Italian Citizenship by Descent from the UK (2025): Practical Guide
A clear, non-legal overview of Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) and Italian dual citizenship for people living in the United Kingdom: who can qualify, how the process works via the Italian consulates in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, what documents you usually need and how to avoid wasting time and money.
Quick summary — Italian citizenship by descent from the UK
1) Check if the line roughly works Map your family line to an Italian-born ancestor and check basic rules on naturalisation and maternal lines before paying for certificates.
2) Collect the right documents in the right order Start with certificates that prove the direct line; only then move on to extras like police checks, translations and apostilles.
3) Expect a long process, not a quick hack Timelines are measured in months or years, so a tidy file and realistic expectations are more valuable than one “magic” document.
Does this sound like you?
If you recognise yourself in at least one of these, you’re not alone:
- You’ve read ten different posts about Italian citizenship by descent and they all say something slightly different.
- You’re scared of ordering the wrong UK certificates, translations or apostilles and wasting hundreds of pounds.
- You keep putting things off because you don’t know if you’re “doing it right” or if you even qualify.
1. What Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) means
“Italian citizenship by descent” – also called jure sanguinis – is based on the idea that Italian citizenship passes down through the blood line from parent to child. When you apply, you are not asking for a “new” citizenship but asking Italy to recognise that, on paper, you have always been Italian through your ancestry.
In practice, you try to show an uninterrupted line from you back to an Italian ancestor using birth, marriage and (sometimes) death certificates. Authorities look at when and where that ancestor was born, whether they became a citizen of another country, and whether that naturalisation happened before or after the birth of the next person in the line.
There is no simple “maximum number of generations” written in the law. What really matters is the chain, the dates and the consistency of data across all documents.
2. Requirements for Italian citizenship by descent (simplified)
Only the Italian authorities can give you a definitive answer, but most jure sanguinis routes involve checks like:
- Is there at least one Italian-born ancestor (grandparent, great-grandparent etc.) in your direct line?
- Was that ancestor still an Italian citizen after the birth of their child in your line (for example, did they naturalise as British only later)?
- Can you document the direct line from that ancestor down to you with official certificates of birth, marriage and – where applicable – death?
- Are there any naturalisations in the line, and did they happen before or after key births?
- Is the line maternal, and do the relevant dates fall within the rules that allow transmission through women?
This summary is only for orientation. If your situation is unusual or you’re unsure about naturalisation dates and maternal lines, treat this page as a starting point and not a legal opinion.
3. How to apply for Italian citizenship by descent from the UK (London, Manchester, Edinburgh)
Every consulate and every family story is different, but most people living in the UK follow some version of these steps:
- Map your family line: write down each person from you back to the Italian ancestor, with approximate dates and places of birth, marriage and naturalisation.
- Check basic eligibility using official consulate information and, if needed, professional advice – especially where there are naturalisations or maternal lines.
- Request Italian documents: usually starting from the Italian comune where the ancestor was born or where events were recorded.
- Request UK documents: long-form birth and marriage certificates for events that happened in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, using the correct formats.
- Plan translations and apostilles: understand which documents need to be translated into Italian and which need apostilles for use in Italy.
- Follow the consulate’s procedure: each consulate (London, Manchester, Edinburgh) explains how to submit your jure sanguinis application. Some steps may be online, others by post or in person.
- Prepare for waiting times and follow-ups: once you submit, expect months (sometimes more) of processing, possible requests for extra documents and back-and-forth with offices.
Official consulate pages change frequently. Always treat screenshots and old PDFs as historical examples and double-check the live website before acting.
4. Documents checklist for Italian citizenship by descent (Italy + UK)
You will build your own checklist based on your family line and the consulate’s requirements. As a rough idea, many applications include some mix of the following:
Documents from Italy
- Birth certificate of the Italian ancestor, issued by the Italian comune of birth.
- Marriage certificate of the Italian ancestor, where applicable.
- Certificates or records from the comune relating to residence or family status, if asked for by the consulate.
- Certificates of birth, marriage and death for later generations that took place in Italy.
Documents from the UK and other countries
- Full (long-form) UK birth and marriage certificates for the people in the line who were born or married in the UK.
- Evidence of foreign naturalisation (for example British naturalisation certificates or Home Office records), with clear dates.
- Criminal record certificates or police checks, if required as part of the process.
- Certified translations into Italian where requested, and apostilles on foreign documents that need to be legally valid in Italy.
The goal is not just to collect random documents, but to have the right ones, in the right format, with names and dates that make sense together. Small discrepancies can sometimes be explained, but it is better to discover them early rather than at the consulate counter.
5. How long does Italian citizenship by descent take from the UK?
There is no single guaranteed timeline. People online will mention one or two years; others will talk about much longer waits. The reality is that timeframes depend on your consulate (London, Manchester or Edinburgh), the comune in Italy and the complexity of your family history.
In very rough terms, you can expect months just to collect and legalise documents, plus many more months – sometimes years – of waiting once your file is with the authorities. This is exactly why it is worth getting your documents right the first time and avoiding preventable delays.
Anyone who promises a specific recognition date is over-selling. A more honest promise is: a clearer file, fewer obvious mistakes and more realistic expectations.
6. How Resinaro can help with Italian citizenship by descent from the UK
Resinaro exists for people in the UK who are stuck between Italian rules and British paperwork. We don’t decide who qualifies and we don’t replace lawyers or the consulate, but we can make the administrative side much less painful.
£35 · written guide – Italian citizenship by descent from the UK
If you’re still at the research stage, the written guide is usually the safest starting point:
- It explains jure sanguinis, Italian dual citizenship and common myths in practical language.
- It walks you through the typical path for someone applying from the UK via the Italian consulates.
- You get a printable checklist and an example folder structure to keep everything organised.
- You also get email templates (in English and Italian) you can adapt when writing to comunes or consulates.
£170 · 1:1 support – personalised document & plan check
If you already know you want to move forward and don’t want to build the whole path alone, the 1:1 package is more appropriate:
- We ask you to complete a short online intake form and upload the certificates you already have.
- We review them at a practical level and flag obvious issues (missing links in the line, unclear naturalisation dates, risky document formats).
- We prepare a personalised, step-by-step plan with a realistic order of actions and a sense of where you might hit delays.
- We propose a simple digital folder structure, rename files and show you how to keep things tidy as you add new documents.
- We go through everything in a live video call where you can ask questions in English or Italian.
- After the call, you receive a written summary and a short window for follow-up clarifications by message or email.
Only Italian authorities can grant or refuse citizenship. Our role is to help you approach them with a file that makes sense on the first try.
£35 guide or £170 1:1? Start here.
1) Tell us who you are. 2) Pick guide or 1:1. 3) Pay securely with Stripe below.
7. FAQ: Italian dual citizenship by descent
Can I get Italian dual citizenship by descent if I was born in the UK?
Yes, many people who were born in the UK qualify for Italian citizenship by descent, as long as there is an Italian ancestor in the direct line and the legal conditions are met. This often results in dual citizenship (British and Italian). Whether your specific line works is something only the authorities can confirm, but you can usually get a good sense by looking at documents and naturalisation dates.
Do I have to give up my British passport to get Italian citizenship by descent?
In most standard cases, no: Italy and the UK both allow dual citizenship. However, rules can interact differently if you have other nationalities or special circumstances, so you should always double-check using official sources or professional advice.
Does my mother’s line count for Italian citizenship by descent?
In many situations, yes – citizenship can pass through the maternal line as well as the paternal one. However, for older generations there are date-based rules on when transmission through women is recognised. This is a classic area where it’s worth checking details carefully with official sources.
Can I apply in Italy instead of through the UK consulate?
Some people choose to establish residency in Italy and apply via the local comune rather than their consulate abroad. This route has its own requirements, timeframes and practical difficulties. If you live stably in the UK and cannot spend long periods in Italy, the consulate route is usually the realistic path.