Renounced Italian Citizenship: Can You Lose Eligibility for Dual Italian Citizenship?

Update (Law 74/2025): As of May 24, 2025, Italy converted Decree-Law 36/2025 into Law 74/2025, which amends Law 91/1992. People born abroad who also hold another citizenship are now presumed not to have acquired Italian citizenship unless they meet narrow exceptions: (1) a parent or grandparent held exclusively Italian citizenship, or (2) a parent lived in Italy for two consecutive years after obtaining citizenship and before the child’s birth (or adoption).

Administrative recognition is now generally limited to parent/grandparent lines. Automatic transmission of citizenship to minors has ended—parents must file a declaration within one year of birth (with a transitional window for children who were minors on May 24, 2025). If the declaration is made after one year, the minor must then reside legally in Italy for two consecutive years to acquire citizenship.

There are many reasons Italian Americans might lose their eligibility for dual citizenship based on an Italian ancestor. Applying for Italian citizenship jure sanguinis, or by the blood, requires proof that your line remained intact and that you qualify under the 2025 framework for people born abroad.

Let’s delve into the reasons that you may or may not be eligible for Italian citizenship if you are descended from someone who was born in Italy.

Reasons You Might Not Be Eligible for Italian Citizenship

Here are the five most common ways a citizenship-by-descent claim can fail:

Reason #1: U.S. Citizenship Naturalization

Your ancestor decided to go through the process of U.S. citizenship naturalization. This was common in the early 1900s and mid-1900s when many Italians immigrated to the U.S. Your ancestors could have given up their Italian citizenship through naturalization when they became a citizen of the U.S. or another country.

If they did, then you may no longer be entitled to Italian citizenship yourself if the naturalization occurred before the birth of the next person in your direct line (breaking the chain). Official naturalization records are key to proving an unbroken lineage.

Even if your lineage looks intact, if you were born outside Italy and had another citizenship at birth, Italy now (under Law 74/2025) presumes you never acquired Italian citizenship—unless you meet one of the two exceptions (parent/grandparent exclusively Italian or your Italian-citizen parent lived in Italy for two straight years before your birth).

Reason #2: Your Ancestor Was a Minor Born in Italy Before Immigrating

Another reason you may not qualify for dual Italian citizenship is if your ancestor was a minor born in Italy before immigrating to the U.S. The laws surrounding the naturalization of Italian-born minors in the U.S. are rather complex. In some cases, children born in Italy were naturalized when their parents were, and they may have given up their claim on Italian citizenship.

However, if your ancestor was born in the U.S. after their parents immigrated and the parents were not yet naturalized at the time of that birth, then your ancestor may qualify for dual citizenship status.

The key issue is timing: if your Italian-born minor ancestor naturalized (either individually or through their parents) before the birth of the next person in your line, this typically breaks the citizenship chain. If naturalization occurred after that birth, the line may remain intact.

Today, recognition is generally limited to parent/grandparent lines for new filings, and people born abroad with another citizenship must satisfy the new exceptions described above.

Reason #3: Your Ancestor Was Female

Before January 1, 1948, any female ancestor born previously could not transfer the right to dual citizenship status to her descendants. However, these “1948 cases” are still pursued via the courts (judicial path), not through administrative recognition. The 2025 law restricts the administrative route mostly to parent/grandparent lines but does not eliminate judicial actions for maternal-line cases.

A recent Constitutional Court ruling (Judgment 142/2025) reaffirmed birthright by descent in principle, but it did not suspend the 2025 law’s current limits. The Court will review the law later in 2025.

Reason #4: Your Ancestor Naturalized in a Different Country

It was not uncommon for Italian immigrants to immigrate to Canada or another country first, and then immigrate to the U.S. later.

If your ancestor was naturalized in another country and then immigrated to the U.S. later, your ability to acquire Italian citizenship might depend on the naturalization laws of the country that were in effect when your ancestor immigrated and—under today’s rules—on whether your lineage sits within the parent/grandparent scope and you meet one of the exceptions to the presumption of non-acquisition for those born abroad.

Reason #5: Your Ancestor Renounced Their Citizenship

What does “renounce citizenship” mean? Under Italian law, it is a formal declaration to give up citizenship made by an eligible adult, who is typically resident abroad and already holding (or acquiring) another citizenship.

This is different from “loss by operation of law” in historical scenarios. Renouncing Italian citizenship requires an explicit, recorded act accepted by the Italian authorities.

If an ancestor renounced citizenship before the birth of the next person in your direct line, the line is generally broken; if it occurred after that birth, the child’s status may remain intact (subject to today’s 2025 rules).

Final check: Does your case still qualify?

• Are you within the parent/grandparent scope for new administrative filings?
• Do you meet an exception to the presumption for those born abroad with another citizenship?
• Did any naturalization or renounced citizenship occur before the next birth in line?
• If you lost or renounced citizenship, do you fit the 2025–2027 reacquisition window?

How Can I Regain My Right to Italian Citizenship?

In 1992, the Italian government passed a new law (Law 91/1992) regarding dual Italian citizenship status. Part of this law allowed descendants the right to Italian citizenship through jure sanguinis. In some cases, this law allowed those that naturalized to reacquire their citizenship status.

Law 74/2025 created a time-limited reacquisition window (July 1, 2025 – December 31, 2027) for reclaiming Italian citizenship. This can be accomplished by declaration (not a one-year residency) for certain former citizens (e.g., born in Italy or with at least two consecutive years of residence in Italy) who lost citizenship under older rules. No one-year residency is required for this special window. The window does not apply to those who renounced or lost citizenship on/after Aug 16, 1992.

For relatives who acquired another citizenship after August 16, 1992, Italian citizenship is generally no longer lost automatically by that act alone (unless there was an express renunciation). For your own recognition today, you’ll still need to meet the 2025 requirements (parent/grandparent lines and the exceptions for those born abroad).

For expert Italian citizenship assistance, please feel free to contact the Italian American Citizenship Assistance Program at (877) 456-1660 today! We offer a FREE 30-minute preliminary telephone consultation and a simple online quiz that will help you determine if you are likely to qualify for the many benefits available to you under Italian law.

FAQs

Did Italian immigrants have to renounce their citizenship?

No. Before 1992, many Italians lost citizenship automatically when they naturalized abroad (and some minors derived that loss). Formal renunciation was a separate, explicit act and was not required in most cases.

How can I find out if someone renounced Italian citizenship?

Request an annotated birth certificate from the person’s Italian comune (look for margin notes), and check with the relevant Italian consulate for any recorded atto di rinuncia. Also, look up U.S. naturalization files (NARA/USCIS) and AIRE/stato civile records.

Can I still qualify for Italian citizenship if my mother or grandmother gave up her Italian citizenship?

It depends on timing. If she renounced before the next birth in your direct line, the line is usually broken; if after, you may still qualify (subject to Law 74/2025 rules on parent/grandparent scope and exceptions for those born abroad).