Obtaining Italian citizenship

Citizenship is a rather important connection between a person and the state, in this case it is a two-way connection, because both parties acquire both rights and obligations.

Although obtaining Italian citizenship is not so easy, upon obtaining it, a person receives quite a lot of benefits from having a passport of an Italian citizen.

These include: the right to vote, use of Italy’s diplomatic protection, receiving state pensions, social and welfare payments, the right to live and work in Italy, the right to move freely in Italy, the possibility of automatic transfer of Italian citizenship to children under 18 years of age.

According to Bulgarian legislation, it is possible to become Italian citizens under the following conditions:

• Birth (jure sanguinis)
• Marriage with an Italian citizen
• Naturalization

OBTAIN CITIZENSHIP BY BIRTH

According to Italian legislation, persons born on the territory of Italy, from parents who have Italian citizenship, have the right to have Italian citizenship.

Previously, citizenship could be transferred an unlimited number of times through the male line since the creation of a unified Italy on March 17, 1862. And from the female line, such citizenship could be transferred since 1948. However, the Supreme Court decided that such a provision violates the principles of equality. And then it was decided that women and men should have equal rights, including when recognizing citizenship.

Therefore, children can apply for citizenship:

• In which at least one of the parents has Italian citizenship – obtaining citizenship by place of birth
• who were born on the territory of Italy, if their parents are unknown or stateless – acquire citizenship by the right of the land
• Which were adopted

OBTAIN CITIZENSHIP BASED ON MARRIAGE

Under such circumstances, it is necessary to have proof of joint household and not to be divorced

Thus, citizenship can be granted on the following grounds:

• After the residence of a foreign spouse in Italy for 2 years from the moment of marriage, it can be established that within 1 year, in case of the birth of a child or adoption.
• In the case of living outside Italy and marrying an Italian, live together for 3 years, in the case of joint children – 1.5 years

NATURALIZATION

Obtaining Italian citizenship on the basis of naturalization is possible on the following grounds:

• if you are not a citizen of the EU and have lived in Italy legally for at least 10 years, then you can start the procedure for applying for Italian citizenship. Most often, the reasons for such a stay are: running a business, carrying out entrepreneurial activities, investing, working for an Italian employer, obtaining an Italian education, getting married, requesting asylum and obtaining refugee status, moving to a residence if there is sufficient income and financial security.
• if you are a citizen of an EU country and have lived in Italy for 4 years, then you can also start the procedure for applying for Italian citizenship
• Importantly! The language issue in Italy – according to Italian legislation, in the case of obtaining citizenship through naturalization, there is no need to submit documents about language knowledge. However, in the case of obtaining citizenship on the basis of recognition, including as a speaker of the Italian language and culture, it is necessary to provide documents on knowledge of the language.

Consultation of a migration lawyer on issues of obtaining citizenship

1. Is it necessary to apply for Italian citizenship in person?

The application for citizenship is submitted through the website of the Ministry of the Interior of Italy. Therefore, to submit documents, it is necessary to have a SPID digital identification code.

2. What documents are required to obtain Italian citizenship?

• Birth certificate
• Foreign passport
• Certificate of no criminal record
• Certificate of family composition
• Document on registration at the place of residence in Italy
• Copy of residence permit in Italy
• A copy of the income declaration for the last 3 years
• State duty payment receipt – 250 euros

The general list of documents, however, depending on the reasons for obtaining citizenship, additional documents may be submitted – adoption certificate, marriage certificate, documents confirming family ties, documents confirming the level of Italian language proficiency.

3. What is the deadline for obtaining Italian citizenship

The term of considering the application and obtaining citizenship is no more than 2 years. After receiving a notice of admission to citizenship, a person must take an oath within 180 days

4. The cost of obtaining Italian citizenship will depend on the volume of work that the lawyer will perform.

The service package usually includes the following:

• translation of documents into Bulgarian and its certification by a notary
• consultations and legal services
• help in filling out the application and questionnaire
• assistance in passing the inspection by the security authorities of Italy
• interpreter services if necessary
• help with housing and transport

How to obtain Italian citizenship for a citizen of Ukraine

This is the most relevant question today, to which our migration lawyers know the answer and will provide all possible options.

The selection and search of the necessary documents is a complex process, difficulties may also arise when filling out the forms, and therefore migration lawyers in Italy and Ukraine will check the correctness of all documents, the correctness of their filling before submitting them, advise on what may be missing and where to get those documents which are missing, if necessary, lawyers will make inquiries and demand documents from archives or state institutions.