Immigration is trending among Americans as millions aspire to start life afresh in another country. You may want to do it to experience a different culture, explore financial growth opportunities, or get a new start after retirement.
Reclaiming your roots could be yet another reason. In fact, millions of Americans have ancestral connections in Italy, making it one of the choicest immigration destinations. If you’re planning to migrate to Italy, now is the time to start learning the Italian language with The Intrepid Guide. The best thing is that the country offers a decent route for claiming its citizenship.”
While Italian citizenship by descent is among the easiest ways to reach the country, you must know the process before diving in. To understand it thoroughly you can check the Bersani Law Firm’s website. Hiring an expert to guide you through the process is an even better way to proceed.
After all, immigration is a complex process, and it requires all the time and effort you can give. Here is a guide to getting a second passport from your ancestral connections in Italy.
Eligibility for the Jure Sanguinis process
The eligibility for Italian citizenship by descent sounds simple, but you will find much more by digging deeper. Only having Italian parents or ancestors is not enough to make a valid case for a Jure Sanguinis application. You have to follow specific eligibility norms to qualify for citizenship. These include-
- You both parents or either of them is Italian? Even adopted individuals qualify, provided the adoption happened as a minor (age 21 if born before 1975 and 18 if born after 1975).
- Your Italian ancestor was alive and a citizen of Italy after 1861, the year of formation and unification.
- None of the ascendants in your Italian bloodline gave up their citizenship and became naturalized citizens elsewhere before giving birth to the next person in line.
Besides these eligibility requirements, you must also be aware of some exceptions that can hinder your journey. If you fall into one of these exceptions, you cannot apply through the Jure Sanguinis route. It means you will have to look for another alternative.
Anyone with a female ancestor does not qualify for the descent route if the woman gave birth before January 1, 1948. The reason is that Italian law did not empower women to pass on citizenship rights before 1948. However, you can still claim your right through a court process under the 1948 Rule.
Get a head start with documentation
Establishing your eligibility is only half the work, as the process involves much more. Experts recommend you get a head start with legal documents because gathering them is a complex and time-consuming task.
Expect a long checklist that may overwhelm you at the beginning itself. Moreover, you have to obtain some documents from the Italian comune of your ancestor. These include certificates of birth, marriage, and death to validate your bloodline in Italy. Additionally, you will require your IDs and the ancestor’s naturalization records from the US.
Getting Italian records can be the trickiest part because you may have to travel to obtain them. You can also imagine the challenge of searching for decades-old paperwork from a government office. Thankfully, collaborating with a citizenship expert can simplify things as they have the best local connections.
Things can get complicated with your American documents as well. You will require long-form copies, along with translations into Italian. These documents also have to be legalized with an Apostille stamp. Sorting your paperwork before going ahead can make the journey smooth, so make sure you do it.
Application at an Italian consulate
After completing your documentation, you are ready to go ahead with the application. The good thing about citizenship by descent is that you can apply at your local Italian consulate.
It means you need not even travel to Italy for the process and can complete it from your current residence. You also have the option to apply at an Italian municipality if you want to expedite the Jure Sanguinis process. The choice is yours, so pick the option that works for you.
The most daunting part of applying at a local consulate is that the wait can get longer than you expect. You will get an appointment for a citizenship interview at the consulate, and it can take several months or even a year to get a date. Although it is a small price to pay for one of the most powerful passports in the world, the long wait can get on your nerves. But you cannot do much on this front because consulates have long queues of applications ahead.
Be ready for the appointment
Once you get your appointment, it is your chance to close the process at the earliest. Make sure you have all the required paperwork for the interview. If it is in place, the consulate approves your application and sends it to the Ministry of Interior for processing. Once you get through that stage, you can expect your passport and certificate of citizenship shortly. You can land in Italy with your spouse and family and get back to your roots.
Besides joining your Italian family, your citizenship status opens up many benefits for you. It entitles you to all the rights of an Italian citizen. You can live and work in the country, claim education and healthcare benefits, and travel visa-free across the EU. Your citizenship automatically passes on to the next generations, and there is no generational limit to it. Consider it a new beginning for your family as you reclaim your bloodline.
The Italian citizenship by descent process can take up to a few years, but you can do your bit to expedite the journey.
Collaborating with a citizenship professional gives you a big advantage as they know the immigration law like the back of their hand. Most importantly, they evaluate your application and documents thoroughly to ensure no omissions or errors. Not to mention, having an expert by your side gives you confidence and peace of mind about being on the right track at all times.
