Dichiarazione di volontà

Submission of the Dichiarazione di Volontà within one year from the birth of the minor (or from the following day after the legal establishment of the legal determination of parentage, including adoptive, during minority)

The dichiarazione di volontà (declaration of will) for acquiring citizenship must be formal and take place in person, in the presence of an employee authorized to perform civil status functions. If the parents do not make the declaration simultaneously, the legal requirement is considered fulfilled when the second parent’s declaration is presented. If parentage (including adoptive) is established with only one parent (or if the other parent is deceased), only one parent’s declaration will be sufficient (it is the sole responsibility of the applicant to provide valid documentary evidence of this situation).

The declaration of acquisition is made at the Consulate by appointment and is subject to verification of the above-mentioned legal conditions and a payment of €250 to the Ministry of the Interior (the contribution is due for each minor).

In case of the establishment of the minor’s legal residence in Italy, the declaration can also be presented after one year from birth. However, the residence must be maintained for at least two continuous years after the declaration of will to acquire citizenship is made by the parents. This case falls outside the competence of the Consulate and is exclusively handled by the local municipalities.

To schedule an appointment to submit the Dichiarazione di Volontà, send an email with the subject “Dichiarazione di Volontà” to the Stato Civile Office (statocivile.filadelfia@esteri.it), attaching the following documents in PDF format:

1. Birth certificate and Italian citizenship certificate of at least one parent, to be requested to the Municipality of AIRE registration, explicitly certifying possession of citizenship from birth;
2. Original full birth certificate of the minor issued by the competent U.S. authorities, with apostille and certified translation. If applicable, include one of the following (properly apostilled and with certified translation if needed) :
   • Recognition of parentage;
   • Judicial declaration of parentage;
   • Adoption order;
   • Documentation proving guardianship or the status of the sole parent of the minor;
3. Recent proof of address (not older than three months): utility bill, council tax, or bank statement;
4. Passports of the parents (both Italian and foreign) and passports of the minor;
5. Receipt of the payment of €250. This contribution cannotbe paid at the Consulate, only through a bank transfer. The payment receipt must indicate:
   • Beneficiary: “MINISTERO DELL’INTERNO D.L.C.I. – CITTADINANZA”; indirizzo: Via Cavour 6, 00184 ROMA;
   • Payment reason: Dichiarazione di Volontà, Name and Surname of the minor;
   • IBAN: IT54D0760103200000000809020;
   • BIC/SWIFT code: BPPIITRRXXX;
   • Name of the receiving bank: POSTE ITALIANE S.P.A.

PLEASE NOTE: The Ministry of the Interior must receive a total amount of EURO 250. Please pay careful attention to the exchange rate and any associated bank fees!

6. Where the transitional ruleis applied (art. 1, c. 1-ter of D.L. n. 36/2025), the child must be underage as of May 24, 2025, and the declaration must be regularly signed by both parents by May 31, 2026 (it is the exclusive responsibility of the applicant to organize this on time). In addition to the above-mentioned documents, include the original certification proving that the parent who is a citizen by birth has been recognized as such based on an administrative or judicial request submitted by 23:59 (Rome time) on March 27, 2025, or based on an application for recognition of Italian citizenship submitted after an appointment communicated by the Consular Office or Municipality by the same date.
   • If the person concerned, who is a minor as of May 24, 2025, reaches the age of majority in the meantime, the declaration must be submitted by them personally by May 31, 2026.

ALL THE ABOVE DOCUMENTATION MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ORIGINAL ON THE DAY OF THE APPOINTMENT.

NOTE: It is not possible to book an appointment by phone.