Right of blood, not soil
Italian citizenship transmits through ancestry — not through where you were born. If your line is unbroken, the law already considers you Italian.
Jure Sanguinis
The right of blood — Italian citizenship through ancestry.
If your line of descent from an Italian-born ancestor is unbroken, Italian law may already recognize you as a citizen — regardless of where you were born or how many generations have passed.
1861
Year Italy was unified — the earliest qualifying ancestor
1948
The pivotal year for maternal-line claims
Free assessment
No cost to check your eligibility
Principles
How jure sanguinis actually works.
No generational cutoff
There is no hard limit on how many generations back you can claim. What matters is that the chain is uninterrupted and properly documented.
The 1948 rule
Until 1948, only men could transmit citizenship. The Constitutional shift opened the maternal line — but only through Italian courts.
Two pathways
Pick the route that matches your line.
Paternal line
Through the consulate
Father → grandfather → great-grandfather. The traditional pathway when the line is uninterrupted and male through 1948.
Read about the paternal lineMaternal line · 1948
Through the courts of Rome
When a female ancestor transmitted before 1948, only the Tribunale Ordinario di Roma can recognize the claim.
Read about 1948 casesHow it works
From ancestry to recognition.
01
Identify your ancestor
The earliest Italian-born person in your direct line.
02
Verify the chain
Birth, marriage, death and naturalization records linking each generation.
03
Choose the right path
Consular for paternal lines after 1948 — judicial for everything else.
04
Recognition
Either the consulate or the Tribunale di Roma issues the recognition.
FAQ
Common questions.
Ready?
Find out if your line qualifies.
Three minutes, free, no obligation. A jure sanguinis specialist will reach out within 24 hours.
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