# Vatican citizenship, office and residence Vatican citizenship is tied to defined offices, service and authorised family or other residence. The reviewed law does not provide an ordinary naturalisation clock available merely by living in the territory for a number of years. Scope: Citizenship and residence of Vatican City State under Law CXXXI/2011. Holy See service is relevant to specific legal categories; citizenship is not synonymous with Vatican residence or Italian residence. Jurisdiction: Vatican City State. Sources reviewed 2026-09-22; review due 2026-12-21. General information, not legal advice or a finding of eligibility. Requirements depend on the route, applicant and filing date. Verify the official instructions before applying. ## Citizenship attached to defined roles The law identifies as citizens cardinals resident in Vatican City or Rome, diplomats of the Holy See, and people obliged to reside in Vatican City because of their office or service. These are defined institutional categories, not a general immigration-to-naturalisation route. Evidence: conditional. [Governorate of Vatican City State: Law CXXXI of 22 February 2011 on citizenship, residence and access](https://www.vaticanstate.va/phocadownload/leggi-decreti/Leggesullacittadinanzalaresidenzaelaccesso.pdf). Source location: Law CXXXI/2011 Article 1(1), scanned PDF p. 2. ## Authorised residence and family requests Citizenship may be conferred on request by the Pope, or on his behalf by the Governorate's President, on people authorised to reside for office or service, people authorised by the Pope independently of that category, and a citizen's spouse or children authorised to reside with that citizen in Vatican City. Family connection alone is not the complete condition. Evidence: conditional. [Governorate of Vatican City State: Law CXXXI of 22 February 2011 on citizenship, residence and access](https://www.vaticanstate.va/phocadownload/leggi-decreti/Leggesullacittadinanzalaresidenzaelaccesso.pdf). Source location: Law CXXXI/2011 Articles 1(2) and 2, scanned PDF pp. 2-3. ## Residence does not itself grant citizenship People within the request-based categories who do not seek citizenship can instead be residents for the authorised period. Other authorised family members, domestic workers and people admitted in appropriate cases may also reside without citizenship. No ordinary number-of-years naturalisation threshold is established by this residence permission. Evidence: documented. [Governorate of Vatican City State: Law CXXXI of 22 February 2011 on citizenship, residence and access](https://www.vaticanstate.va/phocadownload/leggi-decreti/Leggesullacittadinanzalaresidenzaelaccesso.pdf). Source location: Law CXXXI/2011 Article 6, scanned PDF pp. 4-5. ## Citizenship can end with the qualifying link Loss rules follow the category: a cardinal ceasing to reside in Vatican City or Rome, a diplomat leaving the Holy See's diplomatic service, or a qualifying office or service ending can lose citizenship. For residence-dependent citizenship, abandonment of residence or expiry or revocation of its authorisation can also end citizenship. A temporary stay elsewhere does not itself count as abandonment when the required home is retained. Evidence: conditional. [Governorate of Vatican City State: Law CXXXI of 22 February 2011 on citizenship, residence and access](https://www.vaticanstate.va/phocadownload/leggi-decreti/Leggesullacittadinanzalaresidenzaelaccesso.pdf). Source location: Law CXXXI/2011 Article 3(1) and (3), scanned PDF pp. 3-4. ## Dependent family citizenship is not permanent A spouse's or child's derivative citizenship ends when the principal citizen loses citizenship. Children also cease to be citizens at eighteen unless citizenship has already ended; any continuing residence is governed by the residence provisions. For someone who ceases Vatican citizenship and lacks another nationality under Italian law, Article 9 of the Lateran Treaty provides a narrowly conditioned Italian-nationality fallback, not automatic Italian nationality for every former Vatican citizen. Evidence: conditional. [Governorate of Vatican City State: Law CXXXI of 22 February 2011 on citizenship, residence and access](https://www.vaticanstate.va/phocadownload/leggi-decreti/Leggesullacittadinanzalaresidenzaelaccesso.pdf); [Holy See, Secretariat of State: Lateran Treaty of 11 February 1929, Articles 9 and 17](https://press.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/archivio/documents/rc_seg-st_19290211_patti-lateranensi_it.html). Source location: Law CXXXI/2011 Article 3(1)(e) and (2), scanned PDF pp. 3-4; Lateran Treaty Article 9. ## Scope and limitations - No general residence-to-citizenship route, language framework, universally available application or processing guarantee is inferred. Admission, office, service and family authorisations are substantive conditions. - The reviewed law took effect on 1 March 2011. Other nationality laws and individual diplomatic or employment circumstances need separate assessment; the Lateran fallback is not a general dual-nationality guarantee. ## Explore this passport - [Passport rank and travel access](https://multipassrank.com/passport/vatican-city) - [Tax residence & income](https://multipassrank.com/passport/vatican-city/taxes) - [Country-profile JSON, including sources and scoped requirements](https://multipassrank.com/api/v1/country-profiles/VA) - [Multiple-citizenship policy guide](https://multipassrank.com/dual-citizenship-countries) [Canonical page](https://multipassrank.com/passport/vatican-city/citizenship)