You must apply at the Italian Consulate/authority that has jurisdiction over where you permanently reside outside of Italy.  For more information regarding the jurisdiction of each Italian Consulate please CLICK HERE. You can only apply for dual citizenship in Italy if you are a permanent legal resident of Italy.

If you are an American and you're not sure which consulate covers your state, FOLLOW THIS LINK to find which consular office has jurisdiction over the State where you reside.

The cost varies based on how many generations exist between you and your Italian ancestor who emigrated to your country.  For instance, these are the costs that you will likely incur:

1. Ordering your Italian ancestor’s birth, marriage and death certificates, as applicable through our service, My Italian Family. 

2. You will need a certified copy of your Italian Ancestor's Naturalization papers or, in case he or she was never naturalized, you will need to perform some additional research in the Census Records and with the National Archives.

Not really. The first thing we suggest you do is make an appointment online with the Italian Consulate that has jurisdiction over the State where you reside, and this may be months in the future.

It is not uncommon to take upwards of one year+ to complete the application process and receive your Italian Citizenship.  Some of the key processing times are estimated as follows:

1. Obtaining your ancestor's birth, marriage or death certificates from Italy using our services at My Italian Family can take up to 8 weeks. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR FEES AND TIMELINES.   

As of July 8th, 2014 all applications for the recognition of the Italian citizenship jure sanguinis (by descent) and jure matrimonii (in case of foreign national whose husband is an Italian citizen married prior to April 27, 1983) are subject to the PAYMENT OF A € 300 FEE (Law n. 66 April 24th, 2014 and modifications Law n. 89 June 23rd, 2014 art. 5-bis, comma 1). The application fee is NON REFUNDABLE, regardless of the outcome of the petition.

If your Italian Ancestor was born in Italy before 1861, but migrated to another country after 1861, he or she was an Italian citizen. If instead, your Italian Ancestor migrated away or died before 1861, he or she was NOT an Italian citizen.

There is really no limit of the number of generations, provided your ancestor was born in Italy and emigrated after the beginning of the Kingdom of Italy, March 17th, 1861 and did not naturalize before July 1, 1912. If you are unsure or if you have questions, you can schedule a Free Telephone Consultation. 

There may be a situation where an applicant knows that he or she qualifies for Italian Dual Citizenship but their living ancestor does not have a copy of their Naturalization Certificate or they are unsure as to the details of their naturalization. If you are faced with this challenge you need to be aware that only the living ancestor can request a replacement of their naturalization record.

If your Italian Ancestor naturalized before July 1, 1912, you do not qualify for Italian citizenship even if his or her child was born before this individual naturalized. Prior to that date, when a native-born Italian naturalized in another country, he gave up not only his own Italian citizenship but also that of all of his minor children, regardless of where they were born. Ancestors who naturalized before July 1, 1912 cannot pass on Italian citizenship under Italian Law No. 555 of July 23, 1912.