In the official press release of the Council of Ministers No. 121, dated March 28, 2025, significant future amendments included in a draft law (DDL) on Italian citizenship have been announced. These proposed changes may introduce, in the future, crucial limitations on the acquisition of Italian citizenship, particularly for foreign nationals married to Italian citizens.
The proposed amendments seek to limit the acquisition of citizenship by marriage to spouses of Italian nationals who are residents within Italy, thereby excluding those living abroad from eligibility under this pathway.
Under the current legal framework, foreign spouses can apply for citizenship after three years of residence abroad, or after 18 months if children are involved.
If the spouses are resident in Italy, the foreign spouse can apply after 2 years of continuous residency in Italy, after the marriage. The term is reduced to 1 year in presence of children, also adopted.
However, the new proposal of law is aimed to revise current provisions and, if approved, will grant citizenship exclusively to spouses residing within Italy.
Given the ongoing discussions around potential changes to the Italian citizenship law, those considering applying for citizenship through marriage may wish to move forward in a timely manner.
This article was written by Giuditta De Ricco and Irene Lauretta.
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