The Italian government tightened citizenship rules last week amid a growing influx of applications from the descendants of emigrants. The updated rules are intended to crack down on ‘abusers’ who become citizens in order to overcome travel restrictions.
“Being an Italian citizen is a serious thing. It’s not a game to get a passport in your pocket to go shopping in Miami,
reports quoted Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani as saying during a press conference.
The eligibility criteria was updated on Friday to limit visa applications to individuals with Italian parents or grandparents. The decree was announced with immediate effect and removes a provision that had previously allowed everyone to seek citizenship if they could locate an Italian ancestor who was alive after the country was formed in 1861. The change will not affect around 60,000 applications that are currently under review.
The changes announced last week will also put dual citizens at risk of losing their Italian identity if they did not ‘engage’ by paying taxes, voting or renewing their passports. Italian consulates in other countries will also stop processing citizenship applications.
Estimates shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation suggest there are around 60 to 80 million people worldwide who would have been eligible for citizenship under the old rules. The number incidentally is higher than the current population of Italy which is around 59 million. The country has also seen a growing number of people seeking citizenship in recent years — recording a 40% rise in citizens residing abroad over the past 10 years.
“Countries with the highest rates of Italian emigration have, in fact, seen a significant increase in citizenship recognitions in recent years. From the end of 2014 to the end of 2024, the number of citizens residing abroad increased from around 4.6 million to 6.4 million, a 40% rise in 10 years. There are over 60,000 ongoing legal proceedings for the determination of citizenship,” read an excerpt from a Foreign Ministry press note.