Italian citizenship for my minor daughter born in Germany – does the transitional rule apply?
++ I used AI to write the text in English ++
Hi everyone,
I’m trying to understand how the new Italian citizenship rules apply to my daughter, and I would really appreciate some clarification from people who are familiar with the new law.
I have been an Italian citizen by birth (iure sanguinis) since birth. I also hold Dutch citizenship in addition to my Italian citizenship. My Italian citizenship was not acquired through naturalization, marriage, or under Article 14 of Law No. 91/1992.
My daughter, was born in Germany on August 5, 2020 and currently holds German citizenship. She was still a minor on May 24, 2025.
According to the information published by the Italian consulates, Article 4(1-bis)(b) of Law No. 91/1992 provides a route for minor children of an Italian citizen by birth (iure sanguinis) to acquire Italian citizenship through a formal declaration when citizenship is not automatically transmitted.
However, because my daughter was already born in 2020, I am particularly interested in the transitional provision under Article 1(1-ter) of Decree-Law No. 36/2025. This provision appears to provide a deadline of May 31, 2029 for declarations concerning children who were still minors on May 24, 2025.
So my main question is:
Can my daughter, who was born in 2020 and was still a minor on May 24, 2025, acquire Italian citizenship through this transitional provision by having the required declaration submitted by the parents before May 31, 2029?
Or does the transitional provision only apply to parents whose own iure sanguinis citizenship recognition procedure was already pending / had a qualifying appointment before March 27, 2025?
If the transitional provision does not apply to my daughter, I would really appreciate it if someone could explain which specific provision applies to her situation and what legal route is available for her to acquire Italian citizenship.
I am trying to avoid submitting the documents under the wrong procedure or using the wrong checklist.
I can document that I have been an Italian citizen by birth since birth with documents issued by the Comune, including a Certificato di Cittadinanza Italiana and a Copia conforme dell’Atto di Nascita.
I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation: Italian parent by birth + dual citizenship + child born abroad before May 2025.
Thanks in advance for any help!