Italian ancestry is no longer enough: Here’s how Americans can still claim citizenship

Until now descendants of Italian great-grandparents were able to claim Italian citizenship thanks to Italy’s jus sanguinis or descent bloodline laws. The Italian government however has now restricted that right to only those people whose parents or grandparents were Italian.

The new law came into effect at the end of May and has dashed the hopes of many who had wanted to become Italian citizens. The news was particularly heartbreaking for those who had already started the process of collecting documents and having them translated and notarized in order to claim citizenship.

Applicants who began the process before the change are now hoping that Italy’s Constitutional Court may allow their claims to proceed. But that will require legal challenges, and even if successful, any rulings may take a significant amount of time to come through.

How can US citizens become Italian?

For Americans who don’t have Italian parents or grandparents citizenship by descent is no longer an option. In order to become Italian they will need to move to Italy and apply based on residency, which requires 10 years of legal residency.

That means securing a valid visa, maintaining legal status throughout, and meeting financial and legal requirements along the way.

There are annual income requirements for each year of residency in order to qualify for citizenship, with a minimum annual income of 8,263.31 euros (around $9,300) for those without children and 11,362.05 euros ($12,900) plus an additional 516 euros ($590) per child for those with children.

They must also pass a B1-level Italian language exam and provide a clean criminal record from their home country.

For those who can prove that a parent or grandparent is Italian, the process remains much simpler: they can still apply based solely on ancestry, with no language exam or residency required.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.