CITIZENSHIP RE-ACQUISITION: NEW PROCEDURE

The law converting Decree 36/2025 amended art. 17, par. 1, of Law no. 91/1992, allowing former Italian citizens, including those resident abroad, to reacquire Italian citizenship by submitting a declaration of reacquisition.

Please find below the relevant information.

Deadline for submitting the declaration of repurchase

The declaration for re-acquisition of the Italian citizenship must be submitted between 1 July 2025 and 31 December 2027.

Who can apply

A request for re-acquisition can be submitted only if both of the following requirements are met:

1) former citizen born in Italy or former citizen born abroad but who resided at least two consecutive years in Italy;

2) former citizen who lost his/her citizenship no later than 15 August 1992 in one of the following cases:

1. voluntarily acquired a foreign nationality no later than 15 August 1992 and established his residence abroad;
2. voluntarily acquired foreign citizenship and has renounced Italian citizenship, establishing his residence abroad;
3. a former citizen who was a child of minor age when one of the parents lost his nationality, if he was residing with the parent and acquired the nationality of a foreign State.

It should be noted that in the following case the former citizen is not entitled to submit a declaration for re-acquisition of the Italian citizenship:

1. former citizens born abroad who have not been resident in Italy for at least two continuous years;
2. those who lost their citizenship after 15 August 1992 (for any reason whatsoever);
3. those who lost their nationality in the cases provided for by art. 8 n°3 of l.555 of 1912;
4. those who have not exercised the option provided for by art. 5, par. 2 of law n° 123 of 1983

Modalities of presentation

Applications for reacquisition and relevant attachment as listed above – may be sent from 1 July 2025 to the Consulate General of Italy at 500 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, using the form available HERE.

It is recommended that the application be accompanied by the necessary supporting documentation, as indicated in the application form and listed below:

• Copy of valid passport;
• Proof of residence in the consular district (US driving licence, rental agreement, telephone or other utility bills; tax returns or any other official document proving current address);
• Birth certificate in original issued by the municipality of birth, if born in Italy;
• Birth certificate in original with apostille and certified translation, if born in the U.S;
• Historical citizenship certificate, proving lost citizenship status (to be requested from the Italian Municipality of reference: Municipality of last residence for those who were born abroad; Municipality of registration of the birth certificate for those who were born in Italy);
• Certificate of naturalisation, proving the loss of citizenship and the date thereof;
• Copy of the money order/cashier’s check (no personal checks) as proof of payment of the consular fee of €250.00. Payment must be made in dollars, the exact amount of which is indicated in art. 7-ter in the extract from the consular table available on the homepage of this website (“consular fees”).

In the case of a former citizen who was a child of minor age when one of the parents lost his nationality, the applicant needs to provide also the following documentation;

• Birth certificate in original with apostille and certified translation, if born in the United States;
• Birth certificate of the parent who lost the Italian citizenship;
• Historical certificate of citizenship of the parent who lost the Italian citizenship;
• Certificate of naturalisation of parent as proof of loss of citizenship and date thereof;
• Copy of the money order/cashier’s check (no personal checks) as proof of payment of the consular fee of €250.00. Payment must be made in dollars, the exact amount of which is indicated in art. 7-ter in the extract from the consular table available on the homepage of this website (“consular fees”).

In the presence of the documentation listed above, the Consulate General will fix an appointment in the following days for the presentation of the declaration, which must be made in person.

If the documentation is incomplete, the Consulate General will notify the e-mail address indicated in the application with a notice of rejection of the application, with a request to supplement the documentation within 10 days from the sending of the notice. If the deadline expires without the documentation having been integrated to ensure its completeness, the Consulate General will notify the rejection of the application.

Citizenship Office
Consulate General of Italy
500 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1850