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Italian citizenship is given and attributed through ius sanguinis:

This means that its passed on from one generation to the other through Italian descendants.

In other words, you don’t have to be born in the territory of Italy to acquire the citizenship.

The most important factor is to establish that when a descendant is born , one of the parents is an Italian citizen.

Let me give you an example:

Let’s say that your parents were born in Italy, then they moved to another country, They had children, the children’s can be Italian citizen if at their birth one of the parents

maintained their Italian citizenship.

In other words if your parents immigrated in 1970, and you were born in 1975, at this date you have to prove that one of your parents were still Italian in 1975.

If this is the case you are an Italian by descent, and are able to apply for the Italian citizenship.

If you get married and have children, they too have the right to apply for the Italian citizenship.

Citizenship

Act of birth of your parents.

Act of marriage of your parents.

Old Italian passport of your parents.

Landed immigrant stamp or card with the old Italian passport.

Canadian citizenship certificate indicating the exact date of when your parents became Canadian citizens. If you don't have the document, you will have to apply to Citizenship Canada;

Form CIT 0058; application for search of citizenship records.

Your act of birth (civil status Quebec) translated (with APOSTILLE) from Palais de Justice (Authentication of signature)

and your act of marriage (civil status Quebec) translated (with APOSTILLE) from Palais de Justice (Authentication of signature).

For divorced couples:

Act of marriage.

Certificate of divorce.

Judgement of divorce.

As of Jan. 11, 2024 all documents have to be translated in Italian;

The act of birth, marriage, death, certificate of divorce and judgement of divorce have to be translated in Italian and authenticated (apply an Apostille) by Justice department (Palais de Justice).

For the Apostille Documents must be not older than 2015.

REACQUISITION OF ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP BY RESIDENCE (ART. 13, PARAGRAPH 1, LAW N. 91, 1992)

Reacquisition of Italian citizenship, for those who were born in Italy and who lost citizenship through naturalization before August 16, 1992.

To reacquire it, they must return to Italy, have a residence in Italy.

To get an appointment:

Consolato generale d'Italia a Montreal.

SERVIZI CONSOLARI E VISTI.

To the left (Servizi per il cittadino straniero).

Cittadinanza ius sanguinis.

Procedure to follow.

Prenot@mi

Citizenship documents.

Citizenship by lineage (Ius Sanguinis)

Request for the recognition of Italian citizenship by lineage (ius sanguinis).
Law n. 91/1992

Please note:

General Requirements:

Please note that direct ancestors who voluntarily acquired another citizenship before 16th August 1992 automatically lost their Italian citizenship, even if they did not formally renounce it (art. 8 L.555/1912).

Women transmit citizenship as of January 1, 1948. Before this date, citizenship can only be transmitted through the paternal lineage.

ATTENTION: In line with the guidelines of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation (Cass. Civ. Sez. I, ord. N. 454/2024 and n. 17161/2023), the Circular No. 43347, dated October 3, 2024, from the Italian Ministry of the Interior clarifies that an Italian citizen who lost Italian citizenship due to the voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship also simultaneously caused the loss of Italian citizenship for his minor child living with him. This applies even if the child was born in a country, such as Canada, where ius soli is applied.

Procedure to follow:

  1. Book an appointment in person through the Prenot@mi website. Please note that, if more members of the same family intend to apply for citizenship, every person over the age of 18 will have to schedule their own appointment and to apply individually.

  2. Make sure to possess all the following documents, which you will have to provide on the day of the appointment.

Please note:

  • All documents must be submitted in original and will not be returned.

  • Please note that any discrepancies (e.g., names, surnames, places, dates, etc.) in the documentation submitted will not be accepted. Therefore, please ensure certificates are corrected accordingly.

  • The Citizenship Office reserves the right to request additional documentation if the available information is deemed insufficient for a proper evaluation of the citizenship application.

  • The search for documentation is the sole responsibility of the applicant.

List of documents to be submitted:

  1. Estratto dai Registri della nascita con annotazioni marginali obtained from the birth registries of the Italian ancestor recently issued by the Italian municipality of birth. The potential Italian passport, the stamp or “Immigrant reçu” / “Landed immigrant” slip, and other certifications issued in Italy are optional but it is recommended to submit them to complete the information regarding your ancestor.

  2. Birth certificates of all descendants in direct lineage to the ancestor of Italian citizenship; if such documents have been issued by other Consular Districts, they must be accompanied by an apostille/legalization and translation in Italian declared as compliant by the consular Representation where the certificate has been produced;

  3. Marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor who emigrated abroad and marriage certificates of his / her descendants in direct lineage; if such documents have been issued by other Consular Districts, then they have to be accompanied by an apostille/legalization and translation in Italian declared as compliant by the consular Representation where the certificate has been produced;

  4. Death certificate of the ancestor of the Italian citizen and of his / her descendants in direct lineage; if such documents have been issued by other Consular Districts, then they have to be accompanied by an apostille/legalization and translation in Italian declared as compliant by the consular Representation where the certificate has been produced;

  5. Certificate of Canadian Citizenship, containing the complete date of naturalization (day, month, year). If the Italian citizen has never become Canadian, his/her “Carte de résident permanent / Permanent resident card” or the “Recherche dans les dossiers de la citoyenneté / Search of citizenship records” must be produced. If the aforementioned certificate of naturalization is not available, the applicant may request a copy of the documents relating to the citizenship of the ancestor kept by Citizenship and Immigration Canada by means of the procedure provided for by “Access to Information” through the IMM5563 form (it can be asked only for people that are still alive or deceased for at least 20 years). Please note that the wallet size Canadian citizenship card will not be accepted;

  6. Civil status documents (birth, marriage, divorce) of the applicant for the recognition of Italian citizenship, accompanied by the translation in Italian by one of our trusted translators. In order to know the exact documents to be presented, please check the list at the bottom of the page;

  7. Applicant’s valid passport and proof of residence (i.e. provincial driver’s license, residential utility bills, etc.);

  8. Application for recognition of Italian citizenship by descent;

  9. AIRE registration form;

  10. The payment of the fiscal stamp for the request for recognition of Italian citizenship (art. 7b of the Table of consular rights) must be carried out at the moment of the application at the Consulate desk in Canadian dollar cash. This fee is non-refundable, regardless of the outcome of the application. Requests presented with all due documents will be processed in the following 24 months. At the end of the verification, the Consulate General will send a communication via email to the applicant on the outcome of the recognition request.

Note relating to birth, marriage / civil union, death documents referred to numbers 3), 4), 5): all these civil status documents have to be presented with Apostille and translation in Italian. For documents issued in Quebec, please refer to the website of the Ministry of Justice of Quebec. For information regarding apostilles on documents issued by the provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nuvavut, please refer to Global Affairs Canada.

Translation from English/French into Italian of civil status acts have to be done by one of the official translators of this Consulate: Elenco Traduttori Ufficiali – Consolato Generale d’Italia di Montreal (esteri.it)

Birth

Marriage / Civil Union

Divorce

To register a divorce in Italy, kindly follow the instructions on this page.

Death

For civil status documents produced by other Canadian provinces or other countries, it is necessary to contact the competent consular offices for the territory.

Citizenship by marriage or civil union

1. Regulatory information

In accordance with current legislation, which requires knowledge of the Italian language, information relating to citizenship by marriage is provided in Italian.

Those who apply for Italian citizenship through marriage or civil union must be aware of their duties towards the Italian Republic, first and foremost adherence to national values ​​and irreproachable conduct.

The acquisition of Italian citizenship by a foreign or stateless spouse who has married an Italian citizen since 27 April 1983 is currently regulated by Law 5 February 1992 n. 91 (articles 5, 6, 7 and 8) and subsequent amendments.

Applications for Italian citizenship can also be submitted by foreign citizens who have formed a civil union with an Italian citizen registered in the civil status registers of the Italian municipality (Legislative Decrees 5, 6 and 7/2017).

A foreign spouse/civil union partner may acquire Italian citizenship upon application, in the presence of the requirements established by current legislation, as explained in the following sections.

2. Requirements for applying for citizenship

Residence in the consular district :

  • The applicant must address the application to the diplomatic-consular representation competent for his/her residence, exclusively through the specific computer application (see below: Point 4, Procedure, Phase 1 – Registration and insertion of the application).

  • The spouse/partner of the civil union of Italian nationality must be resident and regularly registered in the Registry of Italians Resident Abroad (AIRE) of the competent consular district and cohabiting at the same address as the applicant for citizenship. Otherwise, both spouses must provide documentation proving the reason (e.g. work, children's education, medical care or other), which determines or has determined the need for separate domicile.

Submission Terms :

  • the application can be submitted three years after the celebration of the marriage/civil union, if the spouse is an Italian citizen iure sanguinis, that is, from birth. If the Italian spouse acquired citizenship after the marriage (e.g. by residence in Italy), the three years start from the date of the spouse's naturalization. The three years are reduced to one and a half years in the presence of children born or adopted by the spouses.

Transcription and validity of marriage/civil union :

  • If it occurred abroad, it must have been previously transcribed at a Municipality in Italy.

  • The marriage/civil union bond must remain valid and stable until the adoption of the provision granting citizenship. In order to grant Italian citizenship, the marriage/civil union must not have been dissolved by separation or divorce at the date of adoption of the decree. However, the death of the spouse after the submission of the citizenship application does not entail the forfeiture of the benefit.

Criminal situation :

  • Absence of convictions by the Italian judicial authorities for crimes for which a penalty of more than three years of imprisonment is foreseen.

  • Absence of sentences of more than one year by foreign judicial authorities for non-political crimes.

  • Absence of convictions for crimes against the personality of the State and of reasons impeding the security of the Republic.

Knowledge of the Italian language no lower than level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)

Payment of taxes and charges indicated in the Documents and Costs sections

3. Documents required for citizenship application

Birth certificate extract or equivalent, in original, issued possibly no more than six months ago by the country in which you were born, complete with all personal details (including paternity and maternity), duly legalized/apostilled and translated into Italian.

  • For the exact wording of the document requested and the issuing body, please refer to: Birth – Consulate General of Italy in Montreal (esteri.it) . The document must be legalized with an apostille . For the affixing of an apostille to documents issued in the province of Quebec, please refer to the Ministère de la Justice du Québec . To have an apostille affixed to documents issued by the provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Autonomous Territory of Nunavut, please refer to Global Affairs Canada . The translation of birth certificates issued in Canada can be done by a certified translator whose signature must be legalized by our Consulate General (a list is available at this link ).

  • If the document was drawn up elsewhere, it is necessary to contact the Italian Embassy or Consulate competent for the territory where the document was issued. The translation of certificates issued by other countries may be declared compliant by the Consulate competent for the country of issue or recognized by means of an Apostille .

Criminal record certificates from the country of origin, any third countries of residence (starting from the age of 14) - except Italy - and countries of citizenship, in original, issued without fail no more than six months before the submission of the application, duly legalized/apostilled and translated into Italian.

  • The applicant is exempt from presenting the criminal record of the country of origin only if he left it before the age of 14 and has not retained its citizenship.

  • For Canada, a criminal record with photo and fingerprints is required . To apply for a criminal record in Canada, you can consult this site and contact your local police station. To legalize a criminal record issued in Canada, please consult this site: Affaires mondiales Canada, Section des services de l'authentification – JLAC / Global Affairs Canada, JLAC- Authentication Services Section . The criminal record can be sent by mail to Affaires mondiales Canada, Section des services de l'authentification – JLAC / Global Affairs Canada, JLAC- Authentication Services Section who will take care of the legalization (address: 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada – K1A 0G2).

  • The translation of criminal records issued in Canada can be done by a certified translator whose signature must be legalized by our Consulate General (a list is available at this link ).

  • For criminal records from other countries, the Embassy or Consular Office competent for the territory where the document was issued must be contacted. The translation of certificates issued by other countries may be declared compliant by the Consulate competent for the country of issue or recognized by Apostille .

Receipt of payment of the contribution of €250 in favor of the Ministry of the Interior and the €16 stamp duty, according to the methods indicated in the “Costs” section.

Identity document : photocopy of passport or valid foreign identity card (pages with personal data, photograph, dates of issue and expiry).

Copy of the marriage certificate or summary extract from the marriage register , to be requested from the competent Italian municipality where the certificate is transcribed, possibly issued no more than six months ago.

  • PLEASE NOTE : If the applicant is an EU citizen, he/she may use the self-certification pursuant to Presidential Decree 445/2000.

Certificate of knowledge of the Italian language no lower than level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The following certifications are accepted exclusively :

  • PLIDA of the Dante Alighieri Society

  • CertIt of the University of Roma Tre

  • CILS of the University for Foreigners of Siena

  • CELI of the University for Foreigners of Perugia

  • L of the University for Foreigners of Reggio Calabria

Other certifications from the above-mentioned bodies or other institutions are not suitable and cannot be accepted.

However, the following are not required to present a qualification demonstrating knowledge of the Italian language:

  • Foreigners (even if resident abroad) who have signed the Integration Agreement referred to in art. 4 bis of Legislative Decree no. 286/1998 Consolidated Immigration Act.

  • Holders of a long-term EU (or EC) residence permit as per Article 9 of the same Consolidated Law (even if resident abroad), only if issued by the Italian Authorities. Residence permits for family reasons or those issued by other States are not eligible.

  • Those who have obtained a qualification issued by a public or private educational institution recognised by the Ministry of Education, University and Research and/or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

4. Procedure

  • PHASE 1 – REGISTRATION AND APPLICATION SUBMITTAL

The applicant residing abroad must register on the Ministry of the Interior portal ( https://portaleservizi.dlci.interno.it/AliCittadinanza/ali/home.htm ) without using SPID but with his/her own e-mail address.

Please note that the email address declared on the portal during the online application submission phase constitutes the elected domicile (art. 47 cc), therefore it is necessary to frequently consult your email inbox as all communications relating to the citizenship application, including requests for additional documentation, summonses, notifications of provisions, etc. will take place exclusively via electronic channels.

The applicant is required to register his/her data with the utmost care as these cannot be modified and, in the event of an error, a new registration will be required with another email address. In particular, the personal details indicated in the birth certificate (including any annotations) and/or in deeds and documents issued abroad by the competent foreign authorities (such as marriage certificates, identity documents, name/surname change orders, etc.) must be reported. In the event of discrepancies, the applicant is required to provide appropriate supporting documentation.

The application must state whether the applicant has any minor children from a previous relationship living together.

All residences from the fourteenth year must be declared and no periods of time must be left undeclared.

No special characters or signs should be reported (for example the cedilla, acute or grave accents within the word, circumflex accents, etc.). It will be possible to insert only the accent on the last letter using the apostrophe, if it is also present in the original language.

  • PHASE 2 – CONSULAR VERIFICATION

The Consular Office will be automatically informed of the submission of the application and will proceed with the necessary checks. The applicant will then receive, electronically via the portal of the Ministry of the Interior, a communication regarding the acceptance or rejection of his/her application.

In case of rejection of the application, the application can be resubmitted, taking care to correct the errors indicated in the rejection itself and the payments already made can be reused, if the application is resubmitted within one year.

In case of acceptance, the applicant will be summoned electronically to the diplomatic-consular representation for the authentication of the signature on the citizenship application, for the delivery of all original paper documentation, including that already transmitted electronically via the Portal, for the collection of the expected consular fees.

All the above documentation will be kept in original by the diplomatic-consular representation, with the exception of the identity document and the language certificate, for which a certified copy will be made with the relative payments.

  • PHASE 3 – EVALUATION AND TERMS OF THE PROCEDURE

The evaluation of the application and the definition of the procedure are the exclusive responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior, within 24 months from the date of submission of the application, extendable up to a maximum of 36 months. If at the end of the evaluation of the practice the procedure is concluded positively, the Ministry of the Interior will send the decree of conferral of Italian citizenship to the diplomatic-consular representation competent for the residence of the interested party.

  • PHASE 4 – DECREE, NOTIFICATION AND OATH

The decree granting Italian citizenship will be notified – via the portal – with a communication addressed to the applicant. Upon notification, documents will also be requested to verify the permanence of the marital bond, with a date subsequent to the decree, such as, for example (non-exhaustive list):

  • Full marriage certificate issued by the competent Italian municipality (not the extract) and corresponding foreign document

  • Criminal record certificate from the country of current residence, duly legalized and translated (see “Documents” section)

Therefore, at the date of adoption of the decree, the dissolution of the marriage or civil union or personal separation (separation decree) must not have occurred. However, the death of the spouse after the submission of the citizenship application does not entail the forfeiture of the benefit.

Within and no later than six months from notification, the interested party will be summoned to the consular offices, to swear an oath of loyalty to the Republic and its laws. The six-month term is mandatory, after which the right to obtain citizenship will be lost.

Payment of the stamp duty on the decree is expected.

The full marriage certificate must be requested from the Italian Municipality in whose registers the act is transcribed; the criminal record certificate must be requested from the competent authorities in the country of residence and must comply with the provisions regarding legalization/apostille and translation, as explained in the “Documents” section.

The interested person will swear an oath of allegiance to the Italian Republic by pronouncing the following words:

“I SWEAR TO BE FAITHFUL TO THE REPUBLIC AND TO OBSERVE THE CONSTITUTION AND THE LAWS OF THE STATE”

The acquisition of Italian citizenship will take effect from the day following the oath.

The original birth certificate will be sent for transcription to the relevant Italian Municipality together with the request for registration in AIRE and the minutes of the oath taken.

5. Costs

  • Contribution of €250 to the Ministry of the Interior, to be paid exclusively via PagoPa when completing the application or via bank transfer to the current account indicated by the Ministry of the Interior (receipt to be included in the online application) with any costs to be paid by the person arranging the transfer:

  • “Ministry of the Interior DLCI Citizenship”
    Bank Name : Poste Italiane SpA
    IBAN Code : IT54D0760103200000000809020
    Reason for payment : Request for citizenship by marriage pursuant to art. 5 L. 91/1992 and name and surname of the applicant Poste Italiane
    BIC/SWIFT Code : BPPIITRRXXX (for foreign transfers)

    BIC/SWIFT code : PIBPITRA (for EUROGIRO circuit operations)

  • €16 stamp duty to be paid exclusively via PagoPa to the Revenue Agency when filling out the application or via adhesive sticker purchased in Italy or via bank transfer to the current account of the Bank of Italy, IBAN code: IT07Y0100003245348008120501, with any costs to be paid by the person arranging the transfer.

Consular table items to be applied with related amounts:

  • Signature certification on the application: art. 24 – 14.00 euros

  • Legalization of translator's signature: art. 69 – 24.00 euros

  • Certified copy of a valid identity document: art. 71 – 10.00 euros (Where the document is not in Latin characters, a translation is also required)

  • Certified copy of the language certification: art. 71 – 10.00 euros

  • Conformity of translation of civil status documents and criminal records: art. 72A – 13.00 euros

  • Stamp duty on the decree granting citizenship: art. N/A – 16.00 euros

Reacquisition of Italian citizenship by residence (art. 13, comma 1, n. Law 91/1992)

Those who have lost their Italian citizenship by foreign naturalization, for example Canadian, before August 16th 1992, may reacquire it by two different ways, under art. 13, comma 1.:

1) Prior to a declaration of willingness to reacquire the citizenship, that is according to letter c) of the same comma, “if the willingness to reacquire is declared and the residence is established on Italian territory within a year after the declaration”. In order to begin the process it is essential that the naturalization that resulted in the loss of citizenship be registered at the Italian municipality of birth or of last residence. Since the Consulate Generale can verify this information, two cases are distinguished:

  1. If the loss of citizenship by naturalization has been registered at the Italian municipality, the applicant must send the following documentation to the email address montreal.cittadinanza@esteri.it:

  2. “Estratto per riassunto dell’atto di nascita con annotazioni marginali”. The document is to be requested at the Italian municipality of birth, by filling out the following form;

  3. copy of valid passport and proof of address (ex. provincial driver’s license, utility bill, etc.);

  4. Copy of the receipt of the payment for the citizenship contribution, the value of € 250.00 net of any costs of sending or intermediation. The bank transfer must be made on the postal bank account in the name of:

“Ministero dell’Interno D.L.C.I. – Cittadinanza” Piazzale del Viminale, 00184 Roma (Italia)
Codice IBAN:IT54D0760103200000000809020
Nome Banca: Poste Italiane Roma Trigoria(Via A. Giuffré, 156 – 00128 Trigoria, RM – Italia)
Codice BIC/SWIFT per i bonifici esteri:BPPIITRRXXX
Reason for the payment: Last name and name (to complete with applicant’s information) – “Istanza di cittadinanza per residenza”.

  1. If the loss of citizenship by naturalization has not yet been registered at the Italian municipality, the applicant must send at the following email address montreal.cittadinanza@esteri.itthe above mentioned documentation along with with:

  2. Certificate of Canadian citizenship, bearing day, month and year of naturalization. If you do not possess the original document, it may be requested at the local competent authority.

Warning: the total size of the email must not exceed 5 MB, otherwise it will be rejected by the system.

A consular officer from the Consulate will contact the applicant to set an appointment in person to submit the original documentation and undersign the declaration of reacquisition.

Nota bene: within one year of undersigning the declaration of reacquisition, submitted in person at the Consulate General, the applicant will have to enter Italy and establish residence in an Italian municipality. In order to do so:

  1. Apply firstly for a “permesso di soggiorno”, by using the Italian citizenship reacquisition kit available in any postal office;

  2. With the postal receipt, go to the Italian municipality to register the residence. As soon at the municipality will have verified the residential address, according to their timelines and means, will proceed to register the person to the “Anagrafe della Popolazione Residente” (APR).

Following this step, the municipality will send the certificate of residence to the Consulate General, which will then issue the act of reacquisition of the Italian citizenship.

Nota bene: the declaration of reacquisition of citizenship can also be undersigned at the Italian municipality. In that case, the municipality will finalize the procedure. The declaration of reacquision of citizenship can be issued by the municipality upon request.

2) Automatically: according to letter d) of the same comma, after a year from the date in which the residence has been established on Italian territory, unless a renunciation was expressed within the same time frame.

Also in this case the loss of citizenship by naturalization must have been registered at the Italian municipality of birth or of last residence prior to reacquisition. Verification can be made through this Consulate General, by writing to montreal.cittadinanza@esteri.it

Warning: law n.91/1992 also requires that in both above mentioned cases 1) and 2), the reacquisition of citizenship has no effect if it is inhibited by decree of the Minister of the Interior, for serious and proven reasons and with the consent of the Council of State. Such inhibition can intervene within the term of one year from the verification of the established conditions.

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