Even if you can’t make a mean risotto, don’t know the difference between a Fiat and a Ferrari, and have never seen “La Dolce Vita,” we have good news: You can still get Italian citizenship. Even if you or your parents were born outside of Italy, you may still be eligible for citizenship if your grandparent was born there. With citizenship, you’re eligible for an Italian passport, which gives you the right to live, work, study, and travel anywhere in the European Union. Here’s what you should know about the process, according to experts and people who have done it themselves.
Who qualifies for Italian citizenship through a grandparent?
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Citizenship by descent is granted by “jus sanguinis,” which is Latin for “right of blood.” Until May 2025, people could get Italian citizenship if they had a great-grandparent who was born in Italy. However, the updated law dictates that the furthest you can go back now is to a grandparent. To be eligible, at least one of your grandparents had to have been born in Italy and not renounce their Italian citizenship or obtain citizenship in another country before their child (your parent) was a legal adult. If your parent was born prior to 1975, they were deemed an adult at age 21. If your parent was born in 1975 or later, they were deemed an adult at age 18.
That said, some experts think this new two-generation limit is temporary. “We believe, because of the Italian constitution, several current legal challenges already underway and recent rulings by the Italian constitutional court on other cases, that we will see the process return back to what it was in the past,” Gerard Renny, co-founder of Portale Italy, a company that helps foreigners apply for Italian citizenship, tells Travel + Leisure.
What do you need to get Italian citizenship through a grandparent?
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Before applying for Italian citizenship by descent, be prepared to track down a lot of documents. You’ll have to prove that your grandparent was born in Italy and kept their citizenship until your parent (whose documents you’ll also have to provide) became an adult. Think original or long-form copies of birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, certifications of naturalization, and identification cards. Essentially, your job is to compile a paper trail that proves your chain of heritage going back to your grandparent is intact. You can find the entire list of documents needed at your nearest consulate or online at their website.
If you want to apply as an entire family, consider going through the courts instead of a consulate. Marco Carnevali, co-founder of the New York City-based Italian Citizenship Services (ICS), tells T+L that his firm helps more than 150 families achieve citizenship each year by using the judicial process. “Entire families can apply together with a single set of documents, reducing paperwork, lowering costs, and reducing time by moving everyone forward in one unified petition.” Note: this route requires hiring a lawyer who can file your documents with a judge in Italy.
Finally, while it’s a good idea to brush up on your Italian or spend some time in the old country, it’s not necessary. “One of the most common misconceptions is that applicants need to pass a language test or live in Italy for a certain period of time,” adds Carnevali.
Where can you apply for Italian citizenship through a grandparent?
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You have two options for applying for Italian citizenship by descent. Most people do the majority of the application online via the website of their nearest Italian consulate before dropping off the forms in person during a scheduled appointment. While this is the most convenient, it’s not always the most efficient. Australian-born Nancy De Losa, co-founder of A’qto Italian Cycling Tours, tried to do as much of the process in person as possible. “I believe having a face-to-face relationship with the consulate officials handling your application is extremely important,” De Losa tells T+L. She credits making the effort to physically talk to the officials with how fast her application was approved.
Unfortunately, whether you do it online or in person, you may have to wait to apply. “Most consulates are currently not accepting new citizenship applications and are focused on processing those submitted before 28 March 2025,” says Annie Weir, director at Fragomen Immigration Firm. The backlog is because of the increase in demand. According to Renny, “There has been a steady increase in interest over that time, but the pace of growth has definitely increased recently.” Fortunately, overburdened consulates may soon be a thing of the past. A new centralized office that will handle applications using a more efficient model is slated to open in Italy by March 2026.
How long does it take to get Italian citizenship through a grandparent?
It can take anywhere from a few months to a few years or longer to obtain Italian citizenship by descent. De Losa, who applied on her own by visiting her nearest consulate, started the process in September 2018, and it was completed by December 2018. Thaiane Prolo, another foreigner who successfully got Italian citizenship by descent without hiring a firm to help her, tells T+L that it took her longer than expected: “The most challenging part was finding all the necessary documents and correcting the spelling errors in the names, which required a judicial process that took over a year.”
Keep in mind that with the current backlog and delays, it can take even longer. Even when consulates start booking out appointments again, their next availability may not be until 2027 or so. If you go the judicial route and hire a lawyer to represent you in Italy, expect it to take about half the time; however, you will have added expenses.
How much does it cost?
Getting Italian citizenship through a grandparent will most likely cost you at least $1,000 USD. De Losa estimates the process set her back around $1,300. Meanwhile, Prolo spent approximately $2,300 to cover her document fees, translation fees, administrative fees, and legal fees after she had to hire a lawyer to help her correct spelling errors in her documents. And both women applied before January 2025 when a 600 euro fee was added for applying at a consulate. This fee is non-refundable, so you won’t get it back if your application is denied.
If you go the judicial route, expect to pay even more. “Our services can range from $499 for the eligibility investigation up to several thousand dollars for a large family electing to use our full ‘white glove’ services to prepare their file and eventually file it through the courts,” says Renny.
