意大利最高法院在7月作出重要裁决，推翻了自2023年以来的"小问题"解释，认定父母在获得他国公民身份后，其作为未成年人的子女不会自动丧失意大利公民身份[1]。这一判决随即得到意大利内政部的执行指示，要求当局遵循最高法院的新解释[1]。此前因该限制性解释被拒的数千名申请人现可申请原申请重新审查，而非重新启动整个申请流程[1]。
澳大利亚居民Ophelia Bryant正是这一裁决的受益人之一[1]。Bryant的父母1955年移居澳大利亚，于1961年入籍澳大利亚并正式放弃意大利公民身份，而Bryant本人于1958年出生于澳大利亚[1]。由于父母的入籍时间，Bryant此前被认定不符合意大利公民身份资格，但如今有望重新提出申请[1]。意大利将从2027年起改变公民身份申请处理方式，由意大利中央办公室统一处理所有案件[1]。
Italy's Supreme Court has reversed a restrictive interpretation of citizenship law that had denied applications from thousands of people, including Australians whose parents naturalized abroad.[1] The July ruling overturned the "small question" interpretation that had been in effect since 2023, determining that children who were minors when their Italian parents acquired citizenship in another country do not automatically lose their Italian citizenship.[1]
Following the decision, Italy's Interior Ministry issued directives instructing authorities to apply the Supreme Court's new interpretation.[1] Applicants whose cases were previously rejected can now request a review of their original applications rather than beginning the entire process anew.[1] The change creates a pathway for cases like that of Ophelia Bryant, an Australian woman whose parents migrated to Australia in 1955 and became Australian citizens in 1961, formally renouncing their Italian citizenship. Bryant herself was born in Australia in 1958.[1]
Starting in 2027, Italy will centralize the processing of citizenship applications through a single national office, marking a further shift in how such cases are handled.[1]