The Italian deputy Fabio Porta strongly criticized the new fee of 600 euros per applicant in Italian citizenship recognition processes, included in the proposal of Budget Law 2025, signed this week by the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella.
“A Budget Law for 2025 that surprisingly and unjustifiably turns against Italians living abroad,” he said in a note to Italianism.
Porta said the tax was “immoral and unfair,” penalizing descendants of Italians, especially those from countries with devalued currencies, such as in Latin America.
He warned that the measure could make the process inaccessible for many families, as the cost will apply to each member individually, even in joint actions.
Established by article 106 of the budget proposal, the fee of 600 euros (around R$ 3.700) would significantly increase the cost of family applications, which currently pay a single fee. “unified contribution” (545 euros) per share.
Porta sees the fee as a way to discourage citizenship applications for Italian descendants with fewer resources, emphasizing that Italian citizenship "should not be treated as an economic privilege."
In addition to this tax, the proposed Budget Law includes other measures that, according to Porta, harm the Italian community abroad.
The proposal eliminates the automatic cost-of-living adjustment for pensions for Italians living abroad, impacting retirees who lose purchasing power due to inflation.
Another point is the cut in unemployment benefits for workers returning to Italy, a right that historically benefited Italians in vulnerable situations after periods abroad.
Porta also criticized the lack of tax exemptions, such as the reduction of IMU and TARI, for Italians abroad.
He fears that, with ministerial cuts, the budget earmarked for supporting Italians abroad will suffer even more drastic reductions. For him, these measures represent savings made at the expense of the most vulnerable, such as pensioners and expatriate Italian workers, and he has pledged to seek adjustments to the articles of the law in Parliament.
“Obviously, considering and verifying the hostility of this government towards the rights and interests of Italians abroad, the 2025 Budget Law does not contain measures that meet the many demands of our compatriots,” criticized the deputy.
The proposal still needs to be approved by the Italian Parliament, with a vote scheduled for November. The debate promises to be heated, with the mobilization of Italian descendants and organizations linked to Italian emigration.
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