ITALIAN PASSPORT

HOW TO OBTAIN AN ITALIAN PASSPORT THROUGH RESIDENCY
Residency is one of the most common ways of obtaining an Italian passport. The procedure is nearly the same for EU and non-EU citizens, as both categories of applicants need to reside in Italy for different periods before applying for citizenship.
Obtaining a residence permit is rather simple in Italy, as the authorities here provide for various visas for non-EU citizens who can relocate to this country for several reasons. The work permit is one of the most sought when it comes to foreign citizens outside the European Union.

With respect to the timeframe in which the Italian passport can be obtained, in the case of EU citizens, these must legally live in Italy for 4 years. In the case of non-EU citizens, the living period is set at 10 years. This process is also known as naturalization.

No matter your country of residence, you can rely on our lawyers if you are interested in immigration to Italy with the purpose of obtaining citizenship.

CITIZENSHIP BY DESCENT IN ITALY
For foreign citizens with Italian origins, it is worth trying to obtain citizenship through their ancestors. However, these must know a few aspects before starting the procedure of acquiring Italy passports.

One can obtain an Italian passport by descent if at least one of the following are/were Italian citizens:

the father or the mother;
the paternal grandfather or the maternal grandfather;
the paternal or maternal great-grandfather.
Also, the foreign citizen must understand how the Italian Immigration Law provides for citizenship by descent and make sure he or she falls into the category of persons who can apply for an Italian passport this way.

Citizenship by descent is an option for citizens born in any country of the world, as long as their bloodline has Italian origins. However, the applicant must obtain all certified copies of official documents that attest to their origin.

The main advantage of securing an Italian passport this way is that it can be obtained without waiting for the 10-year period in the case of non-EU citizens. On the other hand, the procedure is more complex and can take between 3 months and 3 years until all documents are obtained and processed by the authorities.

It should also be noted that there are cases where specific regulations apply and our immigration lawyers in Italy can provide more information on this aspect based on your particular situation.