Italian Citizenship by Descent: Preparing Australian Documents

For years, the advice to Australians with an Italian grandparent or great-grandparent was simple: gather the certificates, get them apostilled and translated, and book an appointment at the consulate. Since March 2025 that advice has been wrong for many families. Italy has narrowed who qualifies by descent, and appointment availability in Australia has since been restricted further.

So the first step is no longer ordering documents. It is checking that you still qualify, and that you can get an appointment. Only then is it worth paying for apostilles and translations — and Australian documents submitted to an Italian consulate are generally kept, not returned.

Last checked: 24 September 2026, against the Italian Foreign Ministry and the Italian consulates in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. This area has changed twice since 2025. Read your consulate's current page before spending anything.

Step 1: Check whether you still qualify

Under the rules described on the Italian Foreign Ministry's website, a person born abroad who holds another citizenship is not automatically treated as Italian by descent unless, in summary:

• a parent or grandparent held exclusively Italian citizenship — at the time of your birth, or at the time of their death — or
• an Italian parent lived in Italy for at least two continuous years after becoming Italian and before your birth.

The Sydney consulate adds that citizenship is transmitted for a maximum of two generations. The old, broader rules apply only to applications lodged, or appointments confirmed, before 27 March 2025 (23:59, Rome time).

Two consequences matter for Australian families:

• Great-grandparent claims are, on the consulates' descriptions, generally no longer available to new applicants.
• "Exclusively Italian" is a real test. If your Italian grandparent also became an Australian citizen, the question is whether they held only Italian citizenship at the relevant date. That is exactly what the naturalisation evidence in Step 4 goes to.

Maternal-line claims count only from 1 January 1948, on the consulates' pages.

These are summaries. Eligibility is a question of Italian law; if your case is not clear-cut, get advice from an Italian lawyer before paying for documents.

Step 2: Check whether you can get an appointment

Applications are lodged in person, at the consulate covering the state where you live, by Australian citizens and permanent residents. Bookings are made through the Italian government's Prenot@mi system. On the consulates' pages at the time of writing:

• Sydney (NSW) has suspended new appointments for adult applicants.
• Brisbane (QLD and NT) says its appointments for 2026 and 2027 are fully booked.
• Melbourne (VIC and TAS), Perth (WA) and Adelaide (SA) did not mention a change.

The Sydney and Brisbane pages link these restrictions to a further Italian law of January 2026, under which adult applications from abroad are to move to a central office in Rome from 2029, with consulates handling a limited number until then. Applications for minors, and naturalisation cases, are described as unaffected.

Check your own consulate's page. If you cannot get an appointment, do not order documents yet — some consulates impose recency limits on certificates, and apostilles are not cheap to repeat.

Step 3: Order the right Australian certificates

The consulates ask for Australian civil certificates for each link in the chain from your Italian ancestor to you: births, marriages, and where relevant divorces and deaths. Order them fresh from the state or territory registry, in the version that shows full details, including parents.

Two practical points:

• The consulate keeps them. The Sydney, Melbourne and Perth consulates say original documents submitted are not returned. Order a set for the application and keep another for yourself.
• Your Italian ancestor's own birth record comes from Italy — the consulates ask for an Italian birth extract (estratto), not an Australian document. Sydney accepts a photocopy; Perth asks for the original.

Step 4: Evidence about naturalisation

Because the test turns on whether your ancestor held only Italian citizenship, you need Australian evidence of whether, and when, they became Australian. The consulates describe this differently:

• Sydney asks for a certificate of non-naturalisation in Australia, or a copy of the Australian visa, or the Australian citizenship certificate.
• Perth asks for a certificate of non-naturalisation issued by the Department of Home Affairs, apostilled and translated.
• Adelaide refers to the naturalisation certificate, or permanent residence or VEVO evidence from Home Affairs.
• Melbourne's checklist asks for a citizenship certificate showing name, date of birth and the date of the oath.

Where the document comes from Home Affairs, it is an Australian government document. Ask DFAT whether it can apostille it directly.

Step 5: Apostille every Australian certificate

All the consulates require Australian civil certificates, and Home Affairs citizenship documents, to carry a DFAT apostille. Only DFAT issues apostilles. Registry-issued certificates can often be apostilled by DFAT directly, with no notary involved; confirm this with DFAT before booking one. Italy is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention at the time of writing, but check the HCCH status table when you act.

A notary becomes relevant only for documents that are not public documents in their own right — for example, a declaration you are asked to swear, or a copy of a document that cannot be released.

Step 6: Translate into Italian — the way your consulate wants

Each apostilled certificate needs an Italian translation, and the consulates do not agree on who may make it:

• Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide point to NAATI translators, though Perth's Italian-language translation page also describes other arrangements.
• Sydney and Melbourne describe the consulate certifying the conformity of a translation, for a fee, and Sydney publishes a list of translators.

The Adelaide consulate puts one useful rule plainly: apostilles do not need translation, and translations do not need apostilles. Translate the certificate; do not apostille the translation.

Ask your consulate which translation it accepts before commissioning one.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a notary for Italian citizenship by descent? Usually not. The core documents are registry certificates, which DFAT can often apostille directly. A notary is needed only for declarations or copies.

Will I get my Australian certificates back? Several consulates say originals are not returned. Order a separate set.

Should I start collecting documents now, in case appointments reopen? Check eligibility first, then your consulate's page. Some documents may need to be recent when you apply.