Law no. 74/2025, converting Decree-Law no. 36/2025, amended Article 17, paragraph 1, of Law no. 91/1992.
The amendment introduces the possibility, for former Italian citizens, including those residing abroad, in certain cases and for a limited period of time (from July 1st, 2025, to December 31, 2027), to reacquire Italian citizenship by submitting a specific declaration.
This possibility is granted to individuals who were born in Italy or were resident in Italy for at least two consecutive years, and who lost Italian citizenship before the entry into force of Law no. 91/1992 (i.e. before August 16, 1992), in one of the following cases:
- voluntarily acquired foreign citizenship before August 16, 1992, and established residence abroad (Art. 8, no. 1, Law no. 555/1912);
- having acquired foreign citizenship without their own will, renounced Italian citizenship and established residence abroad (Art. 8, no. 2, Law no. 555/1912);
- as a minor child not emancipated, shared residence with a parent who lost Italian citizenship, and thereby acquired the citizenship of a foreign State (Art. 12, Law no.555/1912).
Accordingly, the possibility to submit a declaration of reacquisition is not granted to former Italian citizens born abroad who were not resident in Italy for at least two consecutive years, nor to those who lost Italian citizenship for any reason after August 16, 1992.
The declaration of reacquisition may be submitted between July 1, 2025, and December 31, 2027.
Procedure for Submitting the Declaration
Former Italian citizens wishing to submit the declaration must contact the Citizenship Office of this Consulate General at cittadinanza.sanfrancisco@esteri.it, with the subject line: “Dichiarazione di riacquisto ex art. 17 comma 1 Legge 91/1992” and attach, in PDF format, the following documents:
1. Application form;
2.Valid identity document issued by the country of current citizenship;
3.Proof of residence within this consular jurisdiction (utility bill, driver’s license, or State-issued ID card);
4.If born in Italy:
- Extract of the birth certificate issued within the last six months by the Italian municipality of registration (mandatory-to be requested by the applicant from the municipality of birth);
5.If born abroad:
- Extract of the foreign birth certificate, apostilled and translated;
• Historical residence certificate, showing at least two years of continuous residence in Italy, issued within the last six months by the Italian municipality of last residence;
6.Historical citizenship certificate act to confirm the previous possession of Italian citizenship, issued within the last six months by the Italian municipality of last residence (mandatory-to be requested by the applicant from the municipality of birth);
7.Certificate of foreign naturalization: if the applicant was a minor at the time of naturalization, the naturalization certificates of the Italian-born parents (apostilled and translated) must ALSO be submitted. Please note: until March 9, 1975, legal adulthood in Italy was reached at the age of 21;
8.Consular fee payment (Art. 7C): €250. Payments are accepted only via money order made payable to the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco, in U.S. dollars. Please check the Consular Fee Schedule for the exact amount;
9.Copy of U.S. driver’s license (or passport) and any Italian documents in the applicant’s possession, even if expired;
10.If married, a copy of the marriage certificate.
Appointment and Declaration:
Only if the above-mentioned documentation, submitted by email, is found correct and complete, the Citizenship Office will schedule an appointment for the applicant to make the declaration pursuant to Article 17, paragraph 1, of Law 91/1992.
The declaration must be made in person at the Consulate.
On the day of the appointment, the applicant must present the original documentation and one copy, as well as proof of payment of the consular fee (€250), by money order payable to the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco. The exact amount in USD is available in the Consular Fee Schedule.
The reacquisition, where applicable, takes effect the day following the declaration.
Please note that reacquisition has no retroactive effect.
Transmission of citizenship to descendants
The transmission of citizenship to descendants is regulated by the general rules, as recently reformed by Decree-Law 36/2025, converted by Law 74/2025.
In particular, attention is drawn to the fact that the reacquisition of citizenship by a person residing abroad no longer entails the automatic acquisition of Italian citizenship by a cohabiting minor child. According to Article 14 of Law no. 91/1992, as amended, the acquisition of Italian citizenship by the cohabiting minor requires that, on the date of the parent’s reacquisition, the child has been legally resident in Italy for at least two consecutive years (or since birth, if younger than two years).
Furthermore, a parent who reacquires Italian citizenship, being a citizen by reacquisition and no longer by birth, may not submit a declaration of acquisition of citizenship for minor children under Article 4, paragraph 1-bis, of Law 91/1992.
IMPORTANT: the Consulate General CANNOT provide legal advice or assistance in citizenship matters, including reacquisition.
Under Law 74/2025, it is the applicant’s responsibility to submit the required documentation, which is detailed on this website.
The Consulate General will therefore not respond to individual requests for consultation (except for automatic replies redirecting to the official website).
IMPORTANT PRIVACY POLICY ACKNOWLEDGMENT: In submitting documentation to the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco, you confirm that you have read and understood the information in the Privacy Policy pertaining the processing of personal data that you submit to this office, as per/in accordance with EU regulations (RGPD).