Italian Dual Citizenship
If you stumbled upon our blog whilst searching for information on the dual citizenship process, let us welcome you! What a fun, challenging, frustrating and rewarding experience it can be to apply for your Italian dual citizenship. Trust us, we know!
We blog about the Italian dual citizenship process quite often. It is a time consuming, but ultimately rewarding, process. I hope you will find our experiences and advice helpful.
Here is a collection of our posts (more are always being created!) about the dual citizenship process:
- What is jure sanguinis?
- What records I requested
- Correcting and amending records
- Requesting records from Sicily
- Do I need to hire a researcher?
- How much does it cost?
- Dealing with mysteries
- The D.I.Y. approach
- Introduction to apostilles
- Certifying translations
Here is an ever-growing list of articles that I have written on the subject of dual citizenship:
- Italian Dual Citizenship: 3 Things You Need to Know
- Italian Dual Citizenship: How to Request Records from the United States
- Italian Dual Citizenship: Deciding Which Ancestors Not to Apply Through
- Italian Dual Citizenship: How to Certify Translations at a Consulate
- Italian Dual Citizenship: Translating Documents Yourself
- Italian Dual Citizenship: Top 5 Information Resources
- Italian Dual Citizenship: How to Find a Translator
Here are links to a few message boards that I found helpful -- and continue to find helpful -- during this process:
- Expats in Italy
- ICGB's Italian Dual Citizenship Message Board
- Italian Citizenship Message Board
- ItalyLink
If you are new to the concept of dual citizenship, there are a few terms/concepts with which you should familiarize yourself...
jure sanguinus: Italy bestows citizenship jure sanguinis, which translate from latin to "continuity of blood." Essentially, the Italian government believes that being Italian is "in your blood" and that no one can take it from you unless it is specifically renounced.
qualifying for dual citizenship: There is no limit of generations for the citizenship via blood, but the Italian ancestor born in Italian territories before 1861 had to die after 1861 anywhere (in Italian territory or abroad) but without losing the Italian citizenship before death in order to being able to continue the jure sanguinis chain. This is required because 1861 is the year that the Unification of the Italian territory took place. Another constraint is that each descendant of the ancestor through whom citizenship is claimed jure sanguinis can pass on citizenship only if they were a citizen at the time of the birth of the person to whom they are passing it. So, if one person in the chain renounces or otherwise loses their Italian citizenship, then has a child, that child is not an Italian citizen jure sanguinis. A further constraint is that citizenship could be passed on by women only after January 1, 1948. Those born before that date are not Italian citizens jure sanguinis if their line of descent from an Italian citizen depends on a female at some point. (Source: Wikipedia).
acceptable generations: you can qualify through (a) your parents (b) your grandfather or grandmother (c) your great-grandfather. Note: qualifying through a grandmother is only possible if your mother or father was born after January 1, 1948. Prior to this time, it was extremely uncommon for women to renounce citizenship, thus making it an unreliable way to establish jure sanguinis.
naturalized citizen: in order for an ancestor to pass down Italian citizenship, he or she can never have renounced their Italian citizenship. This happens mostly by becoming a naturalized citizen. I was unable to claim jure sanguinis through my maternal side because I very quickly found my great-grandfather's naturalization papers, in which he renounces his King. It's that clear -- I renounce Italy, I love America. If, however, the next direct descendant is born before the person becomes a naturalized citizen, you are in the clear. For instance, if you grandfather was born in 1925 and your great-grandfather naturalized in 1930, you are A-OK.
vital records: lingo in most states for birth, death and marriage records.
apostille: a super special seal that gets affixed to vital records that denotes their authenticity. In most states, you need to mail in or walk in your original records with a check and a cover letter stating the use of the documents in order to receive the seal. It costs anywhere from $5 - $20 per record (in our experience). Want to nerd out? Read more about the apostille at Wikipedia.
