This page is based on the official government summary published on 26 May 2025 about the conversion of D.L. 36/2025 into Law 74/2025 and the coordinated text published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale. The key SEO opportunity here is not generic commentary. It is answering the exact practical questions applicants are now searching after the conversion law.
Official source used for this update: the article Cittadinanza italiana, convertito il DL 36/2025. Le novita principali, plus the coordinated text of Law 23 May 2025, n. 74.
What the conversion law confirmed
The official summary states that the reform does not abolish the core ius sanguinis principle in Law 91/1992. What it does is temper the automatic reach of descent rules by linking them more closely to effective and current ties with the national community. That is why the conversion law matters most in cases that used to rely on broad, older assumptions.
Foreign-born applicants with another citizenship: rule and exceptions
Under the official summary, foreign-born people who hold another citizenship do not automatically acquire Italian citizenship. The same preclusion also applies to people born abroad before the rule entered into force. The article then lists the main exceptions for which the previous framework still applies.
- The person had already been recognized as an Italian citizen by 27 March 2025.
- The person had already received notice of an appointment to present the application by 27 March 2025.
- The person had already filed a judicial claim by 27 March 2025 and citizenship was later judicially established.
- One parent or grandparent held exclusively Italian citizenship.
- One parent or adoptive parent legally and continuously resided in Italy for at least two years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the birth or adoption of the child.
Minor children, citizenship litigation, and proof rules
The official article also highlights changes that are often missed in shorter summaries.
- New benefit-of-law acquisition routes are introduced for certain minor foreign or stateless descendants of Italian citizens by birth, subject to a declaration of intent plus residence or timing conditions.
- After the declaration, the minor must legally and continuously reside in Italy for at least two years, unless the declaration is filed within one year from birth or from recognition or adoption by an Italian citizen.
- A minor who becomes Italian under this route and also holds another citizenship may renounce Italian citizenship at the age of majority.
- For citizenship litigation, oath and witness testimony are not admitted as evidence except where the law expressly allows them, and the burden of proving the absence of non-acquisition or loss grounds falls on the person seeking recognition.
Work entry, residence, and reacquisition opportunities
Not every useful change in the conversion law is about blocking descent claims. The official summary also points to routes that can matter strategically for applicants and families.
- A foreign descendant of an Italian citizen who lives abroad and is a citizen of a country of historic Italian emigration may enter and stay in Italy for subordinate work outside the usual quota limits, once the eligible states are identified by interministerial decree.
- The residence period required for citizenship by residence for a foreigner whose parent or grandparent is or was an Italian citizen by birth is reduced from three years to two years.
- Certain former citizens who were born in Italy or lived there for at least two continuous years, and who lost citizenship under specific provisions of Law 555/1912, may reacquire it by declaration from 1 July 2025 to 31 December 2027.
What applicants should review now
- Check whether the file concerns a foreign-born applicant who also holds another citizenship.
- Verify whether one of the expressly listed exceptions applies, especially the 27 March 2025 cutoff, the exclusive-Italian-citizenship rule for a parent or grandparent, or the two-year residence rule in Italy.
- Do not ignore the minor-child provisions if the case includes children, recognition, or adoption issues.
- If the administrative descent route weakened after the reform, compare residence, reacquisition, or work-entry planning instead of spending more on the wrong filing logic.