If you are over 18, with a permanent address in WA and believe you may be eligible for Italian citizenship by descent, you can lodge an application with this Consulate, only by submitting a fully completed FORM (item no. 4 in the drop down menu) and attaching the relevant documentation requested by the wizard. Married ladies are requested to use their maiden names only.
All applications verified correct and complete will receive an e-mail with the allotted day and time for the interview.
An interview may last up to 45 minutes and all applicants must personally attend.
Except in the case of twins applying jointly, all interviews are strictly individual: one person per interview.
Applicants whose siblings previously applied with this Consulate – whether successfully or not – are exempt from producing documents related to their parents/ancestors only when said documents are already on file at this Consulate.
Except in very marginal cases, where the result is notified by e-mail only, applicants are normally informed of the outcome at the end of the interview. All successful applicants are provided with a tailor-made list of documents to be submitted at a second appointment, to be requested by e-mailing perth.desk@esteri.it.
Once all documents have been submitted as requested, successful applicants are ultimately recognised as Italian citizens and may request a passport starting from a date to be notified. Passport appointments can only be booked from HERE.
More details about passports from HERE.
FEES
As of 8 July 2014, all applications for Italian citizenship by descent attract a non-refundable fee to be paid in AUD only, either in cash or by debit card, at the very beginning of the first interview and regardless of its outcome. The current amount to be paid is available from HERE.
A fee is required for each individual application. In case of multiple applications (i.e. family members claiming citizenship from the same Italian ascendant), each single applicant is required to pay an individual fee.
| PLEASE READ CAREFULLY |
Before requesting an appointment, it is highly recommended to carefully read our FAQs regarding eligibility to Italian citizenship by descent.
Q: I just need an Italian passport, I’m not interested in Italian citizenship. Is that OK?
A: No Italian passport can be issued unless and until Italian citizenship has been formally acknowledged.
Q: My grandparents and/or my parents came from Italy. Am I eligible for Italian citizenship?
A: If one or more of your ascendants were born in Italy, that does not automatically entitle you to Italian citizenship. Western Australian citizens of Italian descent are also Italian citizens if they can prove that, at the moment of their birth, at least one of their parents (not grand-parents) was Italian.
Q: How do I know if my parents were Italian citizens at the moment of my birth?
A: As a general rule, your parents were Italian citizens if they were born in Australia of an Italian parent or if they were born in Italy of an Italian parent who had not been naturalised Australian at the time of your parent’s birth.
Q: Only one of my parents was an Italian citizen. Am I still entitled to Italian citizenship?
A: Yes, in order to be eligible for Italian citizenship only one of your parents needs to have been an Italian citizen at the time of your birth. Please note that Italian women who gave birth before 1948 could not pass their Italian citizenship on to their children.
Q: I was born of Italian parents in Italy [or elsewhere]. Does this make me an Italian citizen?
A: Not necessarily. With a few exceptions, if you were naturalized in Australia before 16th August 1992, most likely you no longer are an Italian citizen.
Q: What documents do I need to support my citizenship claim?
A: Each case is one of a kind, so the Consulate cannot provide any pre-defined list of required documents. A list of documents required to corroborate your specific citizenship claim will be provided to you only after an initial assessment of your case is carried out during the preliminary interview at the Consulate. At such interview, all applicants are invited to strictly bring only documentation in their possession that they think could sustain their claim (birth certificates, naturalization papers from the Australian National Archives, statements on citizenship or residence status from the Australian Department of Immigration, Italian passports, etc.).
Q: What happens once my claim is recognised?
A: Once you have been assessed as eligible and you have submitted all the required documents, your citizenship officer will acknowledge that your citizenship claim has been recognised (the acknowledgment will be issued at the back of your Verification of Italian Citizenship Eligibility Request Form and no further notice will be given by the Consulate). Your documents will then be sent for registration to Italy’s Comune (Municipality) where the ascendant you are claiming citizenship from is/was registered. Once citizenship has been acknowledged, an Italian passport may be requested (details from HERE).
Q: What are the costs involved in applying?
A: Each application for citizenship by descent (regardless of its outcome) is subject to a 300 Euro non-refundable fee, to be paid in AUD equivalent at the beginning of the first interview, either in cash or with a debit card. Any follow-up appointments do not attract further fees. In case of multiple applications (i.e. family members claiming citizenship from the same Italian ascendant), each applicant over 18 is required to pay a fee.