While specifying that matters concerning citizenship fall within the jurisdiction of the Italian Ministry of the Interior, residents of South Australia may contact this Consulate for procedures related to Italian citizenship. Detailed information on citizenship is available on the official section updated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Decree-Law no. 36 of 28 March 2025 was converted, with amendments, into Law no. 74 of 23 May 2025, effective from 24 May 2025.
The conversion law amends Law no. 91 of 5 February 1992, whose new full text is available at the following link.
Attention is particularly drawn to the new Article 3-bis:
In derogation of Articles 1, 2, 3, 14, and 20 of this law, Article 5 of Law no. 123 of 21 April 1983, Articles 1, 2, 7, 10, 12, and 19 of Law no. 555 of 13 June 1912, and Articles 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 of the Civil Code approved by Royal Decree no. 2358 of 25 June 1865, anyone born abroad—even before the effective date of this article—and holding another citizenship is considered never to have acquired Italian citizenship, unless one of the following conditions applies:
a) The individual’s status as an Italian citizen is recognized, in accordance with the legislation in force on 27 March 2025, following a request with complete documentation submitted to the competent consular office or mayor no later than 11:59 p.m. Rome time on the same date;
a-bis) The individual’s status as an Italian citizen is recognized, in accordance with the legislation in force on 27 March 2025, following a request with complete documentation submitted to the competent consular office or mayor on the date of an appointment confirmed and communicated to the applicant by the competent office by 11:59 p.m. Rome time on 27 March 2025;
b) Citizenship is judicially confirmed, in accordance with the legislation in force on 27 March 2025, following a court application submitted by 11:59 p.m. Rome time on the same date;
c) A first- or second-degree ancestor possessed, or had exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of death;
d) A parent or adoptive parent resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the birth or adoption of the child.
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Therefore, under the new Law no. 91/1992, Italian citizenship jure sanguinis (by descent) is recognized to:
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Applicants born in Italy at any time;
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Applicants who only hold Italian citizenship, meaning they have or can have no other citizenship;
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Applicants who fall within one of the conditions listed in points a), a-bis), b), c), and d) of Article 3-bis.
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In light of the new law, please note:
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Only applications submitted before 27 March 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Rome time, with complete documentation, follow the previous legislation.
By “submitted”, the following are meant:
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Delivered in person at the consular office before the specified date and time;
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Mailed with tracking showing date/time before the deadline;
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Mailed without tracking, but received by the Consulate before the deadline;
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Submitted via the Fast-It portal before the deadline.
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Only applications with complete documentation submitted on the date of an appointment scheduled and confirmed by the consulate before 11:59 p.m. Rome time on 27 March 2025 follow the previous legislation.
“Confirmed appointment” means email confirmation received by the applicant via the Prenot@mi portal or the official email of the relevant consular section.
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In all other cases, the new legislation applies.
Processing Fee
For processing an application for Italian citizenship by a person of legal age, a mandatory fee of €600 (payable in local currency) is required, in cash or by debit card. This fee, set by Art. 7B of the Consular Fee Schedule, is non-refundable under any circumstance, regardless of the outcome.
Required Documentation
Applicants must submit the following, as outlined in Circular K.28.1 of 8 April 1991 from the Ministry of the Interior:
- Extract of the birth certificate of the Italian ancestor who emigrated, issued by the Italian municipality of birth;
- Birth certificates (with official Italian translation) of all direct descendants, including the applicant;
- Marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor (translated into Italian if issued abroad);
- Marriage certificates of descendants in direct line, including the applicant’s parents;
- Certificate from the competent foreign authority (with official Italian translation) proving that the Italian ancestor did not acquire foreign citizenship before the birth of the applicant’s parent or grandparent;
- Certificate from the competent Italian consular authority stating that none of the direct ancestors, nor the applicant, have ever renounced their Italian citizenship;
- Certificate of residence.
For applications under the new law, the following may also be required:
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To prove exclusive possession of Italian citizenship (for example):
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Negative citizenship certificates;
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Citizenship renunciation statements;
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Certificate of non-registration in foreign electoral lists;
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To prove two years of residence in Italy:
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Historical certificate of residence.
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DOCUMENTS TO PRESENT ON APPOINTMENT DAY
For the applicant:
- Proof of residence (driver’s license, utility bill);
- Birth certificate with apostille and translation;
- Marriage certificate (if applicable) with apostille and translation;
- Divorce decree (if applicable) with apostille and translation;
For the parent:
- Birth certificate with apostille and translation;
- Marriage certificate (if applicable) with apostille and translation;
- Divorce decree (if applicable) with apostille and translation;
- Certificate of non-Australian citizenship/VEVO (if born in Italy); or
- Historical residence certificate in Italy (if born abroad);
If the applicant’s parent lacks the above, then proof must be provided that at least one grandparent held only Italian citizenship (non-Australian citizenship/VEVO certificate).
IMPORTANT NOTES
- Only adults can apply for recognition of Italian citizenship by descent. For minors, refer to the Civil Status link.
- Only Australian citizens or holders of a permanent residence visa in South Australia may apply at this Consulate. Proof of SA residency is required when submitting the application.
- Applications must be submitted individually, in person, and by appointment with complete documentation.
- If multiple family members apply for recognition of citizenship from the same ancestor, either together or separately, only one set of documents concerning the ancestor and shared descendants is needed, as long as all applicants reside in SA.
- SA residents whose relatives were recognized as Italian citizens at another Consulate or in Italy must still submit original documentation regarding the ancestor.
- Translations or conformity certifications for transcription into Italian civil records are free of charge.
- For where to obtain documents, certificates, and translations, refer to this guide.
- For non-Australian documents, the applicant must check the formal and substantive validity with the relevant Italian Consulate. In exceptional cases, this Consulate may certify the translation if the original is in English and issued by an English-speaking country.
All documents must be original and will not be returned.
- Documents already in the possession of this Consulate do not need to be resubmitted.
- The Citizenship Office may request additional documents if those submitted are deemed insufficient.
- Document collection is the applicant’s responsibility.
- The process of verifying Italian citizenship will be completed within 730 days, as established by the Prime Minister’s Decree no. 33 of 17/01/2014 (Official Gazette no. 64 of 18/03/2014).
- The Consulate will send an official email notification of the result, and, in case of a positive outcome, will forward documentation to the relevant municipality in Italy for registration.
For general inquiries about procedures or documentation, no responses will be provided via email or phone. Please refer to the relevant website pages.
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Through the links on the right, you can access information about other specific ways to acquire Italian citizenship:
- Acquisition of citizenship by benefit of law
- Citizenship for minor children living with a parent who is not an Italian citizen by birth
- Reacquisition of citizenship
- Naturalization by marriage or civil union
- Recognition under special laws
- Certificate of “non-renunciation”
- Renuncing of Italian citizenship