Rejected for the “Minor Issue”? What you can do after the August 10, 2026 circular - a practical guide

Ciao a tutti, 

We wanted to share a practical update for anyone who was rejected for the so-called "Minor Issue" (also known as the "Minor Age Issue") in their Italian citizenship by descent case, following the recent Ministry of the Interior circular of August 10, 2026 that creates an important new administrative option.

Following Italian Supreme Court, Joint Sections, Judgment No. 24045/2026, applicants whose cases were rejected under the previous Minor Issue interpretation may now be able to ask the same consulate or Comune to reopen and re-examine the original application, rather than filing a new application or immediately going to court.

A few practical points seem particularly important:

• You generally do not need to file a new application. The request is for reconsideration of the original rejected application.
• A lawyer is generally not required for a straightforward request.
• March 27, 2025 matters. If the original application was filed by that date — or was based on a consular appointment communicated by that date — the application can be reconsidered under the pre-2025 rules, meaning the new generational limits do not apply to that reconsidered application.
• This does not remove the 2025 generational limits for people filing a new application today.
• Reconsideration does not mean automatic approval. Other legal or documentary issues in the original file may still remain.

There are a number of other questions that are already coming up: what happens to pending applications, what if you have moved to another consular district, what if the appointment came after March 27, what about pre-1912 naturalizations, court denials, or applicants who never filed because of the Minor Issue?

We tried to put those questions and the available answers in one practical guide, based on the Supreme Court judgment and the new Ministry circular.

We also prepared an Italian reconsideration request template, a completed fictional example, and an English reference translation for anyone who wants to handle a straightforward request themselves. They are available without registration or any requirement to book a consultation.

Guide and templates:
https://www.apriglianos.com/en/italian-citizenship-minor-age-reconsideration/

One important point: the circular is only a few days old. Individual consulates may still publish their own forms or filing instructions, so it is worth checking the website of the consulate or Comune that issued the original rejection before submitting anything.

As always, this is general information and not legal advice: every case is fact-specific and decided on its own merits, and reconsideration does not guarantee any particular outcome.

Una buona settimana a tutti,
Avv. Salvatore Aprigliano
Italian Attorney
Aprigliano International Law Firm
Milan, Italy

Sources: Italian Supreme Court, Joint Sections, Judgment No. 24045/2026; Italian Ministry of the Interior, Circular Prot. No. 0065050 of August 10, 2026.