CARLA GUANAIS · ITÁLIA

Italian citizenship by descent: documents in the right order

Sworn translation and document organisation for recognition of citizenship jure sanguinis — at the comune, at the consulate or through the courts.

Who handles your file

Not every translation carries legal weight in Italy. A sworn translation (traduzione giurata or asseverata) only exists when a qualified translator takes legal responsibility for the text and swears it before the competent authority.

Tribunale di Roma — listed in the register of technical and specialised professionals.
Italian Chamber of Commerce — officially registered in the ruolo periti ed esperti.
15 years living in Italy, inside the system that issues and receives these documents.
Over 50,000 documents translated in Portuguese, Italian, English and Spanish.

In practice: the document I sign enters the Italian system directly, with no need for additional consular validation.

The rules changed — check before you spend

Italian legislation was amended in 2025 and the scope of recognition by descent is now narrower than it used to be. Many people are still gathering documents based on outdated forum posts.

Before paying for certificates, apostilles and translations, confirm that your case falls within the current rules. It is the cheapest step in the whole process and the one that saves the most.

The documents you will need

Full-text civil certificates — birth, marriage and death for the entire line of descent.
Rectifications, where names, dates or spellings differ between documents.
Certificate of non-naturalisation of the Italian ancestor.
Hague Apostille on each foreign document, before translation.
Sworn translation of the complete file.

Spelling discrepancies between generations are the number one cause of requests for further evidence at the comune.

How we work

Line review — I analyse the certificates you already have and identify what is missing, what must be rectified and what must be apostilled.
Checklist in order — rectify, issue, apostille, translate, file.
Sworn translation of the file, with consistent terminology across every certificate.
Delivery as a signed PDF and hard copy, ready for the comune, the consulate or the court.

Frequently asked questions

What do you need to get started?
A short description of your goal, the receiving authority, and legible copies of the documents you already have.

Do you work with clients outside Italy?
Yes. Everything is handled remotely, by WhatsApp and email, with hard copies posted when required.

How long does it take?
It depends on volume and on the receiving authority. The deadline is stated in the quote, before any work begins.

Related services

The three routes to Italian citizenship

These are different procedures with different paperwork. If you are not sure which one applies to you, confirm that before ordering any document — it is the money most often wasted.

By descent (jure sanguinis) — the line of births, marriages and deaths up to your Italian ancestor. (this page)
By marriage — the marital bond with an Italian citizen, plus the language requirement.
By residence — time spent living legally and on the register in Italy.

Send me your line of descent

Send the certificates you already have. I will tell you what is missing, in what order to do it and what the complete file costs.

Sworn translations · Tribunale di Roma