Italy Sets Age-Based Rules for Citizenship via Family Recognition and Adoption

• Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs published age-specific requirements for acquiring citizenship through family ties, covering minors and adults separately
• Adults who gain filiation recognition through a court ruling do not automatically become Italian citizens and face a strict one-year window to act
• The Italian government outlined a set of mandatory documents applicants must submit alongside their citizenship declaration for it to be considered valid

Italy has set out clear, age-based rules governing how individuals can claim citizenship through family connections, with the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishing the full requirements on its official website.

The regulations are relevant to people worldwide, including those in Africa and the diaspora who may have formalised Italian heritage later in life.

Italian citizenship rules for minors

Under Law no. 91/92, minors can acquire Italian citizenship through three pathways: recognition or judicial declaration of filiation, adoption, and the naturalisation of a parent.

Read also

Spain sets minimum age requirement for foreigners seeking citizenship

The law places deliberate emphasis on safeguarding the citizenship rights of children in each of these circumstances, ensuring that young people are not disadvantaged by administrative processes outside their control.

How adults can elect Italian citizenship through filiation

The process changes significantly once a person reaches adulthood. When a court issues a recognition or judicial declaration of filiation in favour of an adult, Italian citizenship is not granted automatically. Instead, the individual has exactly one year from the date of the court ruling to formally declare their intention to acquire citizenship, a process legally described as an "election of citizenship" under Article 2, Paragraph 2 of Law no. 91/92.

This declaration carries specific documentary requirements. Under Article 3 of Presidential Decree no. 572, dated 12 October 1993, applicants must provide a birth certificate confirming their identity, an act of recognition or an authenticated copy of the court ruling establishing paternity or maternity, and a certificate confirming the citizenship of the Italian parent concerned.

Read also

Italy opens citizenship pathway for one category of foreigners under Law 63

All three documents are considered prerequisites. An application submitted without any one of them will not be deemed valid. Similarly, any adult who misses the one-year deadline forfeits the right to pursue citizenship through this particular route entirely.

The rules apply regardless of where in the world the applicant resides, meaning that individuals in Ghana, Nigeria, or elsewhere in the African diaspora who have legally established Italian parentage through court proceedings are bound by the same timeline and documentation standards as those living within Europe.

Italy announces new citizenship rules for ancestry applicants

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Italy had made changes to its citizenship-by-descent programme.

Under the new rules, adult applications for citizenship recognition submitted by people residing abroad will, from January 1, 2029.

Source: YEN.com.gh