Italian citizenship by descent from the UK: Eligibility and steps

Many people in the UK have an Italian parent or grandparent and wonder whether they could become Italian citizens too.

The good news? Italian citizenship by descent from the UK still exists, but the 2025 reform narrowed who qualifies and tightened what the consulate asks for.

In this guide, we’ll cover who qualifies for citizenship by descent and which certificates you need. We’ll also explain how to legalise and translate your UK records, and what the process costs.

Here’s how to obtain Italian citizenship by descent in 8 short steps:

We’ll discuss each step in detail later on.

To prove each link from your Italian ancestor down to you, you’ll need records from both Italy and the UK.

Here are the requirements from the London consulate’s list:

The British side comes first, and the consulate wants original, long-form certificates from the General Register Office (GRO). You need your birth certificate and the same records or documents for each person in your line.

Each record then needs a matching apostille, such as an apostille for a birth certificate or an apostille for a UK marriage certificate.

Every British document or record needs an Italian translation, and the consulate requires applicants to use professional translators.

Italian public authorities usually require an oath on the text, so a sworn translator is the safer pick.

You can work with translators to translate your birth certificate and other documents, including the required apostilles.

The stamp the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) adds is an apostille that confirms that the official’s signature on your British record is genuine. Depending on the document, the official could be a registrar, a notary or solicitor.

Italy and the UK are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, so one apostille per document is enough.

Your declaration of value is an official statement from an Italian consulate that describes the Italian equivalent of an educational qualification, such as a degree or diploma.

The consulate’s citizenship list usually doesn’t require one, but you can ask whether your case does. It’s also important to ask whether you need an apostille for the declaration of value.

The Italian citizenship by descent process has 8 steps, from checking your family line to getting your passport.

Let’s discuss each step in detail below:

Confirm whether you qualify for Italian citizenship by descent through an ancestor with only Italian citizenship or through the 2-year residence exception. If you filed before 27 March 2025, the older rules apply.

Write a complete list of everyone in your family tree from your Italian ancestor to you, including their full names and key dates. You can also add any other names they might have used in the past or are using currently.

You should also note the years an ancestor spent in the UK or another country outside Italy. This is required because time spent living abroad can lead to naturalisation. If naturalisation occurred at some point, then your family line might be broken.

Order original, long-form certificates for every applicable British document. You can use GOV.UK to order a copy of a birth, death, or marriage certificate.

Ask the ancestor’s Italian municipality for a birth extract. Then request the negative naturalisation declarations from The National Archives and the Home Office.

Send your original British records to the FCDO for apostilling.

You can do this directly with the FCDO, which takes longer (up to 25 working days), or through an FCDO-registered legalisation company that offers next-day or standard 3- to 4-day service.

To get a document translated and apostilled, you’ll need to hire a sworn translator.

Usually, the Italian authority requires a local translation of the apostilled documents into Italian, so you must get the full document itself and the apostille page translated.

Create a free Prenot@Mi account, which is the online booking system the London consulate uses for citizenship procedures and other applications.

Once it’s active, watch for new slots every Monday and Wednesday at 17:00 UK time.

Use the system to book your appointment for Italian citizenship by descent in the UK. You must confirm 10 days before the appointment date or the system cancels it.

Bring your original records, valid passport, and proof of address, along with the application form, which you sign on the day. Pay the €600 consulate fee in pounds by British debit card.

The consulate keeps your original application form, which becomes part of your official permanent administrative file.

The fee is non-refundable whether the consulate approves or rejects your application.

Once the consulate recognises your citizenship, follow its instructions and book an appointment to apply for an Italian passport by descent from the UK.

The cost of Italian citizenship by descent increases with each legalised record you have to submit. The processing timeline also increases with the number of documents.

Here’s what to budget for and when each stage goes through:

Standard apostille certificate orders take 4 days to process after you apply, while direct FCDO requests take up to 25 working days.

If you use an FCDO-registered document legalisation firm, you can get your documents apostilled the next business day with the express or next-working-day service.

The consulate doesn’t publish a fixed review time, so you’ll want to apply for the appointment as early as possible.

Allow enough lead time for your UK records. To do this, you can work with a legalisation company to help you choose the best route and reduce processing time.

At London Apostille Services Ltd, we’re a GOV.UK-listed next-day provider and an FCDO-registered business. We can help you legalise all your UK documents for Italian citizenship.

Here’s what we do for your Italian application:

Book your free discovery session to plan the best legalisation route for your documents.

Here are answers to common questions that UK applicants ask about Italian citizenship by descent: