Children and citizenship

Citizenship for Minors

A brief introduction to automatic citizenship, acquisition by declaration, and birth registration for children born abroad.

Current-law note
The rules for children born abroad changed significantly in 2025. Birth date, the parent’s status, and filing deadlines can determine the result.

Children born abroad

Current law distinguishes between children who are Italian citizens automatically and children who may acquire citizenship through a declaration or other legal benefit.

Questions to establish first

  • When was the child born?
  • Was the parent already recognized or otherwise Italian at the relevant time?
  • Does a parent or grandparent meet the current citizenship-status requirements?
  • Does a declaration deadline or transitional rule apply?
  • Is the Italian parent’s civil-status record current?
The effective date matters. Citizenship acquired by declaration is generally not treated the same as citizenship held from birth.
Facebook community

Discuss a minor-child case

Because dates and transition rules matter, members should provide the child’s birth date and the parent’s citizenship history when asking questions.

facebook.com/groups/dualusitaliancitizenship
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