Italy’s Updated Residency Pathway (Law 74/2025) and What It Actually Means for You.
This article has been reviewed for legal accuracy by Valentina, our citizenship lawyer.
In 2025, Italy quietly updated its citizenship framework with Law No. 74/2025. If you’ve been following headlines, you’ve probably seen a lot of confusion, particularly around ancestry, eligibility and who still “counts” as Italian under the new rules.
What’s been discussed far less is the residency pathway and that’s where things get interesting for people who are genuinely open to living in Italy, not just holding a passport.
First: citizenship by residency still exists (and always has)
Italy has long allowed people to apply for citizenship after living here legally for a sustained period. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is how long that period needs to be, but for certain people only.
Traditionally, non-EU citizens needed around 10 years of continuous legal residence, plus:
stable income
registered housing
language competence
integration into Italian life
a clean legal record
That pathway still exists, but it’s obviously very long and rather demanding
What Law 74/2025 actually introduced
Under the 2025 update, Italy introduced a shorter residency requirement for people with a parent or grandparent who was an Italian citizen by birth. This means if you do not qualify for automatic citizenship by descent under the current rules, you may still be eligible to apply for citizenship through a reduced residency requirement of two years of legal residence in Italy, rather than ten. That’s a significant reduction, but it’s not automatic, and it’s not guaranteed.
You still need to:
hold a valid visa and residence permit (for eg. Digital Nomad, Student, Elective Residency etc)
be properly registered as a resident
demonstrate income and stability
meet language and integration requirements
In other words: this pathway rewards significant presence, not paperwork alone.
Why this matters right now
Recent changes to ancestry-based citizenship have left many people in a grey zone:
Italian grandparents or parents
strong family ties
but no automatic citizenship transmission under the new rules
For those people, the question has become:
“If I can’t claim citizenship by descent, do I still have options?”
For some, the answer is now yes, but only if you’re willing to live here.
It doesn’t replace citizenship by descent. It exists alongside it as a separate legal route. It’s Italy saying: if your connection isn’t just historical, but lived — that still counts.
This is a long game and place matters
This pathway isn’t a workaround or a shortcut, despite how it’s sometimes being framed.
While the law talks about two years of residency, in reality you can only apply after those two full years are completed — and once you factor in processing time, most people should expect the whole journey to look closer to three years from arrival to application.
Along the way, visas often need to be renewed (many are issued for a year at a time) so this isn’t something you set up once and forget. It’s manageable, but it does require attention, continuity and a willingness to settle in properly rather than treat the experience as temporary.
That’s why where you choose to live matters more than people expect.
If you’re going to be here for the long haul, community makes a real difference. Smaller towns and close-knit areas often make it easier to register residency, build relationships and find your rhythm, especially in those early months when everything still feels unfamiliar.
Where To Italy & Back Comes In
In Salento, we’re supporting people who are choosing this pathway by helping them settle properly — not just arrive.
That means guidance around:
choosing a location that works for long-term living
navigating local systems as they actually operate day to day
staying on top of residency and visa renewals over time
creating a local community complete with social and cultural experiences
Just as importantly, we’re intentionally facilitating a sense of community for people relocating to this part of southern Italy, so you’re not navigating it alone. Support doesn’t stop once you’ve landed. We’re here throughout your stay, as things evolve, questions come up and life here starts to feel more normal than new. We’re also offering personalised immersion experiences for those wanting to get a feel for Salento.
Thinking of living somewhere else? We can also guide you through relocations elsewhere in Italy, working with trusted local specialists where needed.
The bigger picture
Law 74/2025 didn’t close the door on citizenship. It changed the emphasis.
For people with Italian heritage who are prepared to live in Italy properly (not hypothetically, not briefly) the residency pathway is now more achievable than it was before. It’s not right for everyone. But for the right person, at the right stage of life, it’s a serious and credible option when it’s approached with patience, planning, and the right support in place.
Want some support navigating this process?
If you’d like to talk things through, you can learn more about legal and relocation support with a clarity call.