A new law blocks great-grandchildren of Italian citizens — and their descendants — from claiming dual citizenship.
The decision is final: in a sweeping move aimed at reducing the volume of dual citizenship applications, the Italian Parliament has passed a law that effectively ends eligibility for millions of Italian Americans and descendants of Italian citizens worldwide.
Under the new law, only the children or grandchildren of Italian citizens may now apply for dual citizenship to Italy. Great-grandchildren — and all future generations beyond them — are no longer eligible.
The change was first introduced on March 28, 2025, when the Italian government issued an emergency decree known as the “Citizenship Package.” Championed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the measure took immediate effect. On May 20, the Italian Parliament confirmed the law, making the restrictions permanent.
The new law does not affect those who have already acquired dual citizenship or who submitted their applications on or before the March 27 cutoff. Many who have spent years collecting, translating and notarizing documents now find themselves at a dead end.
According to Italy’s Interior Ministry, over 80 million people worldwide are of Italian descent, and more than 60,000 legal cases are pending related to citizenship applications.
Government officials claim the move is necessary to restore order to an overwhelmed system, citing concerns about fraud and improperly submitted documentation, though such issues have been reported in countries like Argentina and Brazil — not the United States.
Those who are now ineligible can only obtain Italian citizenship by moving to Italy and applying through residency, a multi-year process that has become even more difficult due to stricter visa requirements for non-European Union citizens.
“For Italian Americans, the path to dual citizenship is an almost sacred journey,” said Basil Russo, who leads the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO). “It’s a painstaking, years-long and expensive process — a way to reconnect with our roots, with the people and places who built our culture at home and abroad. Closing the door on this process is a regrettable and mistargeted solution to a problem we didn’t create.”
Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), a member organization of COPOMIAO, has partnered with Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center, a Smithsonian institution, on a robust Italian Genealogy Workshop that can be attended either online or in person on Sunday, June 1. The Workshop will offer expert insights and guidance on dual citizenship, as well as a comprehensive suite of genealogical and archival resources.