Who can Apply for Italian Citizenship by Descent?

If you have an Italian Ancestor in your blood line you may be in luck. But before your journey begins, you must determine whether you have a solid claim through your Italian ancestor. How? Let’s start by answering to the following questions:

Was your Italian Ancestor still alive on (or born after) March 17, 1861, the day Italy became a “nation”?
Do you know if your Italian Ancestor ever became a U.S. citizen? If the answer is yes, you will have to prove that the naturalization, (the process of becoming an American citizen), took place AFTER the birth of the next child that is in direct line with you and AFTER July 1, 1912. If your Italian Ancestor never became a U.S. citizen, you may also have a path to Italian Citizenship by right of blood. NOTE: If your Italian-born ancestor came over as a “minor," he or she might have become a U.S. citizen through his/her parent (called “Derivative Citizenship”). More HERE.
Are you the descendant of a Female Ancestor? If yes, there is an additional requirement, the so-called 1948 Rule. The child of a female ancestor must be born AFTER January 1, 1948. Before this date, women could hold but not pass citizenship on to their children; when Italy became a Republic and a Constitution was written and enacted on January 1, 1948, women were given more rights including the right to pass citizenship on to their children, but only to children born AFTER January 1, 1948. If you don’t fulfill this requirement, there is the possibility of applying through the Courts in Italy on the basis that this law is discriminatory against the equality between men and women. More HERE.
Were you adopted by a parent who is of Italian descent? If your parent fulfills all the qualification requirements, you can claim Italian citizenship as well. However, if you were adopted as a major (when you were 18 or older), you will have to reside in Italy for five years before applying.
What if your blood parent of Italian descent gave you up for adoption to a non-Italian parent? If your blood parent has a path to Italian citizenship, you may have a path as well, as long as you are able to provide a certified copy of your original birth record listing him or her as your blood parent.

REMEMBER: if you have determined that you have a clear path to Italian citizenship by descent, the success of your application is based on presenting a “complete” document portfolio (no missing documents) and making sure all the “discrepancies” in names and dates have been corrected.

Questions? You can book your FREE Consultation at your convenience.

If you already know you qualify for Italian dual citizenship, you can purchase our Start-to-Finish Program. At My Italian Family, we don’t just give advice, we handle all the purchasing and preparation of your entire portfolio of documents, whether you apply at an Italian Consulate here in the U.S. or you apply in Italy (including 1948 Challenge Courts Cases). Our experience spans the past 20 years, and we have expert knowledge of what each Italian Consulate requires, as well as what the Italian Courts require.TO GET STARTED AND FOR MORE INFORMATION, CLICK HERE.