Reacquisition of Italian citizenship art. 17, comma 1 della legge 91/1992

The changes and amendments in regulations introduced by D.L. 36/2025, signed into Law 74/2025, allows former Italian citizens — including those residing abroad — to reacquire Italian citizenship by submitting a formal declaration of reacquisition.

WHO MAY APPLY

The application for reacquisition may be submitted if both of the following requirements are met:

1. The applicant is a former Italian citizen:
   • born in Italy, or
   • born abroad but has resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years;
2. The loss of Italian citizenship occurred no later than August 15, 1992, in one of the following cases:
   • the applicant voluntarily acquired a foreign citizenship NO LATER THAN August 15, 1992, establishing residence abroad (naturalization);
   • the applicant acquired a foreign citizenship involuntarily and subsequently renounced Italian citizenship, establishing residence abroad;
   • the applicant was a minor child living with a parent who acquired a foreign citizenship.

THE LAW DOES NOT APPLY TO:

1. former Italian citizens born abroad who have never resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years;
2. those who lost Italian citizenship after August 15, 1992, for any reason;
3. those who lost citizenship in the cases provided under the Law No. 555/1912 article 8, no. 3(i.e., those who, having accepted employment or military service with a foreign government, remained in such service despite a formal request by the Italian government to resign within a specified period);
4. those who did not exercise the option provided under the Law No. 123/1983 article 5, paragraph 2(i.e., minor children – including adopted children – of an Italian father or mother who, in cases of dual citizenship, were required to choose one citizenship within one year of reaching the age of majority).

APPLICATION PERIOD
The declaration of reacquisition may be submitted from July 1, 2025, to December 31, 2027.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION

Starting from July 1, 2025, applications for the reacquisition of Italian citizenship together with all supporting documents, must be submitted exclusively via email to the following address:

• cittadinanza.houston@esteri.it;

The subject line of the email must include the following information:
“APPLICATION FOR REACQUISITION OF CITIZENSHIP  ex. art.17, paragraph 1, Law 91/1992 – Applicant’s First Name, Last Name, Date and Place of Birth”.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

For former Italian citizens born in Italy:

• Application form;
• Copy of a valid passport issued by the country of current citizenship;
• Proof of residence in this consular jurisdiction (utility bill, driver’s license or State ID);
• Original birth certificate no longer than 6 months before the application date:
  • if born in Italy, issued by the Municipality where the applicant was born;
  • if born abroad, with Apostille and translation into Italian (in the USA, a simple translation; in other countries, a certified translation);
• ONLY for applicants born abroad a “Certificato di Residenza Storico” which shows the applicant’s effective residence in Italy for a minimum of two consecutive years, issued by the Italian Municipality;
• a copy of the applicant’s most recent Italian passport (if available);
• “Certificato storico di Cittadinanza” issued by the competent Italian Municipality, certifying possession and subsequent loss of citizenship;
• Certificate of Naturalization, or equivalent documentation according to the local practice of the relevant foreign country (e.g., birth certificate accompanied by citizenship certification) indicating the date and reason of acquisition of foreign citizenship.

For those who lost citizenship as emancipated minors:

• Original birth certificate/ Estratto dell’atto di nascita no longer than 6 months before the application date:
  • if born in Italy, issued by the Municipality where the applicant was born;
  • if born abroad, with Apostille and translation into Italian (in the USA, a simple translation; in other countries, a certified translation);
• “Certificato storico di residenza” proving residence in Italy for at least two consecutive years;
• Birth certificate of the parent who was a former Italian citizen;
• “Certificato storico di cittadinanza” of the parent who was a former citizen;
• Certificate of Naturalization of the parent.

APPOINTMENT FOR THE DECLARATION
The Citizenship Office will schedule an appointment for the in-person signing of the reacquisition declaration ONLY IF, after evaluating the application and verifying that all legal requirements are met, the documentation is complete and compliant.
If the documentation is found to be incomplete or non-compliant, the application will be rejected and must be resubmitted following the instructions published on the website.

CONSULAR FEES
The submission of the declaration of reacquisition is subject to the payment of a consular fee of €250, corresponding to $282.90 USD (for the quarter from July 1, 2025, to September 30, 2025), the current USD amount can be found here. (aggiungere collegamento a tabella Consolare)
Payment must be made CASH at the time of the appointment.

Reacquisition, if granted, takes effect from the day after the statement of intention is submitted and accepted, and it is NOT retroactive.

Please note that transmission of Italian citizenship is governed by the current regulations set forth by Law 91/1992 as amended by Decree 36/2025, signed into Law 74/2025. In particular, reacquisition of Italian citizenship NO LONGER grants automatic citizenship to any minor children who live with the applicant. In order to acquire Italian citizenship, pursuant to art.14 Law 91/1992, minor children living with the applicant who has reacquired Italian citizenship, must have been residing in Italy for a minimum of two consecutive years at the time of their parent’s reacquisition (or since birth if younger than 2yo).

The parent who reacquires Italian citizenship is no longer an Italian citizen by birth and therefore cannot submit a statement of intent for their minor children.