San Marino
Last Updated: 2026-03-31
Official Portal: Secretary of State for Internal Affairs
Embassy Finder: Sammarinese Diplomatic Missions
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Residency for naturalization | 30 years of continuous residence (one of the longest in the world) |
| Language requirement | No formal language examination required by law |
| Civics test | No formal test |
| Processing time | Variable — applications reviewed by the Great and General Council (parliament) |
| Naturalization fee | Variable (administrative fees apply) |
| Dual citizenship | Fully permitted since 2000 (Law No. 114/2000) |
| Citizenship by birth in San Marino | No jus soli — birth in San Marino does not confer citizenship |
| Citizenship by descent | Automatic for children of Sammarinese citizens (jus sanguinis) |
| Governing law | Law No. 114 of 30 November 2000 — Reforms to the Citizenship Law, and subsequent amendments |
Dual Citizenship
San Marino fully permits dual citizenship since the enactment of Law No. 114/2000.
Pre-2000 Rule: San Marino did not allow dual citizenship. Sammarinese citizens who acquired a foreign nationality lost their citizenship, and foreign nationals were required to renounce prior citizenship upon naturalization.
Post-2000 Rule:
- Sammarinese citizens may acquire foreign nationalities without losing Sammarinese citizenship.
- Foreign nationals naturalizing in San Marino are not required to renounce their existing citizenship.
- The reform was particularly significant for the Sammarinese diaspora (notably in Italy, Argentina, and the United States), many of whom had lost citizenship under the old rules.
- Persons who lost Sammarinese citizenship before 2000 due to acquiring a foreign nationality may apply for restoration.
Acquisition of Nationality
By Birth
San Marino follows strict jus sanguinis. There is no jus soli — birth on Sammarinese territory does not confer citizenship.
By Descent
A child acquires Sammarinese citizenship at birth if:
- The father is a Sammarinese citizen at the time of birth.
- The mother is a Sammarinese citizen at the time of birth (equal transmission through both parents established by the 2000 reform; prior to 2000, citizenship passed primarily through the father).
There is no generational limit on citizenship by descent under current law, though applicants must be able to document an unbroken chain of descent from a Sammarinese citizen. Given San Marino’s small population (approximately 33,000), genealogical records are well-maintained at the Civil Registry (Ufficio di Stato Civile).
By Adoption
A minor child adopted by a Sammarinese citizen acquires citizenship upon finalization of the adoption under Sammarinese law. The adoption must be legally recognized by San Marino’s courts.
By Marriage
Marriage to a Sammarinese citizen does not confer automatic citizenship, but provides a pathway:
- A foreign spouse may acquire Sammarinese citizenship after at least 15 years of continuous residence in San Marino while married to a Sammarinese citizen.
- Alternatively, if the couple resides abroad, the foreign spouse may apply after 15 years of marriage (without the residence requirement in San Marino).
- The foreign spouse must demonstrate integration and a clean criminal record.
By Naturalization
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Continuous residence | 30 years in San Marino |
| Age | 18 years or older |
| Language | No formal examination (Italian is the de facto language) |
| No criminal record | Clean criminal record in San Marino and country of origin |
| Financial self-sufficiency | Must not be a burden on the state |
| Renunciation of prior citizenship | Not required (since 2000) |
| Parliamentary approval | Naturalization applications are submitted to and approved by the Great and General Council |
The 30-year residency requirement is among the most restrictive in the world. San Marino’s small size, limited immigration, and close-knit society contribute to this conservative approach. There is no accelerated pathway except through marriage or descent.
Exceptional merit: The Great and General Council may, by special resolution, grant Sammarinese citizenship to individuals who have rendered exceptional services to the Republic. This is extremely rare and entirely at parliamentary discretion. Historical examples include honorary grants to foreign heads of state and distinguished individuals.
Note on Italian residents: Given that San Marino is entirely surrounded by Italy, the vast majority of naturalization applicants are Italian citizens who have lived in San Marino for decades. The 30-year requirement reflects the Republic’s deliberate approach to preserving the small population’s character and civic identity.
Loss and Renunciation
Voluntary renunciation: A Sammarinese citizen may renounce citizenship provided they hold another nationality and will not become stateless. The renunciation is submitted to the Civil Registry.
Involuntary loss:
| Ground | Details |
|---|---|
| Fraud | Citizenship obtained through fraudulent means may be revoked |
| Voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship (pre-2000) | Caused automatic loss under the old law; this ground was abolished in 2000 |
| Threat to national security | Extreme cases involving acts against the Sammarinese state |
Since the 2000 reform, involuntary loss is extremely rare. The primary mechanism for loss is voluntary renunciation.
Restoration of Nationality
Former Sammarinese citizens who lost citizenship before the 2000 reform (by acquiring a foreign nationality) may apply for restoration:
- Must demonstrate former Sammarinese citizenship and the circumstances of loss.
- The 30-year residency requirement does not apply to restoration cases.
- Descendants of former Sammarinese citizens who lost citizenship may also apply for citizenship by descent, provided they can document the ancestral chain.
- Applications are processed by the Civil Registry with oversight from the Secretary of State for Internal Affairs.
Gender equality note: Before the 2000 reform, Sammarinese women who married foreign nationals lost their citizenship, and only fathers could transmit citizenship to children. Law No. 114/2000 corrected both discriminatory provisions. Women affected by the pre-2000 rules may apply for restoration, and their descendants who missed out on citizenship due to the patrilineal-only rule may apply for citizenship by descent.
Stateless Persons and Foundlings
- A foundling discovered on Sammarinese territory whose parents are unknown is presumed to be a Sammarinese citizen until proven otherwise.
- San Marino’s legal framework provides for the prevention of statelessness in cases involving children born on its territory who cannot acquire any other nationality, though the microstate’s small size means such cases are exceedingly rare.
- San Marino is not a party to the 1954 or 1961 UN Conventions on statelessness, but its domestic law addresses key principles of statelessness prevention.
- Given San Marino’s geographic enclosure within Italy, any statelessness case arising on Sammarinese territory would likely be addressed in coordination with Italian authorities under the bilateral framework between the two states.
- Children born in San Marino to foreign parents who cannot transmit their nationality are protected from statelessness under Sammarinese domestic provisions.
Document Checklist
Completed citizenship application form
Valid passport or travel document
Birth certificate (apostilled and translated into Italian)
Marriage certificate (if applying via spousal pathway, apostilled and translated)
Proof of continuous residence in San Marino (30 years for naturalization, 15 years for spousal pathway)
Criminal background check from San Marino and country of origin
Proof of financial self-sufficiency
Genealogical documentation (for citizenship by descent — birth, marriage, and death certificates establishing the lineage)
Two passport photos
Payment receipt for administrative fees
Sources
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Law No. 114 of 30 November 2000 — Reform of Sammarinese Citizenship Law. https://www.consigliograndeegenerale.sm/
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Secretary of State for Internal Affairs — Citizenship procedures. https://www.esteri.sm/
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Ufficio di Stato Civile (Civil Registry) — Birth, marriage, and citizenship records.
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Global Citizenship Observatory (GLOBALCIT) — San Marino country profile. https://globalcit.eu/
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UNHCR — Refworld — San Marino nationality law references. https://www.refworld.org/