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The Budget Law No. 199 of December 30, 2025, published on the Official Gazette No. 301 of December 30, 2025, introduced significant changes to the Italian citizenship acquisition process for minor children of Italian parents by birth.
The measures aim to simplify the process and make the right to citizenship more accessible.
Main changes
Paragraph 513 of art. 1 of the 2025 Budget Law amended art. 4, paragraph 1-bis, letter b) and art. 9 of Law 91/1992 on citizenship.
The main changes concern the acquisition of Italian citizenship by children born abroad on or after May 25, 2025, to at least one parent who has Italian citizenship by descent.
With the entry into force of the new law, the Italian parent by birth may submit a declaration of intent to acquire citizenship within the child’s third year of age. This provides greater flexibility for parents, as the previous deadline was within one year of birth.
In addition, declarations submitted within three years of the child’s birth are free of charge. Therefore, the €250 fee payable to the Ministry of Interior is no longer required.
These changes come into force on January 1, 2026 and are not retroactive. Therefore, the fee waiver will only apply to requests submitted on or after that date. Applications submitted before that date will not be considered.
On the contrary, declarations of intent to acquire Italian citizenship made by parents on behalf of minor children born up to May 24, 2025 must be submitted by May 31, 2026. For these cases, the payment of the fee will continue to be required.
Italian citizenship for foreigners
The Italian Citizenship grants the same rights to anyone who gets it as if they were born and raised in Italy.
Becoming an Italian citizen grants the following rights:
- You can vote and be elected in Italy during local and national elections;
- You can hold public office and public functions.
By being an Italian citizen, one automatically also obtains a European Union citizenship which entails additional rights:
- The freedom of movement and residence throughout the territory of the Union;
- The right to vote and be elected in municipal and European Parliament elections in Italy;
- Protection by the diplomatic and consular authorities of any European member state in a third country that doesn’t represent Italy;
- The right to submit petitions to the European Parliament and appeals to the European Ombudsman.
There are several ways you can become an Italian citizen: by birth on the Italian territory, by descent and more.
For more information, we invite you to read our article dedicated on how to obtain the Italian citizenship for foreigners.
