Italy

Explore key events that affect citizenship by descent

2024

Italy Changes Rules About Minor Children

Italy's Ministry of Interior issued binding instructions (Circolare n. 43347/2024) that require consulates, municipalities (comuni), and prefectures to reject citizenship applications where an Italian ancestor voluntarily naturalized in another country while their child was a minor. This administrative directive, based on Court of Cassation decisions no. 17161/2023 and 454/2024, applies to cases where the ancestor acquired foreign citizenship while their child was under the age of majority (21 before 1975, 18 after). As an administrative act, these instructions are binding on administrative bodies but do not bind Italian courts, which maintain their judicial autonomy in interpreting the law.

1992

Italy Allows Dual Citizenship

Italy modernized its citizenship laws by officially recognizing dual citizenship. This major reform aligned Italy with growing international trends and acknowledged the reality of an increasingly globalized world. The change particularly affected the millions of people of Italian descent living abroad.

1983

Italy Updates Foreign Adoption Rules

Italy created comprehensive rules for international adoptions, aligning with growing global standards for protecting children's rights. This law established clear procedures for Italian families adopting children from other countries and ensured these adoptions would be fully recognized under Italian law.

adoption

1983

Italy Changes Marriage Rules

Italy reformed its marriage laws to make citizenship rights more equal between men and women. This change ended the automatic granting of Italian citizenship to foreign women who married Italian men, requiring them instead to apply for citizenship like other foreigners.

marriagegender

1975

Italy Fixes Border with Yugoslavia

The Treaty of Osimo permanently settled the border dispute between Italy and Yugoslavia. This final agreement resolved the status of territories that had been contested since World War II, particularly around Trieste. It was a crucial step in normalizing relations between the two countries.

colonialism

1967

Italy Creates Special Adoption Rules

Italy passed Law No. 431 which introduced 'special adoption' (adozione speciale), a new form of adoption that created stronger legal bonds between adoptive parents and children. The law also explicitly granted Italian citizenship to foreign minors adopted by Italian couples.

adoption

1960

Somalia Becomes Independent

After ten years of UN-mandated Italian administration, Somalia gained its independence. This marked the end of Italy's last formal administrative role in Africa. The transition had been planned since the UN mandate began in 1950.

colonialism

1954

Italy and Yugoslavia Split Trieste

The Free Territory of Trieste, created after World War II, was divided between Italy and Yugoslavia. Zone A, including the city of Trieste, went to Italy, while Zone B went to Yugoslavia. This solved one of the last major territorial disputes from World War II in Europe.

colonialism

1950

UN Puts Italy in Charge of Somalia

In an unusual arrangement, the United Nations appointed Italy as the trustee of Somalia for a 10-year period. This was part of the UN's post-war decolonization process, where Italy, despite losing its colonies, was given temporary administrative control to help Somalia transition to independence.

colonialism

1948

Italy Gives Women Equal Rights

Italy's new post-war constitution established equal rights between men and women. This revolutionary change meant that Italian women could now pass citizenship to their children, just like men could. This was part of Italy's broader democratic reforms after World War II.

gender

1947

Venezia Giulia Residents Must Pick a Country

The Paris Peace Treaty gave residents of Venezia Giulia a critical choice about their future. This region, which had been a cultural crossroads of Italian, Slavic, and German influences, was divided between Italy and Yugoslavia. Residents had to formally declare which citizenship they wanted to keep.

colonialism

1947

Italy Loses Land After War

After World War II, the Paris Peace Treaty redrew Italy's borders with Yugoslavia. Italy had to give up significant territories in the east, including parts of Venezia Giulia and Istria. This major territorial change affected thousands of ethnic Italians who had lived in these regions for generations.

colonialism

1947

Italy Gives Islands to Greece

Under the Paris Peace Treaty, Italy surrendered the Dodecanese Islands to Greece. These Mediterranean islands, including Rhodes and Kos, had been Italian since 1912. The transfer reflected the post-war effort to align national borders with the cultural and linguistic identity of local populations, as most residents were ethnically Greek.

colonialism

1947

Italy Gives Up Ethiopia

As part of the Paris Peace Treaty after World War II, Italy formally renounced all claims to Ethiopia. This marked the official end of Italy's East African empire and recognized Ethiopia's complete sovereignty. The treaty required Italy to acknowledge Ethiopia's independence and give up all special privileges in the region.

colonialism

1941

Britain Takes Ethiopia from Italy

British and Ethiopian forces defeated Italy in East Africa, ending Italy's brief colonial rule. Emperor Haile Selassie returned from exile to reclaim his throne, while the British military took temporary control to restore order. This marked a major turning point in Italy's colonial ambitions.

1940

War Changes Italy's Eastern Border

When Italy entered World War II, it dramatically affected the country's eastern regions near Yugoslavia. The areas of Istria, Fiume (now called Rijeka), and Dalmatia became contested territories as war broke out, forcing many residents to make difficult choices about where their loyalties lay.

colonialism

1936

Italy Invades Ethiopia

Italy invaded Ethiopia, making it part of Italian East Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana). This was Mussolini's attempt to build a new Roman Empire in Africa. The occupation lasted only five years but introduced complex rules about who could be Italian, including racial laws that created different levels of citizenship rights.

colonialism

1927

Italy Makes Special Rules for Libya

During its colonial rule of Libya, Italy created a unique form of citizenship called 'Italian Libyan citizenship.' This special status was different from regular Italian citizenship and applied specifically to people in Italy's North African colony. The rules were part of Italy's broader colonial system, which treated colonial subjects differently from mainland Italian citizens.

colonialism

1920

Italy Adds New Regions from Austria

After winning World War I, Italy gained significant new territories from the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye gave Italy the South Tyrol (Alto Adige) region, where most people spoke German, and Trentino, where Italian was common. This was Italy's biggest territorial expansion since unification.

colonialism

1912

Italy Creates Its First Citizenship Laws

For the first time since unification, Italy established clear rules about citizenship. This groundbreaking law created a formal system for how Italian nationality would work, replacing the patchwork of regional rules that had existed before. It was particularly important because it defined how citizenship could be passed down through generations and what happened when Italians moved abroad.

1911

Italy Invades Libya

Italy invaded and took control of Libya from the Ottoman Empire, establishing its first major colony in North Africa. This began a period of Italian colonial rule that would last until 1947.

colonialism

1861

Italian Unification

Before 1861, the Italian peninsula was a patchwork of independent kingdoms, duchies, and papal states. The Risorgimento ('resurgence') movement changed everything when Giuseppe Garibaldi led his famous 'Thousand' volunteers to unite the south with the north. Working with the diplomatic Count Cavour and King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia-Piedmont, they transformed these separate states into the modern nation of Italy. While most of unification was complete in 1861, Rome would join the new kingdom in 1870.

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