Who is eligible to apply for Italian citizenship through declaration of will?
Under specific circumstances, a foreign national or a stateless person can obtain Italian citizenship through a formal declaration of will. In such cases, under article 5 of Law no. 91/92, the Italian citizenship is acquired by means of a decree given by the Minister of Internal Affairs at the request of the interested party, submitted to the mayor of the municipality of residence or to the competent consular authority.
- Scenario A): the applicant is a descendant of one parent or grandparent who was Italian by birth and has performed military service for the Italian army after declaring that he/she wanted to become an Italian citizen; or the applicant has been employed by the Italian State and, during the employment period, has declared their willingness to become an Italian citizen; or the applicant has registered their residency in Italy at least 2 years before turning 18 years old, and has declared their willingness to become an Italian citizen before turning 19 years old.
- Scenario B): the applicant was born in Italy, and has regularly and continuously resided in Italy until the age of 18; and the applicant has declared their willingness to become an Italian citizen before turning 19 years old.
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