Who can Acquire the Italian Citizenship?

Italian citizenship can be automatically acquired:
* By filiation (birth to an Italian parent); this is consistent with the principle of jus sanguinis.
* By birth on Italian territory to stateless parents or to unknown parents or to parents who cannot transmit their nationality; this is partially consistent with the principle of jus soli.
* By paternal/maternal acknowledgment or legitimation.

Through special application:
* For those of Italian origin up to the second degree, the applicant must have served in the Italian military or civil service or have resided for two years in Italy after reaching the age of majority.[1]
* If Italian-born, the applicant must have resided in Italy continuously from birth to adulthood.

Through marriage:
* Foreign women who married an Italian citizen before April 27, 1983, were automatically granted Italian citizenship, while foreign men who married Italian women weren't granted this privilege, and neither their children were granted Italian citizenship if born before January 1, 1948.
* After six months legal residence in Italy, the spouse of an Italian citizen can acquire Italian citizenship through naturalization; that was before August 8, 2009. Now, it has been extended to two years or after three years of marriage (if overseas), those periods are reduced respectively to one year and one and a half year if the couple has a child (natural or adopted) provided a lack of criminal record and lack of national security concerns.

Through naturalization:
* After 10 years of legal residence, absence of criminal record, and sufficient financial resources, a foreigner may naturalise (three years for former Italian citizens up to the second degree and for aliens born on Italian territory, four years for nationals of EU member states, five years for refugees or stateless persons and seven years for the adoptee of an Italian national.)