To allow the recognition of Italian citizenship for children under the age of 18, born to at least one Italian parent residing in Victoria or Tasmania, the birth must be registered with the Consulate General of Italy in Melbourne.
No appointment is required to register a birth at the Consulate General. To obtain a list of documents to be submitted to our offices, click here.
Italian citizenship can be obtained by descent or acquired by “benefit of law”.
Italian citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis)
Italian citizenship can be transmitted by descent if at least one of the following conditions is met:
- Exclusive Italian citizenship of a parent or grandparent
If a parent (including an adoptive parent) or a grandparent of the child holds exclusively Italian citizenship (or has held it up to the time of death). - Residence in Italy of the parent
If a parent (including an adoptive parent) is an Italian citizen and has resided in Italy for at least two continuous years before the birth or adoption of the child.
Italian citizenship by “benefit of law”
If the conditions for descent are not met, citizenship can be acquired by “benefit of law”, upon payment of a Euro 250 fee, if at least one of the parents is an Italian citizen by birth (even if they hold another citizenship), in the following cases:
- Within one year of the child’s birth to be registered
If the child is under one year old, both parents (Italian and foreigner) must attend the Consulate to sign a declaration and provide the necessary documents before the child’s first birthday. - Between 1 and 17 years after the child’s birth to be registered (transitional rule valid until May 31, 2026)
If the child is over one year old, both parents (Italian and foreigner) must attend the Consulate to sign a declaration and provide the necessary documents. - Minor child as of May 24, 2025, now an adult (transitional rule valid until May 31, 2026)
The child, now an adult, can attend the Consulate to sign a declaration and provide the necessary documents.
ATTENTION:
The Comune in Italy may refuse to register the birth of a child born within marriage if the parents’ marriage has not yet been registered. Applicants are therefore urged to submit, along with the documents for registering the child’s birth, those related to their marriage.
The registration of the birth of adopted minors abroad follows a different procedure. Please, therefore, contact the Consular Office.
After the appointment at the Consular Offices, the registration is considered to be correctly completed. No confirmation email of the registration will be sent.
If you wish to schedule an appointment for the issuance of the newborn’s first passport, please wait about 10 days after the birth registration. After this period, you can access the online portal and proceed with booking the appointment.
