Italian citizenship by birth in 2026: children, jus soli and reality

Main myth: "born in Italy - got a passport"

Let us start with what most often leads families to disappointment. There is a persistent belief circulating on the internet: it is enough to give birth to a child on the territory of Italy - and he automatically becomes a European Union citizen. This is not true.

Italy belongs to the category of countries following the so-called "right of blood" (jus sanguinis - citizenship is transmitted by descent from parents). The principle of "right of soil" (jus soli - citizenship by place of birth), which operates, for example, in the USA or Canada, does not apply in Italy. This means that a newborn born in an Italian maternity hospital to foreign parents does not obtain Italian citizenship at birth does not receive.

Therefore, the popular idea of "flying to give birth in Italy for the baby's passport" does not work in principle. The child will receive an Italian-style birth certificate, but the citizenship field will indicate the country of his parents. From there - either a patient legal path, or no passport at all.

It is important to dispel this illusion immediately so that you build plans based on real rules, not on others' promises.

What is jus soli and why Italy does not have it

Let us understand the concepts themselves so we can speak the same language going forward. Two main models of citizenship transmission to a newborn coexist in the world.

Right of soil (jus soli) - a child becomes a citizen of the country on whose territory he was born, regardless of parental citizenship. This is how the USA, Canada, and a number of Latin American countries are organized.

Right of blood (jus sanguinis) - a child inherits the citizenship of his parents, and place of birth plays no role. This is the path followed by most continental European states, and Italy is one of the brightest examples.

Italian citizenship law (Law No. 91/1992) is built precisely on the right of blood. The historical logic is simple: Italy for centuries was a country from which people departed, not to which they came, and the state sought to maintain ties with millions of descendants of emigrants throughout the world. Therefore, the emphasis was placed on descent, not on territory.

In 2025, politicians discussed the possibility of introducing elements of jus soli, but, as we will see below, this attempt failed. To date, Italy's position is unambiguous: citizenship is about blood and descent, not about the geography of a maternity hospital.

Child of an Italian citizen - citizen from day one

And now the main good news, which directly follows from the right of blood. If at least one of the parents is an Italian citizen, their child becomes Italian automatically, at the moment of birth. And it is absolutely irrelevant where he was born: in Naples, Moscow, Dubai, or Buenos Aires.

This is the essence of jus sanguinis. Citizenship is passed directly by father or mother, like a surname. The child does not need to earn anything, wait for adulthood, or pass a language test - he is a citizen by virtue of being born to an Italian parent.

In practice, the procedure boils down to registering the child's birth with Italian authorities: through the Italian consulate in the country of residence or directly with the municipality (commune). The child's birth certificate with legalization and translation, the Italian parent's passport, and sometimes marriage confirmation will be required. After the entry is made, an Italian passport is issued to the child.

The conclusion is simple: if the baby has a mom or dad with an Italian passport, the citizenship question is resolved from the start, and the place of birth has no effect on this.

Born in Italy to foreigners: path to passport at 18

The most frequent request is about this exact situation. Foreign parents live in Italy, and their child is born there. They do not obtain citizenship at birth, but the law leaves them a separate door that opens at the age of majority.

A child born in Italy to foreign parents has the right to obtain Italian citizenship upon reaching 18 years of age. But not automatically and only under strict conditions:

• Continuous lawful residence. The child must have lived in Italy continuously and legally from birth to adulthood - that is, with a registered residence permit, without long absences.
• Application within one year. An application to choose Italian citizenship must be submitted between the 18th and 19th birthday. If you miss the window, you may lose the right.
• Proof of residence. You must document that the person has lived here throughout these years.

In other words, this is not a gift for the fact of birth, but a reward for actually living in the country for eighteen years. The law recognizes that if a person grew up to be Italian in substance—attended a local school, speaks the language, is connected to society—he has the right to become Italian by passport as well.

For a family, this means that the bet should be placed on long-term legal residence.

Children upon naturalization of a parent.

There is another common scenario—when citizenship appears in a family not immediately, but years later. Foreign parents live in Italy, and over time one of them undergoes naturalization (obtains citizenship through length of residence). What happens to the children?

Minor children living together with a parent generally acquire citizenship along with them. The principle of joint residence applies here: the child must actually live under one roof with the parent at the moment when he becomes Italian.

After the 2025 reform, an important clarification was added. A minor child must have legally lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years at the moment of the parent's acquisition of citizenship (or from birth, if the child is younger than two years). This is done so that the right goes to families that are actually rooted in the country.

For parents whose children were minors on a certain reform date, separate transition periods for submitting applications are provided—they should be clarified individually, as the dates are strict.

Conclusion: a child most often inherits the parent's new status, but only if he lives with him and the family has already taken root in Italy.

2025 Reform: what changed for descendants.

To understand the context, it is necessary to mention the most significant change in recent years. In March 2025, Italy adopted a decree-law (DL 36/2025, later approved by Law No. 74 of May 23, 2025), which radically tightened the rules for citizenship by descent.

Previously, descendants of Italian emigrants could claim a passport with virtually no limit on generations—it was sufficient to prove a continuous family line back to a great-great-grandfather. Now a strict limit has been introduced: generally, blood citizenship is transmitted only if the parent or grandparent born in Italy were Italian—that is, within two generations.

This means that many schemes like "my great-grandfather was from Sicily" no longer work in most cases. Millions of descendants who counted on a passport through distant ancestors lost this right.

The reform is also important for the birth question: it once again emphasized Italy's overall course—to narrow, not expand, access to citizenship. No automatism either by soil or by distant kinship.

If your story is about roots and ancestors, this is a separate major topic with its own nuances, which we discuss in the material on Italian citizenship by descent..

Why the referendum on relaxing the rules failed.

Many hoped that in 2025 the rules would become more lenient. This did not happen, and it is worth understanding why.

In June 2025, a nationwide referendum was held in Italy, one question of which proposed reducing the residence requirement for naturalization from 10 to 5 years. This would have simplified the path to citizenship for approximately 2.5 million legal foreigners.

However, the referendum was declared invalid. The reason was low turnout: only about 30% of voters came to the polls, whereas to ensure legal validity of the result, a threshold of 50% needed to be exceeded. Some political forces directly urged supporters to stay home and thereby sabotage the vote—which is what happened.

For our topic, the conclusion is important: no concessions took place. Italy retained both the ten-year naturalization requirement and the absence of jus soli. The course on "citizenship by blood and for actual residence" remained unchanged. Those who are making plans should rely on the current strict rules, not on expected reforms.

Table: does birth in Italy grant citizenship.

Let us consolidate all situations into one clear table so you can immediately find your case and understand what to expect.

As you can see, the key is almost always either parental citizenship or many years of actual life in the country. A maternity hospital in Italy by itself has no magical effect.

Exceptions: Found children and unknown citizenship

A strict rule has humanitarian exceptions—it is worth knowing about them, though they apply to few.

Italian law provides that a child found on the territory of Italy whose parents are unknown is considered an Italian citizen—unless it is proven that he or she possesses another citizenship. The logic is simple: the state does not leave a child without status at all, and in the absence of any data about the parents, soil right is activated as an exception.

Similar protection applies to children who cannot acquire their parents' citizenship. If under the laws of the country of origin of the parents a child born in Italy does not inherit their citizenship and remains stateless, Italy may recognize him or her as its citizen so that the child is not left with nothing.

These norms were created not for planning, but to protect vulnerable children. It is impossible to use them as a strategy for obtaining a passport—they apply only in exceptional, real circumstances.

Russians and CIS citizens: what is important to consider

Let us separately discuss the nuances for families from Russia and CIS countries, because there are many questions here.

First, for entry and residence in Italy, citizens of Russia and most CIS countries need a Schengen visa, and for long-term residence in the country—a residence permit on a legal basis (work, education, investments, family reunification). Without the legal status of the parents, the child will not have that very continuous legal life that opens the path to citizenship at 18 years old.

Second, one must act strictly within the framework of EU law, without attempting to circumvent sanctions restrictions. Compliance checks are now intensified, and any attempt to circumvent the source of funds or status will result in a refusal.

Third, Russia permits dual citizenship: upon obtaining an Italian passport, an adult must notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs (approximately within 60 days)—renunciation of Russian citizenship is not required.

And most importantly: citizenship and tax residency are different things. Upon obtaining an Italian passport, a person is not automatically obligated to pay taxes in Italy on all worldwide income—this depends on where he or she actually lives.

Real roadmap to an Italian passport for a family

If we remove the myths, a and working conclusion remains: the passport for a child is given not by the delivery room, but by the legal life of the family in Italy. And this life can be built through a well-thought-out immigration plan.

The logic is simple. First, parents obtain a legal basis for residence—most often this is a residence permit. Then the family takes root: children grow up in Italy, the years of continuous residence are counted. And already on this foundation, the doors to citizenship open—for the child at 18 years old, for the parents through naturalization, for the entire family as a whole.

One of the most reliable starting points for a wealthy family is Italy's investor visa, which provides a residence permit without the requirement to live in the country continuously at the start. There are other routes as well: residence permit for financially independent persons, digital nomad visa, family reunification. Selecting the optimal option for your situation is our job.

We build this path from the first residence permit to a passport so that your children have a strong foundation for future European citizenship. Study the programs for obtaining status in Italy or discuss your situation with our specialists —we resolve the issue of obtaining status and citizenship, and you decide where your family will live.

How birth relates to the naturalization of parents

For the plan to work, it is important to see the full picture—how the status of the child intertwines with the status of the parents.

Naturalization in Italy is the acquisition of citizenship through years of legal residence. The general requirement is 10 years; for citizens of other EU countries—4 years; and for persons of Italian origin and for those born in Italy—3 years. That is, a child born in Italy to foreigners may, under certain conditions, undergo naturalization faster than usual—under a shortened requirement.

In addition, citizenship is granted through marriage to an Italian citizen: after 2 years of residence in the country (or 3 years abroad), and if there are common children, these periods are halved. In all cases, Italian language at B1 level is required.

The result is a coherent system: birth in Italy does not give a passport in itself, but it is counted as an advantage—it shortens the timeframe and strengthens the connection with the country. We discuss the details of this path in detail in the article on Italian citizenship through naturalization.

If it is a matter of bringing the entire family to Italy on a legal basis, it is worth separately studying the topic of family reunification.

Common mistakes by parents

Based on hundreds of inquiries, we will compile typical misconceptions that cost families time and money.

• "I will give birth in Italy—and passport in my pocket." The most expensive mistake. Soil right does not apply; childbirth itself gives nothing.
• "I had a great-grandfather who was Italian, so my children are entitled to it." After the 2025 reform, distant ancestors in most cases are no longer a basis—the limit is usually two generations.
• "You can apply for the child's citizenship at 18 whenever you want." No, the window is narrow—within a year after reaching adulthood, and it is easy to miss.
• "A tourist visa also counts as residence." Only continuous legal residence with a residence permit counts, not short visits.
• "We will buy real estate—they will give us a residence permit, and then citizenship." Italy has no "golden visa for real estate": the purchase of property itself does not grant status.

Most of these mistakes are easy to avoid if you build a plan from the very beginning based on current law and verified facts, not on rumors from forums.

Expert perspective: what to rely on when planning

Let us summarize professionally and outline how we advise approaching this task in practice.

The key principle to understand: Italian citizenship for a child is not determined by the geography of the birthplace, but by a carefully planned and lengthy legal family pathway. It is not fast, but it is reliable and completely within the law—meaning no risk of refusal or loss of funds.

We always start with diagnostics: we check whether there are Italian roots within the generations permitted by the reform, what status is actually available to parents, how many years of residence already exist or will be required. Based on this, we build a route—from the first residence permit to citizenship for children and adults.

If you have considered the idea of "having a child for a passport"—it is more to immediately replace it with the strategy of "establishing yourself to earn a passport." The second path works, the first does not. And in building such a realistic route, taking into account the 2025 reform and all strict rules, we are ready to be your guides.