A DECREE brought in overnight is making it harder for Brits to get a passport to a popular European country.
On March 27, the Italian government introduced a decree overnight that makes it harder for Brits to claim and get a passport.
Known as Decree Law No.36/2025, getting Italian citizenship is now limited to only those who have a parent or grandparent born in .
Additionally, the decree requires at least one parent to have resided in for at least two years before the applicant's birth.
This ‘generational limit' means that any descendant born beyond the second generation, will no longer automatically qualify for citizenship.
For example, if you have a great grandparent who is Italian, this no longer entitles you to automatic Italian citizenship.
In addition, to qualify for citizenship and consequently gain an Italian passport, at least one parent must have resided in Italy for at least two years before the applicant's birth, or have been born in Italy themselves.
A grandparent must have been born in Italy for an applicant to be eligible for citizenship.
The new rules came into force overnight on March 27 and for any applications submitted by that date, they will be considered under the old regulations.
Rules previous to March 27, 2025, meant that any individual with an Italian ancestor who was born in Italy after March 17, 1861 would be granted Italian citizenship by descent.
The process to prove Italian descent to seek citizenship is known for being lengthy and at times, expensive.
The Italian government has said that the change is due to the amount of applicants from descendants of emigrants who only wanted an Italian passport – which would allow them to enter more countries without a visa than of almost any other nationality – and had no actual intention of ever living in Italy.
One applicant, Lawrence Nardi, who has lived in his whole life, was planning to travel to with his wife, to officially recognise his Italian citizenship through his paternal great-grandfather, Leonardo.
The couple were planning on moving to the country full-time, but due to the change in rules, this is no longer doable.
He said: “Now that the citizenship option is closed, we’re exploring an elective residency visa instead but there’s no guarantee we’ll get one.
“It’s frustrating that I can’t have a passport; I’m proud of my
ancestor.”
Lawrence had collected all the documents he needed to prove his line of descent, and he had even had them translated.
Lawrence is not the only Brit to be caught out by the decree.
Aaron Lubrani, aged 65 and from , bought two apartments in Porto Santo Stefano in 2021, after tracing ancestors on the Isola del Giglio, off the coast of
He was not worried about the the 90-day rule, where British nationals can only remain for a maximum of in Italy, because he knew he could claim citizenship by descent.
However, Aaron can no longer take this route.
He asaid: “To say I’m devastated is an understatement, it’s like the government has arbitrarily legislated away my heritage.
“Yes, the system is overwhelmed but they’ve taken a sledgehammer rather than a scalpel to address it.”
Others agree with the change, including an Italian-American student, living in
Amanda commented that she believes the changes will help to “preserve the integrity of Italian citizenship and reflect a thoughtful, modern approach”.
The latest census shows that approximately 26,000 Brits are living in Italy and according to Italian estate agency, Great Estate, there has been a 28 per cent year-on-year increase in Brits looking to purchase property in Tuscany and
Italy's now has 60 days to approve the decree.
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