Which Documents Do You Need
for Italian Citizenship?

Documentation: the foundation of everything

Documentation is the most important stage of an Italian citizenship case. Without correct, complete and up-to-date documents, the case simply does not move forward. This guide lists every document you need and where to obtain it.

1. Birth certificate of the dante causa (Italian ancestor)

This is the most important document: the birth certificate of your Italian ancestor, issued by the Comune (municipality) where they were born in Italy. If you don't know the Comune, our research team in Italy can track it down.

2. Certificates for the entire line of descent

From your Italian ancestor down to you, you will need the birth, marriage and death certificates of every person in the line. All must be full-text (long-form) certificates, not short-form extracts.

3. CNN — Certificate of No Naturalization

A document issued by Brazil's Ministério da Justiça (Ministry of Justice) proving that your Italian ancestor did not become a naturalized Brazilian. If they naturalized before the next person in the line was born, the right to citizenship may be broken.

4. Hague apostille

All Brazilian documents must be apostilled at notary offices (cartórios) authorized by the CNJ. The apostille gives the document international validity under the Hague Convention.

5. Sworn translation

All documents in Portuguese must be translated into Italian by a sworn translator. The translation must be faithful to the original and signed by the public translator.

6. Power of attorney

A specific power of attorney authorizing the lawyer to represent you before the Italian courts. At Dias&Dias, we prepare all the necessary paperwork.

Common documentation problems