One of the first questions people ask themselves when they discover that they are eligible to apply for Italian citizenship by descent is: how long does it take to get citizenship? or will I receive a passport on the same day I submit my citizenship application? 

In order to answer these questions this article will analyze the three potential pathways one may pursue to obtain Italian citizenship by descent, i.e. applying at an Italian consulate, a municipality or a court in Italy. However, prior to outlining the application process and the waiting time to be granted citizenship it is important to note that regardless of where you will be applying, you will need to provide the Italian authority with certified copies of your family’s vital records. These comprise birth, marriage, divorce (if applicable) and death certificates, and proof of naturalization or non-naturalization pertaining to the ancestor who was born in Italy and who emigrated to the United States. 

Preparing your citizenship kit 

The waiting time to retrieve all the necessary vital records to apply is dependent on the specific offices which are responsible for issuing the records. It can take up to 8 weeks for some departments of health, for instance, to provide applicants with certified copies of vital records. Sometimes records can also be retrieved from the town, the county or the archives (especially if the vital record is old) where the vital event was registered, and the processing time to be issued the records varies from 1 to 12 weeks approximately. In some cases, you may apply for the vital records in person, however, this depends on whether the office of vital statistics allows walk-in services. It is also worth pointing out that some offices may be able to provide expedite waiting times; this is the case for orders processed by VitalCheck, for instance, a company which has direct connection to hundreds of government agencies across the U.S., and which can facilitate and accelerate the process of obtaining a record. 

Once all the records have been retrieved, they will need to be assessed in order to make sure that there are no discrepancies on them. If amendments need to be made these will take up to a couple of weeks to be processed depending on the specific amendment office to which you apply. If there are no inconsistencies on the vital records, you can proceed with authenticating them with an Apostille seal and translating them into Italian. Apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State and they generally take a few weeks to be issued, however, this depends on the specific state to which you apply. If the vital records you collected for your application were issued by a foreign country, you will need to make sure that they comply with the obligations provided for by law in relation to legalization. 

Finally, all of the records you collect will need to be translated into Italian. In particular, the translation of the documents issued by a country outside of the U.S. will need to be certified by the Italian consulate in that country prior to being submitted to the Italian consulate in the United States. Nonetheless, there are some consulates in the U.S., such as the one under the Embassy in Washington DC, for instance, which at the time of writing this article requires applicants to submit their vital records to their office in order for the translations of the records to be certified. 

It is worth pointing out that if you are applying for Italian citizenship at a municipality in Italy or if you are applying via a court case, the translations of the records will need to be certified in court. This process generally takes 1 to 2 weeks. If you would like to learn more about the documents needed to apply for Italian citizenship by descent click here.  

How long does it take to be granted citizenship by an Italian consulate? 

Once you collect all of the necessary documents you can book an appointment for the recognition of Italian citizenship jure sanguinis by creating an account on the consulate’s online booking system called Prenot@mi. Italian consulates in the U.S have different waiting times, however, generally speaking, you should be able to secure an appointment in a couple of months. In particular, you will need to apply for citizenship at the Italian consulate that covers the jurisdiction where you reside. By law, consulates have up to 24 months to process an application, however, it could take less depending on the consulate’s workload. With regard to this, Italian consulates in the U.S. tend to have longer waiting times compared to consulates outside of the U.S. due to the large number of applications they receive. Arguably, in recent years, this has been exacerbated by the health emergency, which has resulted in many consulates introducing new ways to process applications. In fact, some consulates have started to process citizenship applications via mail.

Finally, it is worth pointing out that if a consulate exceeds the processing time it is allowed by law, there are legal actions that can be pursued. For more information about applying for Italian citizenship via a consulate click here. 

How long does it take to be granted citizenship by a municipality in Italy? 

Filing an application in Italy can be a way to avoid the consulate’s long waiting times. In fact, applying via a municipality in Italy is generally faster. In order to apply in Italy you will need to establish residency in the municipality where you intend to submit your application. Once your residency status has been confirmed (the local police has up to 45 days to verify your address), you will be able to file your application at the citizenship office in the municipality’s town hall. Generally speaking, it can take the municipality a few months to process your application although this depends on the municipality to which you apply and on their workload. It is worth pointing out that while you wait for your application to be assessed you will be issued a residency permit (permesso di soggiorno in attesa di cittadinanza) which allows you to stay in Italy throughout the application process. 

How long does it take to be granted citizenship by a court in Italy? 

If you have a 1948 case you will need to apply for Italian citizenship via a court in Italy. Please bear in mind that as of June 22, 2022 all court cases can be filed at the court that covers the jurisdiction of the applicant’s ancestor’s municipality of birth. As explained above, in order to apply you will need to retrieve all of your family’s vital records, authenticate them with Apostille and certify the translations. Once your application is complete, the attorney representing you will file the lawsuit and a judge will be assigned to your case. The waiting time to be scheduled a hearing largely depends on the judge’s availability - on average it ranges from a few months to 18 months. On the day of the hearing the judge will examine all your vital records and if no additional documents are required the judge will decide whether to grant or deny your claim to Italian citizenship. Generally, the decision is made on the same day or within a few weeks from that day. Once the court officially recognizes you as an Italian citizen the attorney representing you will need to wait 60 days for the judge’s decision to become final and thus no longer subject to appeal. Once that period of time has elapsed, the attorney will request a certified copy of the final judgment and this will be sent to the municipality where you ancestor was born, as well as to the Italian consulate that covers the jurisdiction where you reside. The final judgment will be registered together with your vital records and you will also be registered with the A.I.R.E., the Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad. This process normally takes a few weeks to a couple of months to be completed, and once you are registered with the A.I.R.E. you will be able to apply for a passport. 

How long does it take to get an Italian passport? 

Regardless of where you file your application, once you are recognized as an Italian citizen you will need to allow the time for the municipality to register your vital records and to register you with the A.I.R.E. If you reside abroad and you are applying at an Italian consulate, you will receive a passport within 1 to 6 weeks from the date of your application. On the other hand, if you reside in Italy you need to apply at the local Questura (police headquarters) and the waiting time there might be slightly shorter. 

In conclusion, if you are interested in applying for citizenship and you would like to learn more about the processing time to be recognized as an Italian citizen, do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. We will be happy to help you.