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🇮🇹 Italian Citizenship by Descent: Jure Sanguinis

The Italian pathway (jure sanguinis or "right of blood") is available to many with Italian ancestry, often going back further than the grandparent level.

Key Eligibility Rules

  • No Generational Limit (Generally): Italian citizenship can typically be claimed from an Italian ancestor who was never naturalized as a citizen of another country (or naturalized after the birth of the next Italian-line ancestor), or from an Italian ancestor who only naturalized after the birth of the Italian citizen next in line.
  • The 1948 Rule (Maternal Line): A critical restriction is that the Italian lineage cannot pass through a female ancestor whose child was born before January 1, 1948. This is a common hurdle requiring a potentially complex legal path (a "1948 case") through an Italian court.
  • No Break in Lineage: The entire chain of ancestors must have maintained their Italian citizenship until the birth of their child (the next in line) to transmit the citizenship. A break occurs if an ancestor naturalized as a US citizen before their child was born.
  • No Language Test: Like Ireland, there is no Italian language test required for jure sanguinis applicants.

Required Documents and First Steps

The required documentation is exceptionally strict and comprehensive.

  1. Identify the Italian Ancestor: Find the original Italian birth certificate of your Italian-born ancestor.
  2. Prove No Naturalization Break: Obtain the Certificate of Non-Existence of Naturalization from USCIS (formerly INS) or the relevant U.S. court to prove the Italian ancestor did not naturalize as a US citizen before the birth of the next child in the line.
  3. Obtain All Vital Records: Collect the birth, marriage, and divorce certificates for every person in the lineage, from the Italian ancestor down to you.
  4. Apostille and Translation: All US vital records must be apostilled and officially translated into Italian by a certified translator.
  5. Consular Appointment: You must secure an appointment with the Italian Consulate that has jurisdiction over your place of residence in the US. Wait times for these appointments can be extremely long (years in some US jurisdictions).