Proposal for a referendum to repeal Article 3 bis of Law 91/1992: 500,000 signatures required!

The proposal to eliminate both the retroactive effect of the reform and the requirement that the ascendant be exclusively Italian citizens has been published in the Official Journal.

On September 17, 2026, the Official Journal of the Italian Republic published the statement from the Supreme Court of Cassation registering the request presented by eleven Italian citizens to promote a referendum to repeal Article 3- bis of Law No. 91/1992.

The goal now is to collect at least 500,000 signatures from voters.

The request does not intend to completely repeal Article 3- bis , introduced by Legislative Decree no. 36/2025 and converted by Law no. 74/2025.

The question identifies two specific cuts in the text: the expression “ even before the date of entry into force of this article ”, contained at the beginning of the first paragraph, and the word “ exclusively ”, present in letter c) of the same provision.

The first expression is the one through which Article 3- bis extends the new regulation to persons born before its entry into force. Its elimination therefore aims to remove this very provision from the legislation.

The second measure would concern the exception currently reserved for those with a first- or second-degree relative who holds, or held at the time of death, "exclusively" Italian citizenship.

If the referendum reaches the polls, it will be valid and the "yes" vote prevails, the word exclusively would no longer be valid.

With the publication in the Official Journal , the phase that allows for the formal organization of the collection of the necessary signatures begins.

The collection can also be done digitally.

Italy has a national platform managed by the Ministry of Justice for collecting signatures for referendums and popular legislative initiatives, which identifies each initiative by indicating the start date of collection.