The ambassador Alexander Cortese He commented on the new Italian citizenship law during an interview with JR Entrevista, on TV Record, last Friday (30). He addressed the Constitutional Court's decision related to decree-law no. 36/2025, converted into law no. 74/2025, and highlighted points that, according to him, could benefit Italian descendants.
When discussing the validity of the regulation, the ambassador stated that the legislation is already in effect.
"The truth is that the Italian Supreme Court has already made a decision. It said that everything was legitimate, everything is correct. So the law, the new law on citizenship, is now operational, in force," he said in an interview.
He also mentioned changes that he considers positive within the new legislation.
The Supreme Court reaffirmed: citizenship is born with the person.
- New legal front opened
- Processes can still be filed.
- Individual assessment before any decision.
"In particular, there are two things that can benefit people of Italian descent. The new law stipulates that if someone of Italian descent lives in Italy for two years, they can obtain Italian citizenship, and normally the number of years should be this long, so it's much faster." (Sic)”, He completed.
According to him, this deadline can be met through activities such as studying or temporary work.
"Two years, if you have a scholarship or a temporary job, you can already do it," he explained.
Deadline for registering minors
The ambassador also mentioned the issue of the transmission of citizenship to minors, which initially had a deadline of May 30th.
"The other thing that is very important, because it is the only thing the Court had doubts about, was the fact of the transmission to minors."
He then stated that this deadline had been extended.
“And, thanks to the Court’s proposal, we now have three more years. So it’s much more… With the previous deadline, it was very difficult to respond to everything. Now, things are much more natural,” he said in the interview.
The additional time mentioned by Cortese does not stem from a proposal by the Court. The change was made by Parliament in the bill called milleproroghe, approved on March 3 of this yearThe issue was not challenged in the Constitutional Court in those terms.
Evaluation of the new law
The ambassador acknowledged that the change represents a significant restriction for part of the Italian-descendant community.
“Naturally, it’s a significant restriction of the law. Personally, I feel very sorry; I’m very close to the Italian descendants, and some of them have been really affected, very sad. I understand perfectly.”
Despite this, he defended the need for reform.
"But at the same time, I have to say that this reform was necessary."
In his assessment, Italian legislation has begun to align itself with international standards.
The Constitutional Court's decision changed the landscape. The new citizenship law will now be reviewed by the European Union's courts of justice.
"The current law, the Italian citizenship law, is very similar to the citizenship laws of all countries in the world. Generally speaking, most countries have this restriction."
He also compared it to other countries.
“Two generations is the norm for all states. So, naturally, for a community that has had no boundaries, it’s clearly a significant shock,” he concluded.
