The difference between applying in the US or in Italy

Today, more and more applicants for Italian Dual Citizenship are faced with the decision to apply in their country of residence, United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, etc. or to apply in Italy. Assuming all eligibility requirements are met, you can technically only apply at the Italian Consulate that has jurisdiction over the State or Province of your “Permanent Residence”.  However, you can establish residence in Italy and apply in-person, thus avoiding the long delays for appointments at the Italian Consulates outside of Italy. Here are the main differences:

If you apply in the U.S.:

• You have to go through the Italian Consulate that has jurisdiction over the State where you reside (this can be a slow process although we are starting to see some improvements)

• The application itself, documents, Apostilles and translations may be simpler

• When you are granted Italian Citizenship you are ONLY registered in the A.I.R.E. associated with your Consulate (Anagrafe per i residenti italiani all’estero) – Registry for the Italians residing abroad which has no fiscal implications 

If you apply in Italy:

• You have to establish permanent legal residency in a town of your choice

• You will apply through the Italian Town hall of the Comune where you reside.

• The application is more convoluted (more documents need to be Apostilled and translated to Italian, the translations have to be certified by a court in Italy or by the Italian Consulate here in the U.S. where the applicant resided)

• When you are granted Italian Citizenship you will also be a resident of Italy, which may have some fiscal and other implications. 

Conclusion: you must apply at the Italian Consulate that has jurisdiction over the State where you reside here in the U.S.  You can only apply for Italian dual citizenship in Italy if you are a permanent legal resident of Italy.

Interested in learning more? Call us at 1-888-472-0171 (Option #1) or SET UP A TELEPHONE CONSULTATION.