Italian Citizenship by Descent: Preparing Australian Documents

Preparing Australian documents for Italian citizenship by descent now starts with two checks, not with ordering certificates: whether you still qualify under the rules in force since March 2025, and whether your consulate is taking appointments. Only then is it worth ordering, apostilling and translating certificates, and Italian consulates generally keep the Australian originals.

Key takeaways

• Since 27 March 2025, Italy has narrowed who qualifies by descent. Great-grandparent claims are, on the consulates' descriptions, generally no longer available to new applicants.
• The test turns on whether a parent or grandparent held exclusively Italian citizenship at the relevant date, or an Italian parent lived in Italy for two continuous years before your birth.
• Appointment availability differs by consulate, and has been restricted further since a law of January 2026. Check your own consulate's page before spending anything.
• Every Australian certificate needs a DFAT apostille. Registry certificates can usually go to DFAT directly, without a notary.
• The consulates do not agree on who may translate into Italian. Ask yours first.

What does this page cover?

This page was checked on 8 October 2026 against the Italian Foreign Ministry and the Italian consulates in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. It covers the Australian side of an application lodged in Australia: which documents, in what form and in what order. It does not decide whether you are Italian; that is a question of Italian law. Read your consulate's current page before spending anything, and get advice from an Italian lawyer if the position is unclear.

Why does the order matter?

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. Ordering first now risks paying for certificates, apostilles and translations for a claim that no longer exists, or that cannot be lodged before the certificates are too old for the consulate to accept.

Step 1: Do 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 holds exclusively Italian citizenship, or held it 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 now hold only Italian citizenship or, if deceased, held only Italian citizenship at death. Naturalisation evidence is therefore central. Separate historical rules about loss or transmission of citizenship can also matter, so do not infer eligibility from one date alone.

For the administrative consular route, the consulates describe maternal transmission for children born from 1 January 1948. Earlier maternal-line cases may involve a different legal route and need Italian advice.

These are summaries. Eligibility is a question of Italian law, and neither a notary nor DFAT can answer it.

Step 2: Can you 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 and translations cost money to repeat.

Step 3: Which Australian certificates should you order?

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. A commemorative certificate or a short extract will not serve.

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. An Australian notary cannot certify or vouch for an Italian registry record; it comes from the Italian comune that holds it.

Check that names agree along the chain. An Italian surname anglicised on arrival, or a grandmother recorded under her maiden name in Italy and her married name in Australia, needs the certificate that links the two, and some consulates may ask for more where spellings differ.

Step 4: What naturalisation evidence is required?

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. Citizenship certificates are on DFAT's list of documents it can legalise.

Consulate (area)	Appointments, checked 8 Oct 2026	Naturalisation evidence described	Translation described
Sydney (NSW)	New adult appointments suspended	Non-naturalisation certificate, visa copy or citizenship certificate	Consulate certifies conformity; publishes a translator list
Melbourne (VIC, TAS)	No change mentioned	Citizenship certificate with the date of the oath	Consulate certifies conformity
Brisbane (QLD, NT)	2026 and 2027 fully booked	Check the consulate's list	NAATI translators
Perth (WA)	No change mentioned	Home Affairs non-naturalisation certificate, apostilled and translated	NAATI, with other arrangements also described
Adelaide (SA)	No change mentioned	Naturalisation certificate, or PR or VEVO evidence	NAATI translators

Step 5: Which documents need an apostille?

The Australian consulates' published lists require the Australian civil-status and naturalisation documents being lodged to carry a DFAT apostille. An apostille verifies an eligible signature, stamp or seal; it does not validate the contents. Registry certificates can often go directly to DFAT without a notary. Confirm each document against your consulate's checklist and DFAT's legalisation guidance. Do not laminate a certificate.

Italy is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention at the time of writing, but check the HCCH status table when you act. See apostille and authentication.

A notary may become relevant for a private declaration or a copy when the receiving authority will not take an original. If a certified copy is permitted, confirm which authorised person and certification wording the consulate accepts. See notarising documents for Italy.

Step 6: How should documents be translated?

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. See NAATI translation.

How much does the process cost?

The current handling fee for an adult citizenship-by-descent application is €600, paid in the Australian-dollar amount set by the consulate. It is mandatory and non-refundable even if the application is refused. Check the current local amount and payment method shortly before attending.

Budget separately for registry certificates, Home Affairs records, a DFAT apostille for each eligible document, translations, postage and any Italian legal advice. A notary fee arises only if the consulate asks for a notarial act rather than an original public document.

Official sources

• Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: citizenship
• Italian Consulate in Brisbane: citizenship by descent and appointments

What should you check before the appointment?

1. Save your consulate's current checklist, with the date you read it, and compare it with any list a relative used years ago.
2. Map the chain from your Italian ancestor to you on paper, with each birth, marriage, divorce and death, and the certificate that proves it.
3. Mark any name changes or spelling differences along the chain, and the document that links each one.
4. Confirm the naturalisation position of your ancestor from Home Affairs records before ordering anything else.
5. Order two sets of Australian certificates: one to give the consulate, one to keep.
6. Have DFAT apostille each Australian certificate in the set you will lodge, and only then commission translations of the kind your consulate accepts.
7. Check each certificate's issue date against any recency limit your consulate states, shortly before the appointment.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A Geelong teacher's grandfather emigrated from Calabria and, the family believes, became an Australian citizen in the 1960s, before she was born. Before ordering anything she reads the Melbourne consulate's page and asks Home Affairs for his citizenship record. It confirms he took the oath before her birth, so he did not hold exclusively Italian citizenship when she was born, and he died an Australian citizen. On the consulate's description, she no longer appears to qualify through him. She asks an Italian lawyer to confirm, and orders no certificates, apostilles or translations until she has an answer. That saves her the cost of a full set of documents the consulate would have kept.

In short

For Italian citizenship by descent from Australia, check eligibility under the rules in force since 27 March 2025 and your consulate's appointment position before spending anything. Then order fresh full certificates, gather the naturalisation evidence your consulate describes, have DFAT apostille each Australian document, and translate them as your consulate directs. A notary is rarely needed, and the consulate generally keeps the originals.

Related questions

• How do I prepare documents for use in Italy?
• Which documents do I need for dual citizenship?
• Do citizenship documents need a notary?
• Can a notary certify a citizenship certificate?
• How do I apostille an Australian birth certificate?

Asked by your consulate for a sworn declaration or certified copy? Send us the request, document type, consulate, location and deadline. We will explain the relevant step and quote before you book.