
- Certificate of “non-renunciation”
Applicants are fully responsible for presenting a complete application with all required documents according to the applicable law. There are no exceptions. Failure to meet any of the requirements or submission of inconsistent or incomplete documentation will result in the rejection of the application at the counter (this does not mean the application was denied, but rather that it could not be accepted, and the appointment will be forfeited).
How to make an appointment
Users are informed that appointments to submit the application for “Citizenship by Descent ( Ricostruzione – for children of age ) and marriage” are only required through the appointment system Prenot@mi. In addition, you inform that the writing Office, while being aware of the extreme difficulties encountered by users in booking an appointment, can not help you to set one. The online appointment system is, in fact, automated and not centrally influenced. The availability of dates or time slots is subject to request by the numerous users.
Opening hours to the public:
- Monday – Wednesday – Friday 9.00 – 12.30
- Tuesday and Thursday 13.30 – 15.00
Telephone contacts for Consular Services:
For information about consular services, the following telephone number is available: +507 225 89 48 / 49 / 50.
The service is available in the following time slots:
- Monday/Wednesday/Friday: 14:00 – 16:00
- Tuesday/Thursday: 10:00-12:00
Any questions or information can be sent to consolare.panama@esteri.it.
The Embassy does NOT authorize any agency or intermediary for booking appointments or for consular services, including citizenship.
Further information on Italian citizenship can be found on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation website at “cittadinanza”.