How to Submit the Declaration of Intent Within Three Years of the Child’s Birth (or from the following day on which parentage, including adoptive parentage, was established while the child was still a minor)
The declaration of intent to acquire Italian citizenship must be made formally and in person before an official authorized to perform Vital Records functions. If the parents do not make the declaration at the same time, the statutory requirement shall be deemed satisfied on the date on which the second parent submits his or her declaration. If parentage, including adoptive parentage, has been established with respect to only one person, or if the other parent is deceased, the declaration of only one parent shall be sufficient. The applicant bears sole responsibility for providing valid documentary evidence establishing such circumstance.
REQUIREMENTS FOR MAKING THE DECLARATION OF INTENT
In order to request registration of the birth, ALL of the following requirements must be met:
–Residence within the jurisdiction of this Consulate General: at least one parent must reside in one of the following areas: California Centrale e Settentrionale, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Territori americani delle Isole Samoa, Territorio americano di Guam, Isole Marianne Settentrionali, Atollo Johnston, Isola di Wake, Arcipelago delle Isole Midway.
–Italian citizenship and AIRE registration: At least one parent must be an Italian citizen registered with the Registry of Italians Residing Abroad Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero (A.I.R.E)
–Previous marriages or divorces registered in Italy: Marriages and divorces involving Italian citizens must have been duly registered in Italy. For additional information, please refer to the following links: Matrimoni – Divorzi
–Current residential address: Applicants are advised to ensure that the residential address provided in the application corresponds to the most recent residential address reported to the Consulate General. To verify the address currently recorded in the Consular database, log in to your profile on Fast.it To update your residential address, follow the procedure provided in the AIRE section.
The declaration for the acquisition of Italian citizenship must be made at the Consulate General by appointment and is subject to verification that the statutory requirements described above have been met.
If the minor establishes legal residence in Italy, the declaration may also be submitted after the three-year deadline following the child’s birth. In such cases, however, the child must maintain residence in Italy for at least two consecutive years after the parents submit the declaration of intent for the acquisition of Italian citizenship. This procedure does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General and is handled exclusively by the competent Italian Municipality (Comune).
The declaration must be made in person at the Consulate General by appointment, following a preliminary review of the documentation, which must be mailed to:
CONSULATE GENERAL OF ITALY
VITAL RECORDS OFFICE
2590 Webster Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
United States of America
DOCUMENTATION TO BE SUBMITTED BY MAIL
–Extract of the birth record (Estratto dell’atto di nascita) and Italian Certificate of Citizenship (Certificato di cittadinanza), also known as the Historical Certificate of Citizenship (Certificato storico di cittadinanza), for at least one parent, expressly certifying possession of Italian citizenship from birth. Both documents must be personally requested by the applicant from the competent Italian Municipality (Comune); self-certifications are not accepted;
-Long-form/full birth certificate of the minor, issued by the competent foreign authority, bearing the required Apostille and accompanied by an Italian translation:
For births of minors occurring in:
- CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, ALASKA, HAWAII, MONTANA, IDAHO, e UTAH, o nel territorio di GUAM (clicca qui)
- ALTRI STATI DEGLI USA e in ALTRI PAESI ESTERI (fuori dagli USA) (clicca qui)
For certificates issued outside the consular jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco, applicants are advised to verify the applicable documentary requirements with the Italian Consulate having territorial jurisdiction over the place where the record was issued by consulting that Consulate’s official website.
The applicable procedure may vary depending on the country in which the record was issued and the international agreements in force with that country. Find the competent Italian Consulate here: Trova il tuo consolato competente qui. Examples: For a birth record issued in Buenos Aires, Argentina, please consult the website of the Consulate General of Italy in Buenos Aires. For a birth record issued in New York, United States, please consult the website of the Consulate General of Italy in New York.
Where applicable, also include one or more of the following documents, duly Apostilled and accompanied by a certified translation where required:
– Acknowledgment of parentage;
– Judicial determination of parentage;
– Adoption order;
– Documentation proving legal guardianship or the status of sole parent of the minor;
– Recent proof of address, issued within the previous three months: electricity, water, gas, landline telephone bill, voter registration, or tax statement. BANK AND CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED;
– Passports of both parents (Italian and foreign passports, as applicable) and the minor’s passport(s).
TRANSITIONAL PROVISION FOR PERSONS WHO WERE MINORS ON MAY 24, 2025
(STATUTORY BENEFIT)
IMPORTANT!!! Where the transitional provision under Article 1, paragraph 1-ter of Decree-Law No. 36/2025 applies, the child must have been under the age of 18 on May 24, 2025, and the declaration must be duly signed by both parents no later than May 31, 2029. It is the applicant’s sole responsibility to make the necessary arrangements sufficiently in advance. In addition to the documentation listed above, applicants must also submit the appropriate original certification proving that the parent who is an Italian citizen by birth was recognized as such on the basis of an administrative or judicial application filed no later than 11:59 p.m. Rome time on March 27, 2025, or on the basis of an application for recognition of Italian citizenship submitted pursuant to an appointment communicated by the Consular Office or the Italian Municipality (Comune) no later than that same date.
If the person concerned, who was a minor on May 24, 2025, reaches the age of majority in the meantime, he or she must personally submit the declaration no later than May 31, 2029.
PLEASE NOTE: The Consular Office reserves the right to request additional documentation or supplemental information whenever deemed necessary for the proper processing of the application.
IMPORTANT!!!
Applicants are requested to submit the request to make the declaration of intent only when they are in possession of all documentation required to verify entitlement to Italian citizenship, as listed in the preceding sections.
If the application is not accompanied by the required documentation, the Consulate General will send a notice of proposed denial pursuant to Article 10-bis of Law No. 241/1990 to the email address provided in the application. Following receipt of such notice, the applicant will have 10 days to submit the missing documentation. The Consulate General reserves the right to request additional documentation other than that listed in the preceding sections whenever such documentation is deemed necessary to verify entitlement to Italian citizenship. In such cases, the request for additional documentation will not be accompanied by a notice of proposed denial, unless the applicant fails to respond within a reasonable period of time.
Once the complete documentation has been received, you will be contacted by email.
PLEASE NOTE: Appointments cannot be scheduled by telephone.