Who qualifies for Sammarinese citizenship by descent
Children of two Sammarinese parents are citizens from birth. With one Sammarinese parent (mother or father), you are a citizen by origin only if you declare that you want to keep it within seven years of turning 18, at the Civil Status Office or a San Marino embassy or consulate. Adults of one Sammarinese parent who missed the deadline can still take citizenship after being resident in San Marino for 6 years (1 year if they previously lived there for 5 years). A one-off window for people who had missed earlier deadlines closed on 31 October 2021. There is no route through grandparents.
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One Sammarinese parent: declare before you turn 25
Under Article 1 of the Citizenship Law (Law 114/2000), children of two Sammarinese parents are citizens from birth. Children of one Sammarinese parent are citizens by origin on condition that they declare they want to keep the citizenship. The original law gave them twelve months after turning 18; Law 121/2019 extended that to a strict deadline of seven years after reaching majority — so before your 25th birthday.
Declarations are made at the Civil Status Office or a San Marino embassy or consulate.
Sources: Consiglio Grande e Generale — Law 121/2019 amending the Citizenship Law · Consiglio Grande e Generale — Law 114/2000 on citizenship (original text)
Missed it? Six years in San Marino reopens the door
Article 5, as amended in 2021, lets adult children of one Sammarinese parent take citizenship if they are officially and actually resident in San Marino — for at least six years, or one year if they previously lived there for five continuous years. Their minor children who live with them become citizens too. A conviction for an intentional crime with a prison sentence of more than a year bars the application.
A one-off amnesty in 2021 let people who had been removed from the register for missing earlier deadlines re-register; it closed on 31 October 2021.
Dual citizenship after the 2026 reform
Citizens by origin have long been able to hold another citizenship. On 19 February 2026 the Grand and General Council also removed the requirement for people naturalising to give up their citizenship of origin — the result of a 2024 popular petition backed by the diaspora's representatives.
Sources: Milano Finanza — San Marino abolishes the renunciation requirement (19 Feb 2026)
Step by step
1. Get your Sammarinese parent's citizenship certificate from the Civil Status Office. 2. Before your 25th birthday, make the declaration to keep Sammarinese citizenship at the Civil Status Office or a San Marino embassy or consulate, with your birth certificate (apostilled, translated into Italian). 3. Once recorded, apply for a San Marino passport. If you've passed 25, the only route is the Article 5 residence route.
Worked examples
Giulia was born in Bologna in 2003 to a Sammarinese father and an Italian mother. She has until her 25th birthday, in 2028, to declare that she wants to keep Sammarinese citizenship.
Marco was born in 1990 to a Sammarinese mother and never declared. The declaration window has closed; his remaining route is six years' official residence in San Marino under Article 5.
Sammarinese requirements at a glance
- Two Sammarinese parents — or one, with a declaration within seven years of turning 18 (before 25)
- Missed the deadline: 6 years' residence in San Marino (1 year if you previously lived there 5 years), then apply to the Civil Status Office
- No route through grandparents or earlier ancestors
- Declarations at the Civil Status Office or a San Marino embassy or consulate
- No prison sentence over one year for an intentional crime (for the residence route)
Documents for a Sammarinese claim
- 1Your full birth certificate, apostilled and translated into Italian
- 2Proof of your Sammarinese parent's citizenship (San Marino civil status extract or passport)
- 3Your parents' marriage certificate, if relevant
- 4Valid passport or ID
- 5For the residence route: proof of official residence in San Marino and a criminal record certificate
Sammarinese processing times
The declaration by a child of one Sammarinese parent must be made before the 25th birthday; San Marino doesn't publish processing times. The residence route needs at least six years' official residence before you can apply (one year if you previously lived there for five).
Where Sammarinese claims go wrong
- Missing the declaration deadline: with one Sammarinese parent, you must declare before your 25th birthday — after that you must move to San Marino
- Relying on older guides: the declaration window was 12 months until Law 121/2019 extended it to seven years
- The 2021 amnesty for people who missed earlier deadlines closed on 31 October 2021
- San Marino is not an EU member — citizenship does not confer EU free movement rights
Official Sammarinese government sources
Sammarinese citizenship FAQ
Q1My father is Sammarinese and I'm 23. Am I too late?
No. With one Sammarinese parent, you have until seven years after turning 18 — your 25th birthday — to declare that you want to keep the citizenship.
Q2I'm 30 and never declared. Is there any way?
Yes, but only by living in San Marino: six years' official residence (or one year if you previously lived there for five years).
Q3Can I claim through a Sammarinese grandparent?
Not directly. Citizenship by origin comes through a parent; a parent who is a citizen can then pass it on.
Q4Do I have to give up my other citizenship?
Not as a citizen by origin. Since February 2026 people naturalising no longer have to either.
Q5Is San Marino in the EU?
No. A Sammarinese passport doesn't give EU free-movement rights, although San Marino is closely integrated with Italy.
Sammarinese nationality law
Law No. 114 of 30 November 2000 on citizenship, article 1 as amended by Law No. 121 of 2 August 2019 (seven-year declaration window), and article 5 as amended by Law No. 131 of 2021 (acquisition after residence). A law approved by the Grand and General Council on 19 February 2026 removed the requirement to renounce another citizenship when naturalising.
Dual citizenship in San Marino
Citizens by origin can hold another citizenship. Since the February 2026 reform, people naturalising in San Marino no longer have to renounce their citizenship of origin either.
Sammarinese application costs
San Marino doesn't publish a fee schedule for the declaration. Budget for apostilles and certified Italian translations of foreign documents.