Italy’s Highest Court Strengthens Citizenship Claims by Descendants of Italian Emigrants
The ruling restores eligibility for tens of thousands of descendants and sends the new two-generation limit to the European Court of Justice.
- On Sunday, Italy's Supreme Court overturned the 'Minor Issue,' a restrictive interpretation that had blocked citizenship-by-descent for descendants of Italians who emigrated in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- For years, the 'Minor Issue' prevented thousands of families in the Americas from obtaining citizenship if their ancestors naturalized in other countries while their children were still minors.
- The Sezioni Unite, the court's highest panel, ruled that Italian citizenship by bloodline, or 'iure sanguinis,' is an original status that children do not automatically lose when parents naturalize abroad.
- Attorney Monica Restanio, who argued the case, called the ruling transformative, while plaintiff Gustavo Monasterios said he was "deeply relieved and overjoyed" by the decision.
- Whether the Interior Ministry will formally adjust consulate practices remains unclear; separate restrictions on citizenship transmission have been referred to the European Court of Justice, with proceedings expected next year.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Italy court says children keep citizenship despite parent's foreign naturalisation
Italy's highest court ruled that children born Italian do not lose citizenship when a parent later naturalises abroad. The decision revives many ancestry claims and could reshape consular and court handling of pending cases.
Italy's highest court strengthens citizenship claims by descendants of Italian emigrants
Italy's highest court has ruled that children born with both Italian and another citizenship do not automatically lose their Italian citizenship if a parent naturalizes abroad.
Associated Press News
Italy’s highest court strengthens citizenship claims by descendants of Italian emigrants
Italy’s highest court has ruled that children born with both Italian and another citizenship do not automatically lose their Italian citizenship if a parent naturalizes abroad.
The highest court in Italy ruled that children born with Italian citizenship do not automatically lose it when one of their parents subsequently becomes a citizen of another country, a decision that is expected to strengthen applications for citizenship by descent submitted by descendants of Italian migrants around the world.
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