The Digester

Italy's top court backs 2025 law that restricts citizenship by descent

Mar 14th 2026

Italy’s Constitutional Court signaled it will uphold a controversial 2025 law that limits who can claim citizenship by descent, tightening rules for millions of people with Italian roots and leaving some legal challenges as the remaining path for affected families.

  • The Constitutional Court indicated it will uphold the government's 2025 decree that narrows who can claim Italian citizenship by descent.
  • Under the new rule only people with a parent or grandparent born in Italy who held only Italian citizenship at the relevant time can be recognized as citizens.
  • The court said the constitutional challenges were partially unfounded and partially inadmissible and will publish a full verdict in the coming weeks.
  • The change effectively curtails dual citizenship claims for many in the Italian diaspora and ends longstanding broad application of ius sanguinis.
  • Practical hurdles such as consulate waitlists of up to 10 years, document costs around 300 euros each, and legal fees of tens of thousands remain major barriers.
  • Legal routes left include referrals to the Court of Cassation and possible challenges at EU courts, but constitutional court rulings cannot be appealed.

Articles