Italy
Dual citizenship with Italy and the United States
Choose the border you are crossing: the tool tells you which of your two passports to show.
Which passport do I show, as a US and Italian citizen?
Show
US passport
| Rule | Required by US law to enter and leave the United States |
| In practice | Use the Italian one with the airline only if it asks |
The State Department rule applies to every US national, dual or not.
Italy and the United States both allow dual citizenship, so an American recognized as Italian keeps both passports. On the Italian side, article 11 of Law 91/1992 says a citizen who holds, acquires or reacquires a foreign citizenship keeps the Italian one, unless they renounce it. On the US side, the State Department states that US law does not make a citizen choose, and that acquiring a foreign citizenship by descent does not cost US citizenship unless done with the intention of giving it up. Two practical rules follow: you enter and leave the United States on your US passport, and Italy may ask you to enter and leave Italy as an Italian. The twist since 2025 is that holding US citizenship from birth is precisely what now blocks automatic transmission to people born abroad, unless an exception of article 3-bis applies, which is why a dual citizen's own children may not inherit the Italian passport.
Do I file an FBAR or Form 8938 this year?
FBAR (FinCEN Form 114)
Required
| FBAR threshold | over $10,000 at any time |
| Form 8938 | Not required |
| Your 8938 limits | $50,000 on Dec 31 · $75,000 any time |
| FBAR due | April 15, automatic extension to October 15 |
Form 8938 applies only if you must file an income tax return. A second passport changes neither test: they follow the accounts you hold.
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What each country says
| Question | Italy | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Must you give up the other citizenship? | No (art. 11, Law 91/1992) | No (State Department) |
| Passport to enter and leave the country | Italian, as a rule | US, required by law |
| Can you lose it by acquiring the other? | No; only by renouncing | Only with intent to relinquish |
| Tax filing while living abroad | Based on residence | Based on citizenship |
The State Department page on dual nationality adds one caveat worth knowing before a long stay in Italy: dual nationals owe allegiance to both countries, must obey the laws of both, and may get limited help from US consulates while in the country of their other nationality.
Military service, voting and jury duty
Italy no longer calls up conscripts in peacetime, so a newly recognized adult is not drafted. Recognized citizens living abroad are entered in the register of Italians abroad (AIRE) through their consulate, which lets them vote by mail in Italian national elections and referendums. US jury duty and voting are unaffected by the Italian passport.
Money and taxes
The United States taxes its citizens wherever they live. Holding an Italian passport does not change that, but moving to Italy, opening accounts there or receiving an Italian pension brings reporting duties. The FBAR is due when foreign accounts together exceed $10,000 at any time of the year; the tool below runs that test and the Form 8938 one. The tax page for dual citizens covers the foreign earned income exclusion and the treaty between the two countries.
Living and working in Europe
The practical value of the Italian passport is the right to live, work and study anywhere in the European Union without a visa, and to stay in the Schengen area without counting days. Spouses who are not Italian do not get the passport through you automatically, but they can live with you in Italy and later apply by marriage. If you plan to move, the page on applying from Italy explains how a comune handles a recognition file.
The circle the 2025 law created
Under article 3-bis, US citizenship at birth is what stops the Italian line, so the dual status that families sought for generations now ends with the recognized person unless they or their children meet an exception. Families planning ahead read the main Italy page with this in mind, and the table of countries shows how other countries treat the children of dual citizens.