Italian Dual Citizenship & Military Service

Unless individuals seeking Italian citizenship via jure sanguinis have definitive proof or confirmation that their ancestor naturalized they should not automatically assume that by serving in the U.S. armed forces their ancestor gave up his Italian citizenship. Although this is not generally the case, it is possible that if he served he could have remained an Italian citizen.

United States citizenship is not a requirement for serving in the U.S. military. In fact, immigrants have served in the U.S. military since Civil War days and non U.S. citizens continue to do so today.

Although service in the U.S. military may lead to an expedited path to U.S. citizenship this certainly is not always the case for every individual. Individuals interested in exploring Italian citizenship via jure sanguinis should exhaust all avenues available to them to determine if their ancestor did or did not naturalize before they determine if they are qualified.

If an individual does not have confirmation of their ancestor’s citizenship status, they should conduct a thorough investigation prior to making a final determination as to qualification. A formal records search request for a Naturalization record from the US Department of Homeland Security must take place.

Why not book a FREE Consultation with us or call us at 1-844-745-1114, and find out how we are uniquely different and how we can handle the complete Italian Dual Citizenship process for you!

Photo by Nick Parrino (Library of Congress): One American soldier who found his relatives in Sicily, Vincent J. Orivello of Milwaukee, WI, eating ice-cream at a sidewalk cafe in Palermo with three of his cousins in 1943.