The Short Answer
If a parent or grandparent was born in Italy and your line is unbroken, you can likely claim citizenship by descent. If your Italian ancestor is further back, a new claim no longer works unless it was filed by 27 March 2025. Without an ancestor, the route is 10 years of legal residence plus B1 Italian.
| Route | Who it fits | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Descent through a parent | Yes | Unbroken line |
| Descent through a grandparent | Yes | Grandparent born in Italy, unbroken line |
| Descent through a great-grandparent | No (since the 2025 reform) | Only claims filed by 27 March 2025 |
| Residence (non-EU nationals) | 10 years of legal residence | B1 Italian certificate |
| Residence (EU citizens) | 4 years of legal residence | B1 Italian certificate |
Descent After Law 74/2025
Law 74/2025 (in force from 24 May 2025) caps new claims at a parent or grandparent born in Italy. Great-grandparent claims no longer qualify. The cut-off is about where your ancestor was born, not only how many generations back they sit, which is why it surprised so many families mid-application.
If your ancestor naturalised in another country before the next person in the line was born, the chain ends there. In practice this means comparing two dates for every link: when the ancestor naturalised elsewhere, and when their child was born. Old naturalisation papers decide more claims than birth certificates do.
Claims filed at a consulate or comune on or before 27 March 2025 are handled under the older, unlimited-generation rules. If that is you, treat the result as 'verify, you may be grandfathered'. The official summary is the Ministero degli Affari Esteri, 2025 jus sanguinis reform. Check your line with the citizenship-by-descent checker before you order records, because the reform ends many claims before the paperwork stage.
Filed before 27 March 2025?
Then your application is handled under the older rules with no generation limit. Keep the proof of your filing date (the consulate booking or comune receipt) with your file.
Naturalisation by Residence
Article 9 of Law 91/1992 sets the residence periods. The Ministry of the Interior's prefecture guide to citizenship by residence lists 10 years of legal residence for non-EU nationals and 4 years for EU citizens, with shorter periods for refugees, stateless people and some people born in Italy. The residence has to be legal, continuous and registered.
The same guide requires Italian at B1 level or higher, shown with a certificate from an authorised body, and excludes holders of an EU long-term residence permit from the certificate. You also have to show regular income for the past 3 years and keep it up until the decision. Plan for the long wait: at 10 years, Italy is one of the slower countries in Transita's data.
Which Visa Starts the Clock
| Route | Government fee | Processing | Permanent residence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elective Residence Visa | $125 | 1–3 months | About 5 years |
| Digital Nomad Visa | $125 | 1–3 months | About 5 years |
| EU Blue Card | $54 | 2–3 months | About 5 years |
The Elective Residence Visa forbids work, the Digital Nomad Visa allows remote work for foreign clients, and the EU Blue Card needs an Italian job offer. The side-by-side comparison covers which one fits.
If Ten Years Is Too Long
Several countries Transita covers naturalise in half the time. The easiest countries to get citizenship ranking puts them side by side, and the Portugal guide covers the other Southern European option with a descent route.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still get Italian citizenship through my great-grandparents?
Not for a new claim. Law 74/2025, in force from 24 May 2025, limits new descent claims to a parent or grandparent born in Italy. Claims filed at a consulate or comune on or before 27 March 2025 are handled under the older rules with no generation limit.
How many years do you need to live in Italy to become a citizen?
Non-EU nationals need 10 years of legal, continuous residence under article 9 of Law 91/1992. EU citizens need 4 years. Shorter periods apply to some groups, such as refugees and people born in Italy.
What level of Italian do I need for citizenship?
B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference, proven at the time you apply for citizenship by residence (article 9) or marriage (article 5). The certificate must come from an authorised body such as the Università per Stranieri di Siena or Perugia, Roma Tre or the Società Dante Alighieri.
What breaks an Italian citizenship by descent claim?
An ancestor who voluntarily naturalised in another country before the next person in the line was born usually ends the claim at that point. That date comparison decides more cases than any other detail.
Which Italian visa starts the residence clock?
Any long-stay permit that makes your residence legal and continuous. People without an Italian employer usually use the Elective Residence Visa (passive income) or the Digital Nomad Visa (remote work). Both have a government fee of $125 in Transita's data.
Related guides
No Italian ancestor? Find the visa that starts your clock
Transita checks your income, work and degree against every Italian route, and compares Italy with faster citizenship countries. Answer 8 questions and your routes, documents and dates are set up for you. Free.
Build my workspaceofficial sources: Residenza Elettiva · consboston.esteri.it·DM 29.02.2024 · consnewyork.esteri.it·Carta Blu UE · home-affairs.ec.europa.eu