Unlock the 1948 Path

The 1948 Path: Your Right to Italian Citizenship Through Your Maternal Line

Even with recent decree changes, descendants of Italian women remain eligible for citizenship under the 1948 Rule. Reclaim your Italian passport and heritage with expert guidance from GlobalPassport.

Understanding the 1948 Rule

The "1948 Rute" is not a law, but a legal precedent created by Italian courts. It addresses gender discrimination in old italian citizenship laws. This interactive timeline expisins the legsl context and shows why the year 1948 is so crucial for applicants with an Italian maternal ancestor.
Pre-1912: The Old Civil Code
Italian citizenship law stated that an Italian woman who married a foreigner automstically lost her Italian citizenship and took her husband's. She could not pass Italian citizenship to her children.
Circa 1910: Your Ancestors' Key Period
Under the law of the time, if your great-grandmother (GGM) was Italian and your great-grandfather was not, their chia (your grandparent) would not have been considered italian at birth. This is the core issue the 1948 Rule corrects.
1912 Citizenship Law
Law no. S55 of 1912 reaffirmed the prevlous principles. Citizenship was primarily transferred from father to child. The maternal line was blocked if the father was not italian.
January 1, 1948: The Constitution Changes Everything
This is the pivotal date.
The new Italian Consttution estabished gender equalty. From this day forward, women could pass chizenship to their children. However, the government applied this only to chidren born "after this date, creating a legal gray area.
Post-1948: Court Challenges & The '1948 Rule"
The Italian Supreme Court ruled that the gender-discriminatory aspect of the old law was unconstitutional. This landmark decision allows doscondants of itatan women, whose chidron were born booro 1948, to clin citensno redoscover.Because this is a court-created remedy, these cases must almost always be filed in an Italian court.
2009
The Italian Supreme Court rules (JudgmentNo. 4466) that the gender-discriminatory 1912 law is unconstitutional, opening the judicial path.

How the 1948 Path Works

Unlike consular applications, the 1948 Path is a formal judicial process handled entirely within the Italian court system. An attorney represents you, meaning no travel to Italy is required for the proceedings

1

Case Filing

Your attorney files the case in the appropriate regional Italian court.

2

Documentation Review

The court reviews all submitted vital records and lineage evidence.

3

Judgment

The judge issues a decree recognizing your citizenship.

4

Registration

Your birth record is registered with the Italian municipality of your ancestor.

1948 Path versus U.S. Consulate Path

For most citizenship claims, you apply at an Italian consulate. However, due to the legal nature of the1948 Rule, these cases are almost always rejected by consulates and must be filed directly with the Court of Rome. Understanding the two pathways is key to planning your journey.

🏛️ Court Petition in Italy
This is the standard and recommended path for 1948 cases. You hire a lawyer in Italy to file a lawsuit on your behalf to have your citizenship recognized.

✔ High success Rate: Over 95% if documents are
correct
✔ Faster Timeline: Typically 12-24 months.
✔ No Travel Required: Your lawyer represents you.
❌ Higher Cost: Involves legal fees (typically €3,000
- €10,000).
🏬 Consular Application
This Is the path for standard (non-1948) cases. You would apply at the Italian consulate that has jurisdiction over your place of residence.

❌ Very Low Success Rate: Consulates are instructed
to reject 1948 cases.
❌ Extremely Long Wait: Appointment backlogs can be 2-10 years.
✔ Lower Initial Cost: No large legal fees upfront.
❌ Guaranteed Denial: Leads to needing to go to court anyway, causing delays.

Your Documentation Roadmap

A successful citizenship application is built on a solid foundation of official documents. You must prove an unbroken chain of citizenship from your Italian ancestor to you. This interactive checklist outlines the essential records you'll need to gather for a typical 1948 case.

Note: All non-Italian documents must be translated into Italian and have an "Apostille" attached for legal recognition in Italy.

Italian Records (From Italy)
• Ancestor's Birth Certificate (Estratto di Nascita)

• Ancestor's Marriage Certificate (Estratto diMatrimonio)

• Proof of Non-Naturalization from Italy
Vital Records (From Your Country)
• All Birth, Marriage, Death Certs in your line
‍
• Ancestor's US Naturalization Records (or lack thereof)
‍
• Your Birth Certificate (long form)

Why the 1948 Path Remains Your Best Option

The courts remain the strongest defender of your citizenship rights

Constitutional Protection

Your citizenship rights are protected by Italy's constitution, which cannot be overridden by administrative decrees.

Established Precedent

Italian courts have consistently ruled in favour of jure sanguinis claims, creating strong legal precedent.

EU Law Protection

European Union citizenship laws provide additional protection against discriminatory national legislation.

Legitimate Expectations

Courts recognize your legitimate expectation to citizenship based on established law and family heritage.

UNLOCK YOUR FREEDOM

Connect and Automate Every Step of the Dual Citizenship Application Lifecycle

CitizensbyDescent keeps all your data and the documents that support your ancestral line -  easily accessible and up to date. Changes sync across your application, eliminating busy work and keeping you and your family on the same page

Names

Display the names of your family that connect you to your Anchor Ancestor (AA)

Events

Automatically store the key events in your ancestor’s journey to the United States

Dates

Capture the key dates that impacted your AA’s journey to the United States.

Locations

Display the places where these key event occurred (in EU country of origin and in the U.S.)

Navigate the Path with Confidence:
Your Experts at CitizensbyDescent

Why thousands of Americans with Italian heritage trust us with their citizenship journey

Specialized Expertise

Our team focuses exclusively on Italian citizenship applications with deep understanding of the jure sanguinis process.

Time-saving Process

We handle the complex documentation and bureaucratic procedures that would otherwise take months of your time.

Proven Success Rate

Over 95% approval rate with hundreds of successful applications for grandchildren of Italian citizens.

Document Assistance

Expert help obtaining, translating and certifying all required documents from both US and Italian sources.

Personalized Support

Your dedicated case manager guides you through every step of the process with regular updates.

Choose Your Path to Citizenship

Select the plan that fits your needs.

Configure Your Family's Italian Citizenship Plan

Estimate your all-inclusive fee based on how far back your qualifying ancestor is and who in your immediate family is applying with you. Extended family joins later via your referral link.

1 Step 1

How far back is your qualifying Italian ancestor?

This sets your base all-inclusive price due to document complexity.

2 Step 2

Who in your immediate family is applying with you?

Siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles join via our Family Referral Program after enrollment.

Adult Children & Grandchildren

18+ years old · your direct descendants

50% off · $3,000 each

0

Minor Children & Grandchildren

Under 18 · your direct descendants

$750 each

0

Spouses

Your spouse & spouses of your children

$1,000 each

0

Start with your immediate family first.

Once your family enrolls, you'll unlock a unique referral link to invite extended family members with preferred pricing.

Estimated Total

Price per passport

$6,000

1 passport included

Principal Applicant (you) $6,000
Total Fee $6,000
Success-based pricing model
100% money-back guarantee
Price lock for 7 days

This estimate is for planning purposes only and may be refined during your kickoff call based on your family structure.

Extended family relatives join via the Ambassador Program.

What Your GlobalPassport Fee Includes

A single, all-inclusive service so your family can become Italian citizens together without managing dozens of providers.

Document retrieval

We coordinate certified copies of required birth, marriage, and death records across all jurisdictions.

Authentications & Apostilles

We manage apostilles and other government authentications needed for Italian courts and consulates.

Certified Translations

All required translations into Italian by court-certified professionals are included in the fee.

Legal Coordination

We work directly with vetted Italian attorneys who specialize in citizenship by descent cases.

Case Preparation

Centralized tracking of documents, steps, and milestones for your entire family in one portal.

Dedicated Support

A team that has done this hundreds of times guiding you through a process you only want to do once.

What It Really Costs to Do This on Your Own

Most families underestimate the time, cost, and risk of managing a citizenship-by-descent case themselves.

If You Use a Local Attorney & DIY

Document Retrieval (~9 docs) $0
Italian birth record $150
US Vital records (8× $18) $144
Apostilles (8× $25) $200
Translations (8× $75) $600
Legal & Time
Your time (≈40 hrs @ $50/hr) $2,000
Italian attorney (1 people) $5,000
Estimated total $8,094

Numbers shown are typical for a single family and vary by state, comune, and legal path. They do not include costs for rejected applications or repeat work.

Best Value

With Our Service

Your family fee (1 passport) $6,000
Retrieval, apostilles, translations Included
Expert legal coordination Included
Your total $6,000

You save ≈ $2,094

Plus, you avoid 40+ hours of paperwork and the risk of critical errors.

Investment Options

Secure your spot now to lock in current pricing. Rates are projected to increase by 15% in 2026.

You are viewing the current locked-in rates.
🎁 2025 Pricing Ends December 15
Book now to save $1,052 on the full package compared to next year.
Warning: These rates reflect a projected 15% market increase.

Milestone Plan

Pay as you go. Flexible payments aligned with project deliverables.

$1,500 per milestone

Total: $6,000

Payment Schedule (Due Dates): Day 1 • Day 21 • Day 45 • Day 60
  • ✓ Pay per phase
  • ✓ Lower upfront risk
  • ✓ Flexible timeline
Start Milestone

Price via Wire/ACH.
Credit Card installments: $1,545 (3% fee).

» Save $308 vs 2026

Best Value • Save 15%

One-Time Payment

Best value. Pay upfront to secure the lowest overall cost.

$6,000 Save $900
$5,100 one-time fee
  • ✓ Lowest total cost
  • ✓ Priority scheduling
  • ✓ Full roadmap access
Select & Save

Prefer Credit Card?
One-time payment of $5,562.
(Includes 10% discount + 3% processing fee)

» Save $1,052 on total vs 2026

*All prices are in USD. 2026 projections are estimates based on current inflation and market rate adjustments.

Select Your Onboarding Week

We onboard 30 new families per month. Limited slots available.

Nov 24 Kickoff Week
Welcome call and application initiation
FULLY BOOKED
Dec 01 Kickoff Week
Welcome call and application initiation
1
spots remaining
Dec 08 Kickoff Week
Welcome call and application initiation
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spots remaining
Dec 15 Kickoff Week
Welcome call and application initiation
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spots remaining
🕐 Time-Sensitive Reservation

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You are moments away from securing your family's enrollment.

🔒

Confirm Your Slot Hold

Select your Kickoff Week.

ⓘ

Next Steps

1

72 Hour Hold

We lock in your preferred kickoff week immediately.

2

Complete Enrollment Payment

Finalize payment (Milestone, Full, or Financing) within the 1-Week window.

3

Confirmation & Kickoff

Your spot is secured, and we send prep materials for the chosen week.

This slot hold is completely free. No commitment or charges until payment is processed.

Questions? This slot hold gives you time to finalize your decision without losing your preferred week.

Family & Friends Referral Program

Turn your extended network into significant savings

🛡️ Program Access: Available after your immediate family kickoff call.

Estimate Your Rebate

Siblings (separate family plans)
Potential rebate: $300 per referral
0
$0
0 referral(s)
Close Friends (separate family plans)
Potential rebate: $300 per referral
0
$0
0 referral(s)

Potential Net Cost Summary

Your Family Plan Investment $6,000
Potential Referral Rebate (0 offered) -$0
Estimated Net Cost: $6,000
After successful referrals Remember: Start with your immediate family first. The referral program is a bonus opportunity after you've secured your own family's future.

How the Program Works

1. Complete Your Enrollment
Start with your immediate family plan and complete your kickoff call.
2. 30-Day Referral Window Opens
After kickoff, you have 30 days to invite extended family and friends.
3. Share Your Unique Link
Access your link in the client portal and share with your extended network.
4. Referral Enrolls
Your family/friend completes their own principal application.
5. Receive Rebate
You and the referred family each receive a $300 cash rebate.

Heritage Passport Plan

Basic Package

$299.99 USD /Adult Applicant

Includes:

✅ Personalized document checklist by country & lineage
✅ Secure vault to upload, store, and track progress
✅ Access vetted translators, genealogists, and local attorneys
✅ Exportable package to file on your own or with a lawyer
Start Now

All Inclusive

Full Service Package

$6,000 USD / Adult Applicant

Includes:

✅ Dedicated case manager & attorney oversight
✅ Full legal support by Italian Legal team
✅ Full document retrieval & apostilles
✅ Certified translations & notarizations
✅ Application prep & submission
✅ Passport issuance assistance

Family Plan Calculator

Add your spouse, children, and grandchlidren under one application . Our calculator shows a transparent total for your household. Immediate family only.
Calculate Your Family Fee

Extended family relatives join via the Ambassador Program.

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