Italy’s citizenship referendum: over 500,000 signatures gathered in 19 days to reduce the term of residency from 10 to 5 years

Sep 27, 2024

Italy’s citizenship referendum: over 500,000 signatures gathered in 19 days to reduce the term of residency from 10 to 5 years. Italy’s citizenship laws are currently at a crossroads, with a proposed referendum seeking to reform a law that dates back to 1992.

The referendum targeted 500,000 signatures between 6 and 30 September, but the turnout exceeded expectations. In just 19 days, the goal was surpassed, with over 500,000 signatures gathered well before the deadline. The referendum aims to halve the residency requirement from 10 years to 5, which would bring Italy in line with several other EU nations and to allow new citizens to immediately pass on their nationality to their children.

The referendum still needs to be approved by Italy’s Constitutional Court, with a decision expected in early 2025 and a possible public vote in spring 2025. More than 2.5 million people would be the beneficiaries of this reform in the event of approval.

Italy’s 1992 citizenship law primarily operates under jus sanguinis (the right of blood), meaning that citizenship is granted mainly to individuals of Italian descent. For those without Italian lineage, the process to become a citizen involves a requirement of 10 consecutive years of legal residency in Italy.

This reform would bring Italy’s citizenship laws in line with those of other European nations and would facilitate the integration of second-generation immigrants, having a significant impact on immigrant families and their children, many of whom have been raised in Italy but encounter substantial barriers to obtaining citizenship under the current legal framework.

This article was written by Giuditta de Ricco and Maha Irshad

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