Italy’s New Citizenship Rules, Presidential Endorsement, and Community Response

It’s been quite the legislative journey for Decree-Law No. 36/2025 (now Law 74/2025), better known as the “Tajani Decree,” and it has now reached its final destination. After navigating both the Italian Senate and the Chamber of Deputies (we covered its parliamentary approval in our previous update), the bill received the vital signature of President Sergio Mattarella on May 23, 2025. With that, it was published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale, officially becoming Law No. 74/2025 and taking full effect from May 24, 2025. This moment when the Tajani Decree becomes law solidifies a significant, and for many, concerning shift in how Italy handles citizenship, especially for Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis).

Here, we’ll recap the law’s main points, touch on the importance of the President’s action, gauge the reaction from Italo-descendants around the globe, and look at what might come next. For those wanting a closer look at the updated citizenship law, our consolidated text of Law 91/1992 breaks down these new changes.

You can find the official text of Law No. 74/2025 on the Gazzetta Ufficiale website. People are now looking to the Italian Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further updates and how these rules will be applied day-to-day.

The President’s Signature: Making Law 74/2025 Official

So, how does it work in Italy? Once a bill gets the nod from both parliamentary chambers, it heads to the President of the Republic for what’s called promulgation. When President Mattarella signed the law on May 23, 2025, he was fulfilling a constitutional duty (laid out in Articles 73 and 74 of the Italian Constitution). This signature is what formally makes the bill an official law of the State. After that, it’s published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale. Law 74/2025 actually stated it would kick in the day after publication, so May 24, 2025, was the day. While a President can ask Parliament to rethink a law, it’s a power they use rarely. In this case, his signature was the final step in the process for the Tajani Decree.

Key Changes in Law No. 74/2025 (What the Tajani Decree Now Says)

What Law 74/2025 does is weave the much-discussed Article 3-bis into Italy’s main citizenship law (Law 91/1992). This new article sets up a default assumption: if you were born abroad and have another citizenship, the law “considers you never to have acquired” Italian citizenship. This applies even if you were born before the law came about, unless you can fit into some very specific and narrow exceptions. The key things that are now set in stone as the Tajani Decree becomes law include:

• The March 27, 2025, Deadline:
  • Letter `a)`: If you got your complete application (all documents) into a consulate or municipality by 11:59 PM (Rome time) on March 27, 2025, you’ll be assessed under the old, generally more lenient rules.
  • Letter `a-bis)`: If you submitted your application on the actual day of an appointment that the relevant office had *told* you about by March 27, 2025, you also get assessed under the old rules. How this will work for appointments that were set for later but confirmed by the deadline is still a bit fuzzy and needs official clarification. It’s worth noting that the changes made during the parliamentary process started on May 24, 2025; they don’t go back to March 28. This could be good news for anyone who applied or filed between March 28 and May 23, as tougher new rules (like the “exclusively Italian” one) might not affect their case during that specific window.
  • Letter `b)`: If you filed a court case for citizenship recognition by March 27, 2025, that’s also covered by the old rules.
• Very Tight Exceptions for Everyone Else:
  • Letter `c)`: You need a parent or grandparent who has, or had when they died, *only* Italian citizenship. This is a big deal because many emigrants became citizens elsewhere, so they wouldn’t have been “exclusively” Italian. This change has been flagged as potentially making things even tougher than the original decree.
  • Letter `d)`: A parent or adopter must have lived in Italy for at least two straight years *after* they became an Italian citizen themselves, and *before* the child was born or adopted.
• Adjustments for Minors: There are new rules for how minors get citizenship. For instance, if a parent becomes Italian, their minor child now only gets citizenship automatically if the child is legally living in Italy (Art. 14, L.91/92 as changed). There’s a special window until May 31, 2026, for parents who were “saved” by the March 27 deadline to register their minor kids under certain new conditions (Art. 4, c.1-bis, L.91/92). Exactly who counts as a “citizen by birth” when parents use this grace period is something people are still discussing.
• Other Points: The law also brings in rules for “oriundi” work permits and a short period for some former citizens to reacquire citizenship, which we covered in our summary of the Senate’s approval.

A big point of relief for many: that highly controversial idea (old amendment 1.0.8) to make *current* citizens pass a language test to keep their citizenship did NOT make it into the final Law 74/2025.

The Community Weighs In: Frustration, Questions, and a Call for Answers

News that the Tajani Decree becomes law has certainly stirred up strong feelings among people of Italian heritage around the world. Online groups and forums are full of conversations, and a few key themes are emerging:

• Lots of Confusion and Unclear Rules: People are finding the new law hard to get their heads around. The way its retroactive core interacts with the newer amendments (which aren’t retroactive in the same way) is particularly confusing. Rules like the “exclusive Italian citizenship” one, and what exactly counts for appointments confirmed by March 27, are being heavily debated. Many feel the law wasn’t written very clearly and could be understood in different ways.
• Feeling of Unfairness and Being Let Down: Applying such strict rules to people born long before the law was even thought of is seen by many as deeply unfair, chipping away at what they felt was a right from birth. There’s a sense that the law doesn’t respect the history and ties of Italians abroad.
• Desperate Need for Official Word (the Circolare): One thing people keep saying is how much they need an explanatory circolare from the Ministry of the Interior. This official guidance is seen as vital for consulates and town halls to apply the law the same way everywhere, and for people to know where they stand. Not knowing when this circular will arrive is causing a lot of stress.
• Eyes on Legal Challenges: There’s a strong feeling that Law 74/2025 will be challenged in court. Many are talking to lawyers and looking into grounds for saying it’s unconstitutional. The Italian Constitutional Court has a hearing on June 24 about a related (but different) citizenship issue, and people are watching that closely for any clues.
• Concerns about Being Unfairly Targeted: Some Italo-descendants, especially from Latin America, feel that the discussions around the new law have unfairly singled them out, suggesting it’s more about shifting blame than fixing real problems with consular services or immigration.
• Can You “Skip” a Generation Now? The new rule mentioning a parent *or grandparent* in the “exclusively Italian” clause has got people wondering if you can now bypass a generation if, say, your parent’s line is problematic but a grandparent meets the tough new rule. This is all just speculation until there’s official guidance.

On the whole, people seem very disappointed and unsure, but there’s also a growing resolve to get answers and seek justice through the legal system.

What’s Next? Living with Law 74/2025

So, with the Tajani Decree now Law 74/2025, things have definitely shifted. Here’s what we can probably expect:

1. Waiting for the Circolare: This is top of the list. The Ministry of the Interior’s memo will be key for consulates and town halls to know how to actually use the new law. What it says will be very important.
2. Consulates Catching Up: Italian consulates globally will need to update their websites and how they do things to match Law 74/2025. This could take a while.
3. Talking to Lawyers: Anyone affected by the new law should really talk to an experienced Italian citizenship lawyer to figure out their own situation and what options they might have, including any legal fights. Many law firms are already working on strategies for their clients.
4. Keep Gathering Documents: If you’re still in the early stages, it’s generally a good idea to keep collecting your vital records. Laws can change, and having your papers ready is always a plus.
5. Watching the Courts: What happens in any direct challenges to Law 74/2025, and any related decisions from high courts, will be very important in the months and years to come.

The arrival of Law 74/2025 is a major turning point for Italian citizenship by descent. While the road ahead looks tougher for many, the desire of Italo-descendants to connect with their roots and claim their rights is as strong as ever. ItalyGet.com will keep you posted on how things develop. You can find more history on the decree and its changes in our Italian Citizenship News & Tajani Decree Updates section.

Frequently Asked Questions: Tajani Decree Now Law 74/2025

What is Law No. 74/2025 and when did it take effect?

Law No. 74/2025 is the official name for what the Tajani Decree (which started as Decree-Law 36/2025) became after Parliament approved it and President Mattarella signed it on May 23, 2025. It was then published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale and started being fully active on May 24, 2025. The changes Parliament made began on May 24, but the original parts of the decree that weren’t changed are seen as having been in effect since March 28, 2025.

What are the main ways Italy’s new Citizenship Law 74/2025 restricts claims?

The main part of Law 74/2025 (Article 3-bis) says that if you were born abroad and have another citizenship, the law basically assumes you never got Italian citizenship – and this applies even if you were born before the law. The only way around it is to fit into some very specific, tight exceptions. These include having applied by March 27, 2025 (or having an appointment that was set up by then), or having a parent or grandparent who had *only* Italian citizenship. You can read more in our detailed look at the updated Law 91/1992 after the Tajani Decree.

How are people of Italian descent reacting now that the Tajani Decree is the law?

Across the world, Italo-descendants are feeling a lot of confusion, frustration, and anger. Many think the new law, especially since it applies backwards in time and has the “exclusive Italian citizenship” rule, is unfair and takes away their birthright. There’s a lot of talk about how unclear the law is, and people are really waiting for an official explanation (a circolare) while also getting ready to challenge it in court, now that the Tajani Decree becomes law.

Why is the ‘exclusive Italian citizenship’ part of Law 74/2025 such a big deal?

Article 3-bis, letter c) of this new law says that a qualifying Italian parent or grandparent must have had *only* Italian citizenship (or had it exclusively when they died). This is a huge problem because many Italians who moved to other countries became citizens there. So, they wouldn’t meet this “exclusivity” rule, especially if they got another citizenship before 1992. It makes one of the law’s few ways out much, much harder and seems to ignore how Italian emigration actually worked.

What was the President’s role in the Tajani Decree becoming law?

In Italy, after a bill passes both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, the President of the Republic has to “promulgate” it by signing it. This signature is required by the Constitution (Articles 73 & 74) and it’s what makes the bill an official law. Once signed, it’s published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale (Official Gazette). Law 74/2025 said it would start the day after it was published, so it became active on May 24, 2025. President Mattarella signing it on May 23, 2025, was the last step that made Law 74/2025 legally official.

What’s a circolare and why is it so important for Law 74/2025?

A circolare is like an official instruction memo from a Ministry (most likely the Ministry of the Interior for this). It’s meant to help public offices (like consulates and town halls) figure out how to understand and use a new law. Because Law 74/2025 has some tricky and unclear parts, people of Italian descent are really hoping for a circolare to explain how things will work in practice. No one knows when it will be released yet.