The Tajani Decree introduced significant changes to the process of recognizing Italian citizenship for minor children born abroad. Throughout 2025, however, a series of legislative amendments extended the original deadlines, giving families more time to complete the necessary steps.

The legal framework: from Law 74 to Law 199

Under Law No. 74 of May 23, 2025, children born abroad to an Italian parent were required to be registered within one year of birth in order to obtain citizenship recognition. This timeframe was subsequently extended by Law No. 199/2025, which pushed the deadline to three years from the date of birth or adoption. This change took effect on January 1, 2026, and does not apply retroactively to applications submitted before that date. The €250 fee that had originally been introduced was also scrapped.

The extension for children born before May 24, 2025

For children already born before the Tajani Decree came into force who had not yet received citizenship recognition as of May 23, 2025, a transitional period had been established with an original deadline of May 31, 2026. This deadline was recently extended through the Milleproroghe — the annual legislative tool the Italian government uses to postpone deadlines that require additional time.

Following extensive parliamentary debate and several proposed amendments, both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate approved a new deadline: families with children born before May 24, 2025 now have until May 31, 2029 to complete registration.

Summary: which deadline applies to your situation?

The applicable deadline depends on your child’s date of birth:

• Children born before May 24, 2025: the registration deadline, originally set for May 31, 2026, has been extended to May 31, 2029, following final approval by both houses of Parliament.
• Children born after May 24, 2025: under Law 74/2025, the original window was one year from birth or adoption, with a €250 fee. Law 199/2025 extended this to three years from birth or adoption and eliminated the fee entirely. This update applies only to applications filed on or after January 1, 2026