Dual Citizenship Between Italy and the US: 2026 Realities
Last updated: May 20, 2026
Yes, dual citizenship between Italy and the United States is fully permitted by both governments, but the 2025 Italian reforms have narrowed the descent pathway sharply, and the US tax obligations that come with holding a US passport abroad remain unchanged. This guide walks through the legal mechanics, the tax exposure, and the practical realities of holding both nationalities in 2026.
Last updated: May 20, 2026
Is Dual Citizenship Legal in Both Countries?
Both Italy and the United States permit dual nationality, so an American who acquires Italian citizenship (or vice versa) does not automatically lose the other.
On the US side, the Department of State states explicitly that "U.S. law does not impede its citizens' acquisition of foreign citizenship whether by birth, descent, naturalization or other form of acquisition." There is no oath of renunciation required when becoming Italian, and no notification to USCIS or the State Department.
On the Italian side, Italy has accepted multiple citizenships since the 1992 law (Law 91/1992), which is still the governing statute, although it has been substantially amended by Decree-Law 36/2025 (converted into Law 74/2025, commonly called the Tajani Decree).
One practical rule the US enforces strictly: dual nationals must enter and leave the United States on a US passport. Italians traveling within the Schengen Area should likewise use the Italian passport once issued. Carrying both, and presenting the appropriate one at each border, is standard practice.
The Three Pathways to Italian Citizenship in 2026
There are three main routes for an American to become Italian: descent (jure sanguinis), marriage (jure matrimonii), and naturalization by residence. Each has been affected by recent legislation.
Citizenship by Descent (jure sanguinis)
This was historically the most popular pathway for Americans, and it is now also the most restricted. Under Law 74/2025, the previously unlimited generational chain has been cut: an applicant must have a parent or grandparent who was born in Italy. Great-grandparents and earlier ancestors no longer qualify on their own.
There is one important transitional rule. Applications formally filed, or consular appointments scheduled, by 11:59 PM Rome time on 27 March 2025 continue to be assessed under the pre-reform rules permitting unlimited generational descent. If your file was lodged before that deadline, the old generous standard still applies to your case.
The Italian Constitutional Court ruled on 12 March 2026 that challenges to Decree-Law 36/2025 were "partly unfounded and partly inadmissible," leaving the restrictions fully in force. The Court of Cassation's Joint Sections were scheduled to address remaining interpretive issues after a hearing on 14 April 2026, so some procedural fine points may still evolve.
For a deeper breakdown of the new descent rules and how to assemble a file, see our guide to Italian citizenship by descent.
Citizenship by Marriage (jure matrimonii)
An American married to an Italian citizen can apply after:
- 2 years of marriage if residing in Italy, or
- 3 years of marriage if residing abroad.
These windows are cut in half if the couple has children together (biological or adopted).
Applicants must hold a CEFR B1-level Italian language certificate issued by an accredited body: CILS (University of Siena), CELI (University of Perugia), PLIDA (Dante Alighieri Society), or Roma Tre. Certificates from other providers are not accepted.
The application fee is €250 paid to the Ministry of the Interior, plus a €16 marca da bollo (revenue stamp). Note that Italy's Senate Draft Law DDL S. 1450/2025, which would tighten the marriage pathway further, was still under parliamentary review as of May 2026.
More detail in our walkthrough of Italian citizenship through marriage.
Citizenship by Naturalization
For Americans without Italian ancestry or an Italian spouse, the residence route remains open:
- 10 continuous years of legal residence for non-EU nationals (this is the standard route for Americans).
- 4 years for EU citizens.
- 5 years for stateless persons and refugees.
- 2 years (reduced from 3 under Law 74/2025) for applicants with a parent or grandparent who was an Italian citizen by birth, applying through "concessory naturalisation."
The application fee is €250. Applicants must demonstrate stable income over the past three tax years, with minimums of €8,263.31 (single applicant), €11,362.05 (with a dependent spouse), plus €516.46 per dependent child. The B1 Italian language certificate is also required.
A full breakdown is in our guide to naturalizing as Italian after 10 years.
Document Checklist for US Applicants
Regardless of pathway, US-issued civil documents need to be properly legalized for Italian use. The basic stack:
- Birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates (long-form, certified copies) for every link in the chain you are claiming.
- FBI Identity History Summary (background check), apostilled by the US Department of State in Washington, DC. State-level police checks are not a substitute.
- Hague Apostille on every US document, issued by the Secretary of State of the issuing state (or by the US Department of State for federal documents).
- Certified Italian translation of each document, completed by a translator recognized by the relevant Italian consulate or by a court-sworn translator in Italy.
- Valid US passport and, where applicable, evidence of legal residence in Italy (permesso di soggiorno).
Criminal background checks have a 6-month validity window from issuance, so timing the FBI request, the apostille, and the translation is one of the most common bottlenecks.
Fees and Processing Times at a Glance
Item | Amount (2026) |
|---|---|
Jure sanguinis consular fee (per adult) | €600 |
Jure sanguinis fee at Consulate of Detroit (USD equivalent, through 30 June 2026) | $704 |
Court filing fee for judicial "1948 cases" (per petitioner) | €600 |
Marriage citizenship application fee | €250 + €16 stamp |
Naturalization application fee | €250 |
Minor-child citizenship declaration fee | Abolished as of 1 January 2026 |
Standard processing time (marriage/naturalization) | 24 months |
Maximum processing time under Law 173/2020 | 36 months |
Oath of allegiance deadline after decree | 6 months |
The consular jure sanguinis fee is non-refundable and was set effective 1 January 2025 under the Budget Law. The USD equivalent charged by US consulates is adjusted quarterly to the euro/dollar rate, so the $704 figure cited by the Consulate of Detroit (valid through 30 June 2026) will shift after that date.
Citizenship by marriage or naturalization takes effect the day after the oath of allegiance (giuramento), which must be taken within 6 months of the decree being notified.
Where You Actually File
- Jure sanguinis (descent): in person at the competent Italian consulate covering your US state of residence, by appointment (often through Prenot@Mi), or at the Comune in Italy if you are already resident there. The Ministry of the Interior's ALI Portal does not handle descent applications.
- Marriage and residency: through the ALI Portal of the Ministry of the Interior.
- "1948 cases" (claims through a female ancestor whose child was born before 1 January 1948): these remain restricted to applicants who initiated proceedings in Italian court before 27 March 2025. Italian women could not transmit citizenship to children born before that date under the old Civil Code, which is why a judicial route was created.
Parents of minor children who were under 18 on 24 May 2025 must submit the citizenship declaration by 31 May 2026 to preserve eligibility under the transitional regime. For children born abroad after 24 May 2025, the window to register the birth and claim citizenship has been extended from one year to three years from birth.
US Tax Obligations You Cannot Ignore
The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income, regardless of where they live. Acquiring Italian citizenship does not change this. As long as you hold a US passport, the IRS expects an annual Form 1040 and, where applicable, foreign account disclosures.
Key items dual nationals should plan around:
- Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE): $126,500 for tax year 2026 (verify the current figure with the IRS, as it is indexed annually).
- Foreign Tax Credit: taxes paid in Italy can generally be credited against US tax liability under the US-Italy tax treaty, reducing or eliminating double taxation on the same income.
- FBAR (FinCEN Form 114): required if aggregate foreign account balances exceed $10,000 at any point in the year.
- FATCA (Form 8938): additional reporting thresholds apply for higher balances; Italian banks routinely ask US persons to complete W-9 forms because of FATCA reporting requirements.
- Italian wealth taxes: IVIE (on foreign-held real estate) and IVAFE (on foreign-held financial assets) apply once you are an Italian tax resident.
Italian tax residency generally attaches when you spend more than 183 days a year in Italy or register your residence at a Comune. Tax residency, not citizenship, drives the Italian side of the equation, so a dual citizen living in Florida is not automatically liable for Italian income tax.
Common Pitfalls
- Missing the 27 March 2025 transitional cutoff. Applications not formally lodged or appointment-scheduled by that date fall under the new restrictive rules, even if the underlying ancestry would have qualified under the prior regime.
- FBI check expiry. A six-month validity window is shorter than the time many applicants need to gather apostilles and translations. Order it late in the document-gathering process, not early.
- Translation rejections. Italian consulates and Comuni are inconsistent about which translators they accept. Confirm with the specific consulate or municipality before paying for translations.
- Naming inconsistencies. A great-grandfather's name written three different ways on three different US documents is the single most common reason for jure sanguinis files to stall. Court-ordered name corrections in the US can be required before filing.
- Assuming the US passport can be skipped. Re-entering the US on an Italian passport is not legally permitted for US citizens and will create problems at the border.
- Forgetting AIRE registration. Once recognized as Italian and living abroad, you must register with AIRE (Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all'Estero) through the consulate. AIRE registration affects voting rights, healthcare access on return visits, and certain tax filings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does becoming Italian cost me my US citizenship?
No. The US recognizes dual nationality and the act of naturalizing in Italy does not, by itself, constitute renunciation of US citizenship. Formal renunciation requires a separate, deliberate process before a US consular officer.
Can I still claim Italian citizenship through a great-grandparent?
Generally no, unless your application or consular appointment was filed by 27 March 2025, or you qualify through a specific judicial route that was initiated before that date. The new descent rules limit eligibility to a parent or grandparent born in Italy.
Do I need to speak Italian for jure sanguinis?
No language test is required for descent recognition. The B1 Italian requirement applies to marriage and naturalization applications.
How long does a descent file actually take?
Consular waiting times vary widely by jurisdiction, from roughly 18 months to several years, depending on the consulate's backlog. Filing at a Comune in Italy after establishing residence there is often faster.
Can my children be recognized as Italian after I am?
Minor children of a recognized Italian parent are generally entitled to recognition, subject to the timing rules introduced in 2025, including the 31 May 2026 deadline for parents of children who were under 18 on 24 May 2025.
Do I have to pay Italian taxes if I live in the US?
Italian income tax is driven by Italian tax residency, not citizenship. Living full-time in the US with no Italian residence registration generally means no Italian income tax liability, though you may still owe US tax on any Italian-source income.
Will I lose US Social Security benefits?
No. US Social Security benefits are payable to US citizens living abroad, including in Italy, and a US-Italy totalization agreement coordinates contributions across both systems.
If you're settling in Italy or preparing for consular appointments and oath ceremonies, working Italian into your daily routine pays off fast. Migaku turns Italian TV, news, and YouTube into study material from real native content, which is a practical way to reach the B1 level required for marriage and naturalization applications.