italian dual citizenship: how much does it cost?

Friends and family that are unfamiliar with dual citizenship process are often shocked at how much it costs. In a funny way, it reminds me a bit of wedding planning. Sure, there were some bigger ticket items, but it was the smaller things (flowers, rentals, invitations, etc.) that really added up -- fast.

Expenses for our Italian dual citizenship process fall into four distinct categories:

• Cost of records
• Cost of translations
• Cost of special certifications, apostilles, etc.
• Consultant and legal fees

 We are about 3/4 of the way through the process and have spent:

• $350 on birth, death and marriage records
• $250 on translations
• $40 on apostilles (this number will increase 3x in the near future)
• $250 on our Sicily-based records requester/researcher

So, already we've spent over $850. The scary part? We're still waiting on the work estimate from the lawyer that will be handling the amending of my grandfather's birth certificate. In the end, I expect us to spend about $1,500 on the entire process.

We get the "oh my, is it really worth it?" question all of the time. The answer? A resounding YES! By the time we get to Italy, we'll have sold our car and won't be paying car insurance. In one year, the lack of car insurance will just about pay for these expenses. What's more, once we get into the Italian health care system, our health costs will go way down (remember, we are self-employed). So, yes, totally worth the expense!

Lessons Learned

1. Depending on the state, birth/death/marriage certificates cost between $6 - $20.
2. I ordered two of everything. In the short term, having back-ups makes me feel safe. In the long-term, I'm excited to create a family archive of records. Just remember, this doubles your records expenses!
3. Apostille costs vary per state, so do some research and factor that into your budget
4. Hiring Italy-based researchers is a much faster way to get records from the homeland -- it can also be a tad expensive. You need to weigh speed vs. cost.



italian dual citizenship: do i need to hire a researcher?

When we first discovered that dual citizenship was available to us, we seriously toyed with the idea of hiring a consultant/researcher to do the legwork for us. I think this is a great option if:

1. You aren't in a rush.
2. You are willing to pay someone for work that you could most likely do yourself.
3. You are in no way, shape or form a "type a" personality.
4. You are extremely un-tech savvy.

As you've probably gathered by now, I didn't meet any of these criteria.  The thought of having this process in someone else's hands basically gave me an anxiety attack ("type a" personality? Check!).

Ten years ago I think hiring a researcher would have been the fastest way to find answers. But now, with message boards, online records requests, indexes, and tools like Ancestry.com, even a novice genealogist can find what he/she is looking for. The key is knowing exactly what you need and staying insanely organized.

In addition, as stressful as the process has been at times, it's also been deeply rewarding. I've discovered things about my family that have been a true joy. What's more, I'm putting together a collection of records and information that will be available to my own children and grandchildren in the future. 

What I might suggest is hiring a consultant to advise you on the process at the beginning and/or the end of your process -- to get you off on the right foot and/or to confirm that your paperwork looks to be in order.

italian dual citizenship: correcting and amending records

In a perfect world, every record you receive will be perfect and 100% accurate. If you are only going back one or two generations, this might actually happen.

Unfortunately, I have yet to read of a single story in the many message boards that I follow of a person going back to a GGF (dual citizenship lingo for great-grandfather) and not having any problems with their records.

What are some common problems?

• Misspelling of names
• Random changes in how names are spelled
• Shortening of names
• The use of nicknames

I experienced all of these things. Thankfully, only one record is giving us any cause for concern: my grandfather's birth certificate. The nickname he went by all of his life (and what we always assumed was his actual first name) isn't even on his birth certificate.

This could have been a total catastrophe. The saving grace? Every other single record in his life (census records, military records, marriage and death certificates) all match the nickname. Having this much support behind a nickname is -- knock on wood -- making it fairly easy to request an amendment to his birth certificate. We are currently in the process of working with a lawyer to file all of the necessary papers to get the court order (yes, a court-freakin-order) to approve the change.

A lot of work? Absolutely. But, also completely necessary. If there is one thing you will read over and over again in the message boards it's this: Italians, whether at consulates or in Italy itself, are picky as you-know-what when it comes to names matching. I can't blame them...bestowing citizenship on people is a big deal.

Lessons Learned

1. Factor "fixing mistakes" time into your plan. I didn't and was totally bummed that we had to postpone our move a few months to get this fixed.
2. Carefully review all records for mistakes.
3. If you have the extra money, spring for certified census records, military records and other supporting documents. You may not need them, but if you do, you'll already have the process moving (or have the documents in hand) to get the vital records amended.
4. Similar to #3, abide by the age-old adage: hope for the best, plan for the worst.



italian dual citizenship: requesting records from sicily

In my first dual citizenship post, I talked about all of the records that I requested from Italy. I want to talk a bit more in depth about the records from Italy/Sicily that I requested.

Why did I request so many? First, I wanted to corroborate names, dates and locations that I already had, but wasn't 100% convinced on. Second, I had an "in" at the commune and didn't want to miss an opportunity to get all of the records that I might ever need in a quick turnaround time.

Any other reasons? Funny you should ask. The full family last name in Italy is "Collurafici," but by the time it got to me it was simply Collora. Tricky for two reasons: it was shortened and then the spelling was changed.

By reviewing the indexes online, I discovered that my great-grandfather and his first wife used the name Collura in their daughter's birth records. Fantastic! Proof that he was using a shortened version before he came to America (I believe this was actually in anticipation of their voyage, as they left only a few months later). Having the daughter's birth record is a great supporting piece of evidence.

But, the commune's records also come with another great feature: a stamp on the back with additional information about the person. For instance, my great-grandfather's birth certificate has a stamp on the back with marriage information about his first wife (including her date of death) and his second marriage, to my great-grandmother. This is important, because I believe it helps weave together the records as the name changes slightly over the years.

Lessons learned:

1. Family is extremely important in Italy. You will find that in many areas, while buildings may be crumbling, church and communal records are kept not only in tact, but quite well.
2. Particularly for original immigrants to America, Italian communes still kept in touch. Even though my great-grandfather's second marriage took place in Philadelphia, he notified his commune in Italy and they made note in their records. This is huge, especially considering my great-grandmother's name is spelled three different ways (none of them accurate) on the Philadelphia marriage certificate.



italian dual citizenship: dealing with mysteries

When I initially began searching my family's Sicilian commune index online for my great-grandfather, I kept overlooking the right person. Why? Well, despite the fact that the birth dates lined up, in 1901 it listed him as getting married -- but, it sure wasn't to my great-grandmother.

I checked with my dad and other relatives and nobody recalled ever hearing about a first wife. So, I kept checking and checking, but could not find another similar record. I decided to give the Italian records search a rest and focus on the U.S. documents. My first stop was to  request my great-grandparents marriage certificate from the city of Philadelphia.

The record showed up in a few weeks. My eyes scanned the document...my great-grandmother's name was spelled three different ways (no worries, nothing an affidavit can't fix), but no other surprises. Wait, wait...does it say he was married before?!

The beauty of old records is that they are often very detailed and my great-grandparents' marriage certificate is no exception. It clearly lists that his first wife had died two years previous in Philadelphia.

Turns out, I had the right guy in Sicily all along. Something in my gut told me I was right all along, but sometimes it's hard to go against what the family tells you. The official documents from Sicily would corroborate the information on the marriage certificate.

Lessons learned:

• Question family oral history
• Review all received records very carefully, particularly the really old ones. Quite often they will provide additional information that you don't already have.
• Requesting uncertified documents speeds up processing times. I requested a simple photocopy of the Philadelphia marriage certificate to make sure it was the right one. I immediately put in a request for an apostilled version, which took about 6 weeks to arrive, once I confirmed that is was indeed my grandparents' certificate.