Italian Citizenship by Descent
Italy narrowed citizenship by descent in 2025. Who still qualifies, the 'exclusively Italian' test, the minor issue update, and how to apply from Canada.
Short answer: Italy tightened citizenship by descent in 2025. Most Canadians who were born in Canada now qualify only if a parent or grandparent held only Italian citizenship, or if a parent lived in Italy for two continuous years after becoming Italian and before you were born. Claims through great-grandparents and earlier generations are generally closed, unless an application was already in progress by March 27, 2025. Italy’s Constitutional Court upheld the new rules in 2026.
These rules are still settling. Court decisions and ministry instructions have kept arriving since 2025. Check the date this page was last verified, and confirm your case with your Italian consulate before spending money on documents.
Check Your Italian Family Line
Answer a few questions, for the person who would apply, to see how your family compares with the 2025 rules in this guide. The checker is for people born outside Italy who hold Canadian or another citizenship. It takes under a minute, and no email is needed.
Rules last verified: September 2026
Question 1 of 2
What Changed in 2025
Before 2025, Italy recognized citizenship by descent with no generational limit. A descendant several generations removed from an Italian emigrant could often qualify.
A decree on March 28, 2025, later made law by Law 74/2025 (in force since May 24, 2025), changed that. Italy’s citizenship law now says that a person born abroad who holds another citizenship, such as Canadian, is considered never to have acquired Italian citizenship, unless one of a small number of conditions applies.
Italy’s Constitutional Court has ruled on the 2025 rules twice. In judgment no. 63/2026 (decided in March, published April 30, 2026), it rejected the main challenges, so the new rules stand. In a separate case in July 2026 (order no. 147/2026), it asked the Court of Justice of the European Union whether the rules are compatible with EU citizenship law. That question is still pending, and the 2025 rules apply in the meantime. Other Italian courts continue to raise new challenges, so check the latest position before you apply.
Do You Qualify Now?
If you were born outside Italy and hold Canadian (or any other) citizenship, you can generally be recognized as an Italian citizen by descent only if one of these applies:
- Your case started before the change. You submitted a complete application to a consulate or Italian municipality, or filed a court case, by 11:59 p.m. Rome time on March 27, 2025. A consulate appointment confirmed to you by that time also counts. These cases follow the old rules.
- A parent or grandparent held only Italian citizenship. Your Italian parent or grandparent must hold, or have held at the time of their death, exclusively Italian citizenship. The Montreal consulate adds that this must have been true on your date of birth.
- A parent lived in Italy after becoming Italian. One of your parents lived in Italy for at least two continuous years after becoming an Italian citizen and before you were born (or adopted).
People born in Italy, and people who hold no other citizenship and cannot obtain one, are also recognized.
If none of these apply, for example if your closest Italian ancestor is a great-grandparent, you generally cannot be recognized by descent under the new rules. See “If You Do Not Qualify” below.
Can You Still Qualify Through a Great-Grandparent?
For most people this is now the hardest question, and the honest answer is usually no. The 2025 law limits automatic recognition to a parent or grandparent who holds only Italian citizenship (or held only Italian citizenship when they died). A great-grandparent, whether a great-grandfather or great-grandmother, generally no longer opens the route on its own.
There is one real exception. If a complete application was already filed, at a consulate, an Italian municipality, or in an Italian court, by 11:59 p.m. Rome time on March 27, 2025, it is judged under the old, unlimited-generations rules. A great-grandparent claim filed in time still stands.
If you did not file by then, the administrative route through a great-grandparent is generally closed. Some specific family histories still succeed in the Italian courts, but that is a judicial path that needs a lawyer and turns on the exact details of your line, not something to count on. The limit is under review at the EU level, as noted above, yet it is fully in force today, so plan around the law as it stands. If this route is closed for you, the alternatives in “If You Do Not Qualify” below are the place to look next.
The “Exclusively Italian” Test and Canadian Families
This condition is where many Canadian families run into trouble.
Many Italian emigrants became Canadian citizens. An ancestor who held both Italian and Canadian citizenship did not hold exclusively Italian citizenship during that time. Under older Italian law, becoming a citizen of another country also generally meant losing Italian citizenship.
That is why consulates in Canada ask for proof of exactly when your Italian ancestor became Canadian, or proof that they never did. The date of naturalization, compared with the relevant birth dates in your family, can decide your case.
Get your ancestor’s naturalization record first, before you order anything else. It can tell you quickly whether a claim is realistic.
Special Cases
The “minor issue” update (August 2026). For years, consulates rejected some applications where an Italian parent became a citizen of another country while their child was still a minor. In 2026, Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation ruled on this issue, and on August 10, 2026, the Interior Ministry issued new instructions. The Montreal consulate now says it can re-examine applications that were rejected only for this reason. If this applies to you, contact the consulate that rejected your application and ask about re-examination. See our tracker update on minor issue re-examination.
Descent through a woman before 1948. Historically, Italian women could not pass on citizenship to children born before January 1, 1948, and consulates do not recognize these lines. These cases have usually gone through Italian courts. Get legal advice.
Minor children of Italian citizens. Children who are under 18 now follow separate procedures, not the descent process described here. See your consulate’s pages on citizenship for minor children.
How to Apply From Canada
- Apply through your own consulate. You can apply only at the Italian consulate that covers the area where you legally and permanently live.
- Book through Prenot@mi, Italy’s online appointment system. Every adult in a family books and applies separately.
- Expect limited appointments. Until December 31, 2028, each consulate can accept only as many adult descent applications per year as it concluded in 2025.
- Bring originals. All documents must be originals, and they will not be returned.
- Watch for inconsistencies. Consulates do not accept documents where names, dates, or places don’t match. Correct records before you apply.
- Get apostilles and translations. Canadian civil status documents need an apostille and an Italian translation. The Montreal consulate requires translations from its own list of approved translators.
- Pay on the day. The consular fee for an adult application is €600, according to the Toronto consulate, and Montreal collects it in Canadian dollars, in cash, at the counter. It is not refunded, whatever the outcome.
- Be patient. The Montreal consulate says complete applications are processed within 36 months.
Documents You Will Typically Need
Your consulate’s list is the one that counts, but expect to provide:
- Your Italian ancestor’s birth record (“estratto dell’atto di nascita”), recently issued by their Italian town of birth
- Birth certificates for every person in the direct line between that ancestor and you, including long-form versions where your province issues them
- Marriage and death certificates for the ancestor and each person in the line, where applicable
- Proof of your ancestor’s Canadian citizenship status: a citizenship certificate showing the full naturalization date, or an official search of Canadian citizenship records with an apostille (the wallet-size citizenship card is not accepted)
- Your own civil status documents, with apostille and Italian translation
- Your valid passport and proof of address
- The consulate’s application form and AIRE registration form (the register of Italians living abroad)
Common Problems
- Name and date mismatches between Italian and Canadian records (for example, “Giuseppe” in Italy and “Joseph” in Canada)
- The wrong citizenship document for your ancestor, such as the wallet card
- Missing apostilles or translations from translators the consulate does not accept
- Applying at the wrong consulate for where you live
- Ordering expensive documents before checking the “exclusively Italian” test
If You Do Not Qualify
- Living in Italy first. Italy offers a discretionary naturalization route for foreigners whose parent or grandparent was an Italian citizen by birth, after a period of legal residence in Italy. The 2025 reform shortened that period to two years, according to Italian lawyers. It is not automatic, and you must actually move to Italy.
- Reacquiring lost citizenship. People who were Italian citizens and lost it may be able to reacquire it. See your consulate’s reacquisition page.
- Other countries. Other countries have their own descent rules. See our guides to Irish citizenship by descent, German citizenship by descent, Polish citizenship by descent, and citizenship by descent.
- Other routes to Europe. See France, Spain, Portugal, and working holidays, or take the pathway quiz.
Do the Canada-EU Talks Change Any of This?
No. Italian citizenship is decided by Italian law, and the proposal to make Canada an EU “associate member” does not affect it. See what associate membership would mean for Canadians.
After the October 2026 summit: Canada and the EU committed to define a closer association, short of EU membership, by their 2027 summit, and to open talks on Erasmus+ and mobility. None of it changes visa, residence, or citizenship rules today. What the summit decided.
Official Sources
- Italian Consulate General in Montreal: Citizenship by lineage
- Italian Consulate General in Toronto: Citizenship
- Italian Consulate General in Toronto: Consular fee for descent applications
- Italian Consulate General in Montreal: Reacquisition of citizenship
- Constitutional Court of Italy: Judgment no. 63/2026 (in Italian)
- Constitutional Court of Italy: Order no. 147/2026, referral to the Court of Justice of the EU (in Italian)
- Normattiva: Italian citizenship law (Law 91/1992, current text, in Italian)
- Prenot@mi: Italian consular appointments
- Global Affairs Canada: Authentication and apostille
- Government of Quebec: Applying for an apostille
Update Log
- October 5, 2026: Clarified the Constitutional Court’s two 2026 decisions.
This guide is informational only and is not legal advice. Italian citizenship law changed significantly in 2025, courts and ministries continue to issue new decisions and instructions, and outcomes depend heavily on family history. Always confirm your eligibility and document list with the Italian consulate for your area, and consult a lawyer who specializes in Italian citizenship before you invest in documents or court action.