Registering a Birth at the Consulate: The Extended Transitional Period and the New Three-Year Window

30 May Registering a Birth at the Consulate: The Extended Transitional Period and the New Three-Year Window

If you are an Italian parent living in the UK and have not yet registered your child’s birth at the Consulate, it is essential that you are aware of the transitional provisions introduced by Law 74/2025. There are important deadlines to meet — and some time-limited windows that could make all the difference for your child’s recognition of Italian citizenship.

The Context: What Changed with Law 74/2025

Since Law 74/2025 came into force on 24 May 2025, children born abroad to Italian parents who already hold another citizenship no longer acquire Italian citizenship automatically. This applies both to children born after that date and, in many cases, to those already born before it.

The reform introduced a more complex system, distinguishing between those who can still obtain citizenship automatically (based on specific requirements) and those who must follow a different procedure — known as acquisition by “benefit of law”.

CASE 1 — Children Who Were Minors on 24 May 2025: Deadline 31 May 2026

Children who were already minors when Law 74/2025 came into force (i.e. had not yet turned 18 on 24 May 2025) and who do not meet the automatic citizenship transmission criteria are entitled to benefit from an exceptional transitional provision.

Parents — or the legal guardian — may submit a declaration of intent to acquire citizenship at the competent Italian Consulate by 23:59 (Rome time) on 31 May 2026. The procedure requires a contribution of €250.

IMPORTANT: 31 May 2026 is a strict deadline. After that date, minors will no longer be able to rely on this transitional regime and will be subject to the new and more restrictive criteria of Law 74/2025. Do not leave it to the last minute.

It is important to know that documentation must be complete at the time of submission: booking an appointment is not sufficient — all required documentation must be presented before the deadline.

CASE 2 — Children Born After 24 May 2025: Three-Year Window

For children born after 24 May 2025 to at least one Italian parent by birth, Law 74/2025 (and the subsequent 2026 Budget Law) introduced a three-year window from the date of birth to submit the declaration of acquisition of citizenship by benefit of law.

In this case the application is free of charge, provided that:

• At least one parent is an Italian citizen by birth
• The declaration is submitted within three years of birth (or from the date on which parentage is established in the case of adoption)
• The documentation is complete and correct

PLEASE NOTE: This extension concerns acquisition by “benefit of law”, not by iure sanguinis. The child will not be a citizen from birth, but from the day after the parents’ declaration. This has important practical implications, for example for applying for an Italian passport.

Who Is Not Affected by the Transitional Regime

The transitional provisions do not apply to those who still meet the criteria for automatic citizenship transmission, i.e. when:

• The transmitting parent held exclusively Italian citizenship at the time of the child’s birth
• The Italian parent had legally resided in Italy for at least 2 consecutive years before the birth
• The Italian parent or grandparent was born in Italy and was an Italian citizen

In these cases, the child is already an Italian citizen from birth and simply needs to register the birth certificate, without any additional declarations.

Documents Required for Registration

Regardless of the applicable regime, the following are required to register a birth at the Italian Consulate in London:

• Application form (Mod. 14 or Mod. 23, depending on the case) signed by both parents
• Original, full birth certificate — in the UK: Full Birth Certificate, apostilled and translated into Italian
• Photocopies of both parents’ identity documents
• Additional documentation to demonstrate the right to citizenship (parent’s citizenship certificate, residence history, etc.)
• Pre-paid Special Delivery envelope for any return correspondence

REMEMBER: The birth registration request and the first passport application must NOT be sent together. The passport can only be requested after the Consulate has forwarded the birth certificate to the Italian Comune.

How We Can Help

The documentation for birth registration can be complex, especially under the new rules. Words at Hand offers:

• Certified translation of the apostilled British Full Birth Certificate
• Translation of civil status certificates required by the Consulate
• Pre-submission document review
• Assistance with the additional documentation required under the new rules
• Urgent service available — especially in view of the 31 May 2026 deadline

Don’t wait — deadlines are approaching: cristina@wordsathand.com | WhatsApp: +44 7824 347667 | wordsathand.com/contact