Guide to PrenotaMI & Italian Citizenship Appointment Scheduling

In 2021, The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced 'Prenot@Mi’, a modern portal for the purpose of making bookings easier. This portal is meant to be more versatile, user friendly and secure than the prior version. It also allows you to change your Italian consular jurisdiction within your account without hassle.

IMPORTANT: If you or your family are thinking about applying for Italian dual citizenship, or are currently in the process, consider creating an account with the new 'PRENOTAMI' to familiarize yourself with what services your consulate is currently offering. To register for the new system, visit: https://prenotami.esteri.it/. Once your account is created (Here are the FREE INSTRUCTIONS on how to register), you will be asked to select the relevant Italian consulate located in the jurisdiction you reside.

Booking your Italian Citizenship Appointment at the Italian Consulates

Unfortunately, booking a citizenship appointment with any Italian Consulate in the United States will likely take some legwork, dedication, and routine on your part.

We have done our best to summarize the procedures, timelines and tips to help you with this process. It is highly recommended that you review your Consulate-specific notes *before* attempting to book an appointment:

The Los Angeles Italian Consulate releases a few appointments per week that are just three to four months out (or less). This means that only applicants who already have in their hands a complete document portfolio should book these appointments. The best time to look for LA appointments is Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. PST.
The Houston Italian Consulate likewise releases a few appointments per week that are just three to four months out (or less). This means that only applicants who already have in a complete document portfolio should book these appointments. The best time to look for Houston appointments is Wednesday afternoon at 5 p.m. CST. Please also note that the Houston Consulate has a passport requirement. You must have a scan of your U.S. passport ready prior to booking and upload it prior to obtaining access to the calendar.
The New York Italian Consulate has made available a “waitlist” option that you can select if their calendar is full at the time of booking. The waitlist will allow you to be put in line for the next available appointment date. To join the waitlist, after logging into your prenot@mi account, you will be able to navigate to the gray “Book” tab. Select the blue BOOK button next to Citizenship by Decent. Once here, check the privacy policy box and select the blue FORWARD button to access the calendar or confirm if you would like to be added to the waitlist. The waitlist option is not always available, but it is recommended add yourself immediately regardless of how far along you are in the process. There are currently about 8,000 people on this waitlist. The New York Italian Consulate has also made appointments available via cancelations as well as some that are 3-4 months out. It is recommended that you check randomly throughout the day but mainly at 6 p.m. EST and 12 a.m. (midnight) EST to find appointments and/or join the waitlist.

NOTE: First generation applicants in the New York Italian Consulate area (applicants who qualify through one or both of their parents) have available the option of joining the waitlist AND looking for these specific first-generation appointments. Currently they appear to be releasing a few of these per week on Sundays at 6 p.m. EST.

The Boston Italian Consulate has three options for citizenship appointments with the main ones being released in 2029. It is recommended that you immediately start looking for one of those appointments early on in your document acquisition process. The best time to look for a 2029 appointment in Boston is Mondays at 6 p.m. EST.
The Philadelphia Italian Consulate, like Los Angeles and Houston, release a few appointments per week that are just three to four months out (or less). This means that only applicants who already have a complete document portfolio should book these appointments. The best time to look for Philadelphia appointments is Monday at 6 p.m. EST.

NOTE: The Philadelphia Italian Consulate also currently has first generation appointments available for applicants who qualify through one or both of their parents AND any qualifying applicant that has a parent or grandparent that was recognized through the Philadelphia Italian Consulate. The best time to secure one of these appears to be Wednesdays at 6 p.m. EST.

The Washington DC Italian Consulate, like New York, has made available a “waitlist” option that you can select if their calendar is full at the time of booking. The waitlist will allow you to be put in line for the next available appointment date. To join the waitlist, after logging into your prenot@mi account, you will be able to navigate to the gray “Book” tab. Select the blue BOOK button next to Citizenship by Decent. Once here, check the privacy policy box and select the blue FORWARD button to access the calendar or confirm if you would like to be added to the waitlist. The waitlist option is not always available, but it is recommended that you immediately try and add yourself regardless of how far along you are in the process. There are currently about 2,000 people on this waitlist. The Washington DC Italian Consulate has also made appointments available via cancelations as well as some that are 3-4 months out. It is recommended that you check randomly throughout the day to both find appointments and join the waitlist.
The Miami Italian Consulate is only releasing a few appointments per week; these appointments are 3 years out (currently: 2027). It is recommended that you immediately start looking for one of those appointments early on in your document acquisition process. The best time to look for an appointment in Miami is Sundays at 6 p.m. EST.
The Detroit Italian Consulate appears to be releasing several weeks of appointments at once and they are approximately 3 years out (currently: 2027). It is recommended that you immediately start looking for one of those appointments early on in your document acquisition process. The last time a block of these appointments was released happened on a Thursday at 5 p.m. CST. It is the ONLY Consulate that allows UP to FIVE (5) family members per appointment.
The Chicago Italian Consulate releases a few appointments per week that are two years out (currently: 2026). It is recommended that you immediately start looking for one of those appointments early on in your document acquisition process. The best time to look for an appointment in Chicago is Wednesdays at 5 p.m. CST.
The San Francisco Italian Consulate has several booking options, but the only ones they appear to be releasing currently are the ones titled “afternoon appointments.” These are just three to four months out (or less). This means that only applicants who already have a complete document portfolio should book these appointments. The best time to look for San Francisco afternoon appointments is Mondays and Wednesdays at 3 p.m. PST.

Don’t give up!

We recognize the effort you will need to undertake to secure one of these appointments and we highly sympathize with all families that have been looking for months (or years in some cases). Do your best to stay positive and persistent.

At My Italian Family, we don’t just give advice, we handle all the purchasing and preparation of your entire portfolio of documents, whether you apply at an Italian Consulate here in the U.S. or you apply in Italy (including 1948 Challenge Courts Cases). Our experience spans the past 20 years, and we have expert knowledge of what each Italian Consulate requires, as well as what the Italian Courts require. TO GET STARTED AND FOR MORE INFORMATION, CLICK HERE.

Questions on how to get started? Book your FREE Consultation at your convenience.

About the Author

Matthew Caruso Dolson received his Juris Doctorate degree from Widener University School of Law. Prior to joining MY ITALIAN FAMILY, Matt spent several years working in a small firm in Elkton, Maryland working on a variety of cases including civil litigation, family law, real property, and criminal defense. Matt is currently a Senior Project Manager at My Italian Family where he is in charge of managing from Start-to-Finish Italian citizenship document portfolios for presentation to Italian Consulates, Italian Courts or Italian town halls. Matt is also one of My Italian Family's content creators.