Birth

Registration of birth of minors born to italian parents

Law No. 74 of 23/05/2025, converting with amendments Decree-Law No. 36 of 28/03/2025, has reformed Law No. 91 of 5 February 1992, introducing significant limitations on the transmission of Italian citizenship and, consequently, on the procedure for registering the birth certificates of minors born abroad. A minor born abroad to an Italian citizen parent is not automatically an Italian citizen.

Under the new legislation, Italian citizenship jure sanguinis (from birth) is recognized only if one of the following conditions applies (CASE A, B or C).

A minor born abroad to an Italian citizen parent is NOT automatically an Italian citizen, but only if at least one of the following conditions is met:

CASE A: the minor has at least one parent who was exclusively an Italian citizen at the time of birth;

CASE B: the minor has at least one second-degree ancestor who was exclusively an Italian citizen at the time of their birth (or at the time of the ancestor’s death);

CASE C: the minor has at least one Italian citizen parent who has resided in Italy for two consecutive years (after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the birth of the child).

To register a birth, applicants must appear in person at the Consular Office (by appointment booked through the Prenot@mi online platform) with the following documentation.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR CASES A AND B:

1. Completed and signed birth registration application form;
2. Original birth certificate (the document will NOT be returned) issued by the competent Lebanese Civil Status Office and legalized by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
3. Italian translation of the birth certificate (if the translation is not carried out by one of the approved translators, the translator’s signature must be legalized by a notary, then by the Ministry of Justice, and finally by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs);
4. Copies of both parents’ passports;
5. Historical certificate of citizenship issued by the Italian Municipality, indicating place, date, and method of acquisition of Italian citizenship;
6. Historical certificate of residence issued by the Italian Municipality;
7. Documentation proving the exclusive Italian citizenship of the first- or second-degree ancestor.

In the case of residence abroad, the following documentation must also be provided:

• For residence in Lebanon: Lebanese residence permit and/or family status certificate and/or death certificate;
• For periods of residence in other third countries: the first- or second-degree ancestor who resided in one or more countries other than Lebanon for a period sufficient to acquire citizenship by naturalization under local laws must provide certificates of non-naturalization for each relevant country.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR CASE C:

1. Completed and signed birth registration application form;
2. Original birth certificate (the document will NOT be returned) issued by the competent Lebanese Civil Status Office and legalized by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
3. Italian translation of the birth certificate (if the translation is not carried out by one of the approved translators, the translator’s signature must be legalized by a notary, then by the Ministry of Justice, and finally by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs);
4. Copies of both parents’ passports;
5. Historical certificate of citizenship issued by the Italian Municipality, indicating place, date, and method of acquisition of Italian citizenship (or alternatively, the decree granting citizenship and the oath record);
6. Historical certificate of residence issued by the Municipality where the parent resided.

The responsibility for providing the required documentation lies solely with the applicant. Applicants are advised to book an appointment for birth registration only if they are in possession of all the necessary documentation to verify eligibility for Italian citizenship.

This Consular Office reserves the right to request additional documentation if necessary. In such cases, incomplete applications will be rejected with a formal notice of intended refusal pursuant to Article 10-bis of Law No. 241/1990, after which the applicant will have 10 days to submit observations or additional documentation.

IMPORTANT: If you do not fall within one of the above categories, you are advised to consult the “CITIZENSHIP” section of our website to verify whether you meet the requirements to apply for citizenship under “beneficio di legge”.

In this case, before booking an appointment on the Prenot@mi platform, you are requested to send the following documentation in advance to the Consular Office at: cons.beirut@esteri.it .

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED TO APPLY FOR CITIZENSHIP UNDER “BENEFICIO DI LEGGE”:

1. Completed and signed birth registration application form;
2. Original birth certificate (the document will NOT be returned) issued by the competent Lebanese Civil Status Office and legalized by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
3. Italian translation of the birth certificate (if the translation is not carried out by one of the approved translators, the translator’s signature must be legalized by a notary, then by the Ministry of Justice, and finally by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs);
4. Copies of both parents’ passports;
5. Historical certificate of citizenship issued by the Italian Municipality, indicating place, date, and method of acquisition of Italian citizenship (or alternatively, a copy of the court ruling).