Article 1 of Law No. 91/92, which can be consulted at the following link, establishes that a child born to an Italian father or mother is an Italian citizen by birth.
Italian citizenship is transmitted from parent to child, with the condition that the Italian parent has never renounced their citizenship or acquired another nationality during the minor’s childhood.
To recognize Italian citizenship by descent, the following points must be proven:
- The ancestry must trace back to an ancestor born in Italy (dante causa).
- The dante causa must have maintained their citizenship until the direct descendant reached adulthood.
- The descent from the dante causa must be proven through civil status records (birth, marriage, divorce, death). These records must be accompanied by legalization, if required, and an official translation. It should be noted that documents issued in Australia must be authenticated with an Apostille.
Applicants born abroad and holding another nationality are not considered to have automatically acquired Italian citizenship, unless:
- A direct ancestor (either parent or grandparent) held – or held at the time of death – exclusively Italian citizenship.
- A parent or adoptive parent was resident in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the birth (or adoption) of the child.
DOCUMENTS TO PRESENT ON THE DAY OF THE APPOINTMENT
For the adult applicant:
- Identity document and proof of residence (passport, driver’s license, utility bill)
- Birth certificate with Apostille and translation
- (If applicable) Marriage certificate with Apostille and translation
- (If applicable) Divorce decree with Apostille and translation
For the parent:
- Extract of the birth certificate (to be requested from the Italian municipality)
- (If applicable) Marriage certificate (with Apostille and translation if married abroad)
- (If applicable) Divorce decree (with Apostille and translation if issued abroad)
- Historical residence certificate from Italy or certificate of non-Australian citizenship/Vevo if born in Italy
If the applicant’s parent holds another nationality and has not resided in Italy for two consecutive years, proof that at least one grandparent was or is exclusively an Italian citizen must be provided, along with a certificate of non-Australian citizenship/Vevo.
FEES
The processing of the citizenship application for an adult applicant involves a fee of 600 Euros, payable in local currency either in cash or by debit card. This is an obligatory contribution required by law for processing the application and does not guarantee a positive outcome. Therefore, it is NOT REFUNDABLE under any circumstances.
IMPORTANT NOTES
- Only adults can apply for recognition of Italian citizenship by descent. For minors, please 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.