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In depth
Ius matrimonii (Latin for 'right of marriage') is the principle by which a foreign spouse acquires citizenship through marriage to a citizen. In Italy, a foreign spouse of an Italian citizen can apply for Italian citizenship after 2-3 years of marriage (depending on whether they have minor children).
Ius matrimonii is distinct from jure sanguinis (citizenship by blood). A spouse does not acquire citizenship automatically — they must apply and meet residency/language requirements.
The 1948 Constitution granted women equal rights in citizenship transmission, including through marriage. Before 1948, foreign women who married Italian men automatically acquired Italian citizenship; foreign men who married Italian women did not.
Related terms
Jure sanguinis (Italian for 'right of blood') is the Italian citizenship-by-descent regime, which has no generational limit and is the most accessible CBD regime in Europe.
A 1948 case is a judicial petition for Italian citizenship filed in the civil court of Rome, available to descendants of Italian women who gave birth before January 1, 1948.
The anagrafe is the Italian civil registry office that maintains records of residents, births, marriages, and deaths in each Italian commune (municipality).
An atto di nascita is an Italian birth certificate, retrieved from the anagrafe (civil registry) of the commune where the person was born.
Stato civile (civil status) refers to the Italian system of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths, maintained by the anagrafe in each commune.
A comune is an Italian municipality — the basic unit of local government. There are 7,900+ comuni in Italy, each with its own anagrafe (civil registry).