GENERAL INFORMATION
APPLICATIONS ARE HANDLED EXCLUSIVELY BY MAIL
To submit an application, you must book a virtual appointment online, creating an account using the online system PRENOT@MI.
Documents must be submitted by certified mail with tracking and without a return receipt.
Provide with the documents A PREPAID COURIER ENVELOPE (ONLY FEDEX, not UPS, not USPS). The prepaid envelope must be WITH A PREPAID LABEL PICK-UP (from the Embassy).
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE RETURNED AND YOU WILL NEED TO SCHEDULE A NEW APPOINTMENT.
If your application can be received, the Citizenship Office will send a fee payment receipt to your email address within two (2) months upon arrival.
Requests for confirmation that your application was received will only be responded to after two (2) months from the shipment date – please attach a screenshot of the tracking information to your request or we will be unable to respond.
The Citizenship Office may request additional documentation in order to determine your eligibility.
This service is provided exclusively on the basis of residence. To check which consulate is the right one to contact, have a look at our consular network.
CONSULAR FEE
Please see ON OUR WEBSITE the current fee for applying for recognition of “Iure Sanguinis” citizenship at the following link (the amount changes every three months): Consular fee for applying for recognition of Italian citizenship “iure sanguinis” – Ambasciata d’Italia a Washington
Provide only a MONEY ORDER or a CASHIER’S CHECK with the EXACT AMOUNT payable to “Embassy of Italy, Washington DC”.
Include your full first, maiden (if you have one), and last name and complete address information and telephone number in the Memo portion of the money order or cashier’s check and your signature (placed in an envelope).
Be aware that the fee is due regardless of the outcome of the processing.
It is non-refundable in the event of a negative outcome.
DOCUMENTATION
CONSULAR FORMS
APPLICATION FORM:
filled out and signed by the applicant in front of a notary public and the notary public’s signature must have an apostille,
FORMS 1, 2, 3, 4:
filled out and signed by the applicant and/or by the ancestor alive (form 3) in front of a notary public and the notary public’s signature must have an apostille,
ONLINE SIGNATURES IN FRONT OF A NOTARY PUBLIC WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
NOTARY PUBLIC AND APOSTILLE MUST BE FROM THE U.S. STATE OF THE APPPLICANT’S CURRENT RESIDENCE.
VITAL RECORDS DOCUMENTS
Documents must be submitted starting from the last relative born in Italy and end with the applicant’s birth certificate.
DO NOT PROVIDE applicant’s Marriage Certificate, Children Applicant’s Birth Certificate and Parents’ Divorce.
In-line relatives’ vital records must be certified originals, long form, legalized by apostille, and accompanied by an Italian translation on plain paper.
Long-form certificates must be requested and are not the standard-issue certificate.
Long-Form Birth Certificates contain parents’ full names and dates and places of birth.
Long-Form Marriage Certificates contain parents’ full names and dates and places of birth and number of previous marriages (or legal status before marriage).
Vital Records Issued by Italian Authorities
(for events which took place in Italy)
In-Line Relatives
- Birth Certificate: Original Extended Certified Copy Issued by the Municipality (Comune), with names of parents
- Marriage Certificate: Original Extended Certified Copy Issued by the Municipality, with names of parents, MARITAL STATUS before marriage, and any annotations of divorces or complete package: Application for License, Marriage License, and Marriage Certificate
- Death Certificate: Original Extended Certified Copy Issued by the Municipality, with names of parents
Vital Records Issued by U.S. Authorities
In-Line Relatives
- Birth Certificate: Issued by the competent Vital Statistics Office of the State/Country where the event took place. It should be a Long-Form or Full-Form Original, with the exact place of birth (not only the county), parent’s full name, date/age and place of birth. Long-form certificates must be requested and are not the standard-issue certificates. Legalized by apostille & translation of document only.
BIRTHS OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE must be presented with the long-form certificate along with an Acknowledgement of Paternity, legalized by apostille and accompanied by an Italian translation on plain paper.
- Marriage Certificate: Issued by the competent Vital Statistics Office of the State/Country where the event took place. It should be a Long-Form or Full-Form Original, with parents’ full names, groom’s and bride’s date/age and place of birth and number of previous marriages (or legal status before marriage). If the marriage certificate does not contain this information, an “Application for License”/“Marriage License” should be added. In most of the U.S. this paper is called “MARRIAGE RECORD”. Legalized by apostille and translation of document only.
- Death Certificate: Long-Form or Full-Form Original legalized by apostille and translation of document only
- Applicants must submit all decrees issued by a court (such as Decree of Change of Name, Decree of Change of Gender, Decree of Adoption, Decree of Divorce, etc.), which must be legalized by apostille and accompanied by a translation into Italian
Vital Records Issued by non-Italian and non-U.S. Authorities
All these documents must comply with the local regulations on the legalization of documents. They must be translated into Italian and the translation certified by the Italian Consulate/Embassy in the country where the documents were issued.
For information on how a document should be legalized in its country of origin, you may visit the website of the competent Italian Consulate/Embassy (a list of all Italian Embassies and Consulates can be found at https://www.esteri.it/en/ministero/struttura/laretediplomatica/).
Divorces
Applicants need not provide their own divorce decrees or certificates of dissolution, only those of their ancestors (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on) if they are a child or descended from a child of a second or subsequent marriage.
Any divorce decree or certificate of dissolution provided must be a certified original, legalized by apostille, and be accompanied by a translation of the document only.
DOCUMENTS ISSUED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES
Please note that before your appointment, any document issued in a country different from Italy or the United States, which is part of your application, must be authenticated, translated, and legalized in the country of origin. Our recommendation is to get in touch with the Italian Consulate or Embassy in the country where the certificate was issued to learn about its specific authentication process.
ATTENTION
The documentation submitted must be complete and correct. Therefore, it is recommended to double-check each document in detail (given names, last names, dates and places of birth).
In case of any discrepancy or mistake, in addition to the incorrect document, the applicant must submit an official amendment thereof issued by the local authority.
An application with incomplete/incorrect documentation will be returned to the applicant.
After that time, in order to re-submit the application, a NEW APPOINTMENT WILL BE REQUIRED.