Italian Dream & Ancestral Roots - Discover Your Way To Citizenship

Italian citizenship is among the most sought-after options for Americans. The country is an incredible place to live, with its alluring landscapes, pleasant climate, rich culture, and immense financial opportunities. It also has excellent education and healthcare facilities, making it ideal for young families and retirees alike.  The best part is that the country has diverse citizenship routes, including citizenship by descent. It means you have an easy pathway if you can trace your roots back in the country.

But when you want to realize your Italian dreams through your ancestral roots, you must know some facts. The process is relatively simple, but there could be some loopholes here and there. You can check Bersani Law Firm website to understand it from start to end. Even better, you can hire their citizenship experts to make the journey smoother with helpful guidance. Let us share some facts to help you discover your ways to Italian citizenship by descent.

Start by checking your eligibility

The most significant element of a citizenship process is eligibility because it determines the road ahead for an applicant. Essentially, you need to prove that you have an Italian bloodline to take things forward. But there are finer points when it comes to determining your eligibility. Here are the requirements to qualify for this route-

• If either or both of your parents are Italian, you qualify automatically for citizenship by descent. Even adopted individuals can apply, provided they were taken in as a minor.
• Your Italian-born ancestor was a citizen of the country after its unification in 1861
• The ancestor did not give up their citizenship by naturalization in another country before the next person in the line was born

Look out for exceptions

Apart from the eligibility norms, there are some exceptions to the general rule. They can disqualify you from the descent route. It means you will have to find another alternative to get your second passport if you fall into one of these exceptions. Voluntary renunciation of your Italian citizenship before August 15, 1992, automatically disqualifies you. Other exceptions include-

• Your ascendant was naturalized before June 14, 1912
• Your only Italian legal parent is a woman, and she was born before 1948
• The Italian female in your bloodline gave birth before January 1, 1948

Fortunately, people with a maternal bloodline can also claim citizenship through the 1948 Rule. Italian females could not pass on citizenship before 1948. So this rule was implemented by the government to address the discrimination against women.  The process requires a court application, but it is pretty straightforward.

Have your documentation in place

Once you sort out the eligibility, you can move to the next step. Experts recommend that you have your documents in place before applying for citizenship. You will need two sets of documents- from Italy and others from the US. The Italian documents include the birth, marriage, and death certificates of the relevant ancestors in your bloodline. They validate your ancestry, making them the mainstay of your application. But the concern for most applicants is procuring old documents from their ancestor's comune. Collaborating with a citizenship expert gives you an advantage because they have the right connections to speed up the process,

Apart from the Italian paperwork, you will also require  U.S.-issued vital records relevant to your application. Gathering them may be relatively easy, but there are still some legal complexities to resolve. You will need certified long-form copies. Further, they must have an official seal of the Registrar’s Office and an affixed apostille to make them valid. You will also have to translate the non-Italian documents into Italian for the process. The process of obtaining, authenticating, and translating the paperwork can be daunting. Once again, a professional can guide you and ensure you have everything in place.

Go ahead with the Jure Sanguinis application

Complete documentation sets you up for the application process. Once again, you have two options. You can apply in Italy or do it at your local consulate. Most Americans prefer to do it at the nearby Italian consulate because it saves travel and accommodation costs. After your application, you have to wait for your appointment. It is perhaps the most daunting part because the wait can make you impatient. You may get your appointment after months or even a year because consulates have long queues of pending applications. Even when you get your appointment, there is always a chance of delay if your paperwork is incomplete. Thankfully, you can rely on your expert to ensure no errors and omissions.

It is easy to lose your patience and hope while waiting for your appointment at the consulate. If you want to expedite the process, you can apply to an Italian municipality. For this option, you can set up your legal residence in Italy with the help of a citizenship expert. Besides the advantage of quick processing, living in Italy also makes it easier to blend in once you get your citizenship. Either way, you are in the best place to complete the process if you get professional assistance for your application.

Start a new life in Italy

After getting your Italian citizenship by descent, you are all set to start a new life here. Your spouse and dependents can come along as citizens, making it a dream come true for your family. Your rights pass on automatically to the next generations as well. Your family can live and work in Italy, travel visa-free across the EU, and access the entire benefits of citizenship. Citizenship by descent is perhaps the easiest route to fulfill your dream, so the effort and wait are worthwhile.

Your ancestral roots in Italy entitle you to an Italian passport, but you must know everything about the process before starting. Even better, get expert assistance to make the journey seamless from start to end. These seasons professionals show you the way to your second passport, and you feel more confident by having them on your side.