Congratulations! You sound so overwhelmed throughout this video, it must have been a huge deal for you. I have dual citizenship too, it's a great feeling.
As soon as you were born, you were an Italian citizen. All you did with all that documentation that you had to come up with, was to have it formally recognized.
Ciao Sofie! Great video! It took me 4 years to get through the process! I love being a duel citizen and my children are one by one getting theirs. We love Italy and hope to spend a lot of time there! LOVE all your informative videos!! Keep them coming!! Ciao ciao
SiriusB88, I am wondering about my Grandfather. He left Italy, my Grandmother, and my Dad behind and went to Argentina. Did he lose his Italian Citizenship after a certain number of years in Argentina? To complicate things, he went to the U.S. from there and died in the U.S. My Dad was born in Italy in 1929, moved to the U.S. in 1948, and died in the U.S. in 1984. Any advice would be wonderful.
I'm from South American, I'm going through the same hurdles. It's taking me 2 years for me to get Portuguese Citizenship through my grand father. Also, I moved to US on a Student Visa and it was almost impossible to get my Permanent Resident Visa (Green Card), which leads to citizenship. It took me 3 years to get the green card through an employers, so I know exactly how relieved you must be feeling. Congrats Sofie!
My maternal great-grandfather was born Italian, immigrated to Argentina and never renounced his citizenship, so my mom is in the process of gathering the rest of the paperwork so that we can get the citizenship. It's definitely cost us some money since we live in the US and can't afford to travel out there to get the documents we were missing, but I'm praying that it all works out! For a while it seemed like nothing but roadblocks
Nice info! Congrats! For others applying in Italy, you don't need a Visa. Jure sanguis has a special set of rules. Get a dichiarazione di presenza, apply for residency, and then start the application process at your comune. If it will take longer than 90 days (standard time allowed to stay in Italy without Visa) then you get a permesso di soggiorno, which is the special permission to stay in Italy while applying jure sanguis. I did a similar process recently. Circolare K32 has the rules.
I'm a Canadian living in Germany and in the process now. After two months I got the documents. Now in the process of legalizing and translating the Canadian ones...
I feel like it sounds relatively simple when you just lay out all the steps you went through in a video like this, but when you're the one who actually has to go through all the research and setbacks yourself, it just gets so overwhelming! I did a lot of research myself (despite not speaking French very well) to get my French citizenship; luckily for me in the end it was much simpler than I initially imagined, but through my research I learned of a few situations in which it would have been a massive headache trying to gain citizenship. I thought my own situation would be very hard because of one little detail that thankfully ended up being a non-issue in the end. But it turns out that in France, official copies of birth certificates actually expire(!!?!?!) within three months, and they have to be obtained directly from the city that they're from, and they can only be requested by immediate family members or the person themself. So basically, if you don't have immediate French family who are alive and willing to help you, it's either really hard or downright impossible to claim citizenship. Even though the law technically says that it's the birth right of all French descendants, in practice I think the government only wants to take in people with active ties to the country. It's crazy though that the Italian consulate wouldn't give you an appointment, and that you had to have Italian residency before you could submit your papers there. Each country has its own hurdles..... congrats on your citizenship!!!
Maybe an odd question, but why all the marriage certificates? Couldn’t you go the paternal route and use grandfather’s birth cert., dad’s birth cert., naturalization and your birth certificate and then move forward from there?
I recently also was able to get citizenship this way and can completely understand what the process can put you through. Congrats on successfully completing the process!
can you please do a video on how you travel with two passports between your two countries of citizenship? I was born in Michigan and have an Italian grandmother and got my first Italian passport yesterday from the Italian consulate in Detroit! great vid BTW!
Hi Aaron, I live in Michigan too. I'm looking into getting my Italian citizenship from the Detroit consulate too via either my paternal Italian grandmother or my father who was born on a army base in Italy. I wonder if my grandmother living in the States from 1962- 2000/2001 when she passed away lost her Italian citizenship, and what about my father? Just looking for if anyone has had a similar situation as me when trying to get their dual citizenship. And Sofie, do you have any information on this?
Hi Liseia thanks for stopping by! I don't know anything about army bases and citizenship so sorry there. Was your grandmother still an Italian citizen when she passed? If she was still holding an Italian passport at her time of death and you were already born then you should be able to get it by proving you are born from your father and he from her. As long as she was an Italian citizen when both your father and you were born then you should be in the clear. But you have to make sure she never renounced her citizenship! Hope any of that info helps and please remember i'm no LEGAL expert! So if you want answers that are 100% accurate I recommend hiring a professional! XO
Hi listeria, sorry for the late reply. Here is how the citizenship by descent works. Italian citizenship is transmitted from parent to child without limitation of generation, that includes those born outside of Italy, meaning an Italian citizen can pass their citizenship to their child regardless of what country the child is born in and regardless if the Italian citizen parent was not born in Italy and is also a citizen by descent. If your grandma was an Italian citizen at the time of the birth of your father, and your father was born after 1948, then your father would be an Italian citizen at birth by descent. before 1948 Italian women were not allowed to pass down citizenship. If your father is technically an Italian citizen he would have passed his citizenship to you when you were born making you technically an Italian citizen right now. And as you probably already know you have to go through the entire recognition process in order to actually be able to use that citizenship. If your grandma naturalized in the United States, or any other country for that matter, before 1992 she automatically lost Italian citizenship by function of Italian law, even if she didn't formally report her naturalization to the Italian authorities. So if she naturalized before your father was born (assuming your father was born before 1992) then your grandma would have lost the citizenship and not been able to pass it down. Most foreign citizens have to live in Italy for 10 years to naturalize as an Italian citizen, however if you have an Italian citizen parent or grandparent who for whatever reason couldn't pass their citizenship to you then you can naturalize after living in Italy for 3 years instead of 10. So if you can't get citizenship if your grandma naturalized in the US then you could always move to Italy and live there for 3 years and get citizenship that way, provided you speak Italian as its a naturalization requirement and don't have a criminal record etc. etc. Now lets go back to the 1948 rule. Due to the sexist nature of the law appeals made in Italian courts to have the citizenship of Italian citizen women who had their children before 1948 have had a %100 success rate. It has become very common for people in the situation of being descended from an Italian citizen woman who wouldn't pass down citizenship due to the 1948 rule to be able to pass their citizenship down through a court case. I know people who have done it and they got their Italian passports. There are many lawyers who do it. If you're on Facebook you should join a group called Dual U.S.-Italian Citizenship, there are multiple groups with similar names but the one you should join has about 5,000 member if I recall correctly, their is a wealth of very knowledgeable people in this group who will be able to answer all of your questions in a timely manner.
It´s simple, you leave and enter Italy (or the EU for that matter) using your Italian passport and leave and enter the USA using your American one. As for the other countries use the passport that is more convenient according to visa regulations and etc. I use my Italian passport to get into the USA (dual Brazilian /Italian here) because I don´t need a tourist visa using it. But I always use my Brazilian document do get in and out of Brazil.
I did my citizenship through the Boston consulate as well! I think for the initial appointment (this happened in 2012), I had my uncle accompany me because he knows the man in charge rather well (connections are always key lol). I got my citizenship certificate about five months after we started the process but I waited until 2017 to get my passport because I hadn’t traveled to Europe within those five years. But to do the passport I made the appointment online and truly had no problem! I went in for the appointment with everything ready and they made the passport for me there, on the spot in fifteen minutes 👌🏼
I've received confirmation from the Italian consulate that I qualify through my paternal great grand father how ever my maternal grandmother was also born in Italy so one generation more recent and I was informed by a friend that a recent court case now allows me to qualify through the maternal line. Doesn't make much of a difference since I still qualify just irks me that I should qualify through my grandmother.
Congratulations for your Italian citizenship! :) Getting it from an Italian comune is way easier than doing it from consulates. Everything you said is correct except from the fact that you need a permesso di soggiorno in order to get residence and then apply for citizenship from Italy. It is only needed to communicate your presence at the local police station within 8 days from you arrival and then apply for residence. (I am an Italian Immigration lawyer )
Hiii I really enjoyed your video and your experience, actually I'm in that process I'm from Argentina and my great grand father was from Italy , so I'm making the process. The process is to long and complicated but the benefices to get your cittadinanza italiana is amazing , you can live and Italia and All the countrys members of the European Union so if some of your famili was Italian , is a amazing gift!!
I so enjoyed this video! I also was entitled (for lack of a better word) for Italian citizenship, there was no breakage in the Italian bloodline. I also went through the same as you. I got so discouraged in the process that I stopped from mental exhaustion 😱😄. I then decided to use my mother's German side, I was born while she was still a citizen. I cannot even began to tell you the difference. I sent an email to the German Embassy closest to me. I received an email back in 2 days with documents I needed. I sent an email to Italian Embassy never heard back from them😱 I found Germans more organized, easier to work with😉no hate also on the Italian side, I adore my father's family 💞💞💞💜💕
Am in the process of preparing to get dual citizenship for both my wife and I, but being considerably older(therefore the grandparents being considerably older) the documents are much harder to come by. The barriers that bureaucracy puts in front of you is enough to send any sane person running the other way. Not an easy process. I understand completely the 2 year span. I just hope I can complete this here in the states.
So happy for you…I’m going through it now. You said “a few weeks after” submitting your docs you got the call? That is what I was hoping for but it has not come to be. I was lured here by the notion that I would get mine in 45 days…now I’m returning to the U.S. because I just can’t stay longer than the 6 weeks that I’ve been here.
Hi Peter, do you have a permesso or carta di soggiorno? I was able to stay longer due to my permesso di soggiorno. I did receive my call a few weeks after but I think now the demand is much higher/less workers because of covid unfortunately.
@@sofiesworld Hi Sofie...sorry for the delay in my response...I was traveling back from Europe...do I have a permesso di soggiorno? I don't think so...is that something that would have allowed me to go back and forth freely?
That is an amazing workaround that I can't believe isn't more widely known. I mean, why would anybody go thru the years of consulate bs when you can just get a visa and get it approved on your trip? If somebody wants citizenship, they're probably thinking about staying in Italy long term at some point anyway. Thank you so much for this! I'm gonna check out some of your other vids, but I would maybe add an annotation or something telling people to watch to the end bc i'm sure there's tons of people who clicked away before the 15 minute mark.
Wow, I'm so fortunate my parents got my Italian passport when I was child. It is a lot harder to get now. I chuckled at the Italian consulate in Boston, same frustration we are facing with the Italian consulate in Adelaide, Australia in trying to now get a passport for my husband through marriage. We got all our documents through to the consulate, including our "apostiled" original marriage certificate to be sent to the Commune for our marriage to be recognised by the Commune. That was 2018! We emailed the Italian consulate to ask where our documents were at, who don't respond to emails, yet another appointment needed to be made just to ask a question. Absolutely ridiculous, so now we are hoping to go Italy this year and get this process started (can take 4 years) going straight to the Commune!
Hi Sofie, I'm currently in the process of getting my Italian Citizenship. Currently I only hold a Canadian citizenship. For the 'apostille' do you get this before you receive those requested documents? For example, when I request my grandfather's birth certificate - would I request the apostille at the same time? I've done my research, but this term is very new to me! Thank you for the informative video!
Hi! Some places can send you the certificate along with the apostille but not all states do it. Only documents outside of Italy need to be apostilled so if your grandfather has an Italian birth certificate it won’t need an apostille. For all other docs in the USA you can see if the office will send an apostille with it or you will have to do them separately. Hope that helps!
Hi Sofie, The Jus Sanguinis law is in the Philippines too. I will be claiming my Philippine citizenship so that I can naturalize in Spain in only 2 years. So even though I have never been to the Philippines, I will be considered a national born citizen. Nice Video by the way!
Hi Sofie, thank you very much for sharing your journey! I'm currently in the process of applying for dual citizenship and am overwhelmed by all of the confusing information/scenarios that I've found online. My paternal great grandparents were from Calabria and I've been trying to make sure that all of the specific dates add up! I am from Rhode island and will be applying at the Boston consulate! Would you mind sharing the name of the translator that you used? Thanks again!
It's quite a bit more involved than this. I had to go through the Italian courts to get my citizenship recognized because Italian women weren't allowed to pass their citizenship to their children before 1948. (The law was considered unconstitutional in Italy in 2009 but there was no law passed addressing it hence my court time.) There are a few businesses that deal specifically with helping people get Italian citizenship (I used one myself) and, while pricey, it is really worth using one in my opinion.
Ciao Sofìe! Fantastic video, thank you for sharing your experience! I have almost all documents needed for the process, but they’re copies. Curious to know how it was for you attaining original docs?
Thanks for this really interesting process. I'm from Australia and tried way back in the 1980s to get an Italian passport because both my Mother's parents were born and married in Italy. I was told by the Italian consulate then that "no way" could I get a passport because they do not recognize the maternal line, only my paternal line. I was stunned because at the time alot of my friends were getting British passports if they had a British Grandparent regardless if it was maternal or paternal. Have the rules changed?
Another thing a lot of people considering dual citizenship might be interested in is the real estate situation in Italy. For example, the "great deals" you can see on some sites might usually have certain problems, but we wouldn't know if we didn't go there and see the listings. Even if we did, we might not know what to look for, especially in terms of possible legals issues. Thanks.
Congrats.. I know this video is old.. but thank you so much for making this.. wish me luck, my journey is beginning... you give me hope and strength.. molto grazie..❤
I can relate to this so well :) I am currently going through the process of getting my dual citizenship also. My grandfather is from Napoli :) Just came across your videos today. Subbed =D
It's a possibility for me but the only thing is, my grandfather became naturalized in the USA and I'm not sure if he took away his Italian Citizenship.
If you don't mind me asking, what I have read is that if you are applying directly in Italy, you only need direct line documents. Meaning, no birth or death certificates of non-direct line. Did they take all your documents or did they give some back to you? And you really only waited for 2 weeks after depositing the documents? WOW.. That is encouraging. Thank you!
Hi Manuel- Thanks so much for stopping by- great question! They only asked for my mother's documents (direct line) and not for my fathers. They did also ask for their marriage certificate. I did have everything prepared in case- I really think it depends on the comune and city you go to but that was my experience! I couldn't believe the fast turnover either!
I'm from (was born in England) and have Italian ancestry on my Mother's side. I've thought of doing this, partly because I identify as being Italian rather than English (NOT British). Also I was going to get this done because of Brexit - I want the same rights in Europe as anyone else from European countries should anything change after Brexit. I don't speak Italian but the process of having to get a pile of documents ready, apostilled and translated is exactly the same for those of us in European countries. I'm still considering this but I have another option. In 9 countries of the world (Italy, Spain, Germany, USA, Finland, Sweden are some of them) you can get citizenship within about a month by getting yourself adopted as an adult To do this, you have to be over 18 and your adoptive parents must be between 14 and 18 years older than you are, depending on Country. Also, your adoptive parents must be living in and natives of the Country you wish to be a citizen of. Certain documents are needed but when it gets to the court hearing, the applications are never rejected because all parties are over 18 and are consenting adults. This process can take as little as one month. For you personally, you could've asked your Grandfather to adopt you and of course you'd keep your own family name(s). But still, you have your citizenship now and I'm pleased it all worked out for you xx
I will say i've gotten an italian student visa and a religious visa from the Houston consulate and have never had a bad experience! They were very fast and efficient and kind, but yes I also had to make my appointment I think 6 months in advance :( I'm sorry that you had a bad experience in Boston!!!
Girl, the frustration is SO real. Definitely related to your experience as I started my process for dual citizenship via jure sanguinis in fall of 2014, with the help (or lack thereof) of the NY consulate. After 3 years, I just got my citizenship last March and my passport in December. I think every Italian consulate in the U.S. is just incompetent and awful, haha!
Me and my boyfriend are currently dealing with the same thing this video helped me so much. How long was the visa process all together? Also, after the three months when did you travel back to Italy? Thank you for your help!
Hi Sofie, I’d like to ask you a few questions about your experience applying for Italian citizenship as I’m doing the same now. My maternal great grandfather was born in Italy and never renounced his Italian citizenship before his death at a young age in the US. So, from my understanding of the law, I have the right to Italian citizenship if I have all the required notarized and translated documents like birth, marriage, and death certificates, right? Thanks a lot in advance for any insight! : ) -Anthony Caraccio
Not one person on internet stating the ACTUAL way of acquiring Italian citizenship without an Italian descendent. American girls moving to Italy for “love” and lucky grandfathers is kinda common
Sofie, I'm still not sure how you got it! I'm going through the same thing right now - although I'm Canadian - and I have all my grandparents' original documents. You said you got it when you were actually in Italy already on a student visa. How long did that take? Or did the Embassy in Boston issue it? Not sure what you meant. Can you share any more info on it?
So as long as your grandmother or grandfather birth certificate shows there born in italy after unification of 1861. Not from the kingdom of two sicilies. Then you qualify no matter how many lines down? Some people are barley italian receiving it. So someone who is half italian like myself should have an easy time? The ability to move around the european union seems worth it and no tax if not working in italy.
Found out my great-grandfather got naturalized 2 years before my grandfather was born. So I can't do it. 😔 I still am going to try Greece. I have another Great-grandfather from there... Greece doesn't care about naturalization after 1914 but I heard their bureaucracy is even worse.
Hi Sofie! I received my certificato di cittadinanza through the Houston consulate on February 7th of 2019. However, I was informed by the Houston consulate on July 11th of 2019 that I cannot get my passport yet because my birth certificate hasn't been issued in the questura where my family is from yet. They think it will take several more months. Do you think I can go ahead and go to Italy and obtain my birth certificate and/or passport? I got accepted to a Maters program in Italy and it starts on Sept 30th and I need to present my passport then. I am desperate!
im american, i have a student visa here and have my permesso di sorgiorno. my great grandfather was born in italy and i have all the documents you said i need. my question to you is, where do i go to apply or make an appointment here? the italian consulate or the american consulate here? the anagafe? the comune? and if i get the documents i have in english translated here, do i still need them notorized? my permesso is up in jan, so do i have to have my appointment before that date for it to be valid until i get my answer? my great grandfather immigrated to canada but never renounced italian citizenship. how can i prove he didnt?
Hey Ana! These are great questions. My grandfather had to fill out a form and sign it at the Italian consulate in his now home country to swear that he never renounced citizenship. Is your great grandfather still living? If not, then I'm not sure! Do you have residency here? You need to be an official resident in the city you are currently living in (an extra step after getting your permesso) in order to get an appointment at the Comune. But if/once you have residence you can go to the Comune! I think you do need all translations notorized but maybe not if they are done by an Italian who lives here? At the end of it all, the comune asked for only half of the documents I prepared.
Sofie's World my great grandfather is dead. I do have my permesso here. Problem now is that my great grandfather immigrated to Canada not USA. And he naturalized in Canada before my grandpa was born. In USA this means I'm not eligible but I'm thinking in Canada it might be different bc Canada doesn't make you renounce other citizenship like USA does. I'm going to try to make an appoint with the commune then. This is so hard!
The thing is, a lot of people are talking abut this kind of thing on youtube. This is not necessarily a good thing. I wouldnt be surprised if, because of the increased demand due to increased promotion and awareness thanks to youtubers showing off about it, and because of rising populism and nationalism around Europe (including the Italy), governments vote to remove dual citizenship. People get jealous and jealous people get frustrated. And angry. They will start to take notice as multiple citizenships become a 'thing'. And they will pressure politicians to do something about it. The key to being privileged, in any way, is discretion.
Thanks for sharing the info Sofie! My Dad was born in Italy and migrated to Australia. I have loads of family in Italy and want to move there. I've been researching Citizenship too and read that you must reside in Italy for 2 years before you can apply.. How did you get around this?
I got a permesso di soggiorno from a student visa. Once I got my permesso I was able to get residence and once you have residence you can ask for citizenship at the comune if you have all the proper documents... at least that was my experience!
dodoshlodo why would you want to go live in a basket case of a country, that is loosing a generation of people that can’t leave fast enough? It offers nothing to it’s citizens already
My Grandparents are dead, and my father is dead so can't ask him questions. Its overwhelming, thats too much, I don't even have my parents marriage certificates. Originals at least. Is there anything else I can do? Overwhelmingly difficult it seem. Also impossible in my situation : ((
did you get your citizenship through your mother's father? I am trying to get citizenship through jure sanguinis as well and the rule regarding women not being able to pass citizenship on to their children confused me some.
Hello! Yes I did get it though my mother's father! That part confused me too- but because my grandfather is a male he was able to pass it on to me, i'm not sure what would be the case if it was my mother's mother... All the documents needed are listed in this video! Hope it can help! XO
yes! I needed all documents apostilled and translated, and get the translations apostilled and notarized. The ONLY docs that DON'T need to be apostilled are the originals from Italy from your relative (i.e. i only had ONE doc i didn't need to get apostilled which was my grandfather's birth certificate). Hope that helps and sorry for the delay!
Women don't pass italian citzenship for child if her child was born BEFORE 1948. For example, if your great grandmother had your grandmother after 1948 you are eligible for italian citzenship. Sorry btw, english os not my first language.
That's a great question! I do not have a video about that, because I actually don't know much about it yet. I am currently working with an accountant here in Italy to help me figure it out, if I ever figure it out i'll let you know :)
Hi Sofie! I've just started the same process and am an already having problems, lol. I do have my original birth certificate though, which is nice, but I wanted to ask you--since you had your grandfather's original birth certificate and you sent that when applying, did you receive it back or they kept it? It's the only one I have, so I'm kind of nervous to send it!
I was able to secure an appt at the Boston consulate for next year but I had to pay a tech company that specializes in this. I tried on my own as well but it’s nearly impossible. Apparently, they only release 40 appts at a time, 1 day a month. These 40 are divided within a month and only on Tues and Thurs which is about 4-5 per day. Supposedly the new appts are released the day of at 4 pm est and they are usually gone within seconds. Hope this helps and best of luck.
Jessica V. I would to know what tech company you used. I have gone to my Congressman whose office actually called and spoke to someone at Consulate Office in Boston and said the only way to get an appointment is online. I have gone on everyday at various times and only see red dates which means they are closed. Terrible and broken system. I wrote to Italian General Consulate in Boston who wrote back and basically said, wait just like everyone else and book online. I cannot claim my Italian birthright due to the Italian slow way of doing business.
@@robertrossi9306 I don't have the name. I am actually working with a service provider, Italian Citizenship Assistance (ICA), and they had the connection. You can try reaching out to them.
Applying for citizenship was the most stressful thing she’s ever been through? I completely understand anything and everything in italy is slow and complicated, but I am not sure how I can take a comment like that seriously.
Any suggestions on finding records from ancestors who never left Italy and marriages/births that took place there? I’ve searched and searched ancestry websites but can’t confirm my great great grandparents names or my great grandparents marriage/birth info needed to request records from Italy. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!
2 years? That’s a dream. Here in São Paulo, Brazil, we have to wait 12 (TWELVE) years for the Consulate calls us to get our papers. And then they have 2 years to tell us an anwer.
I heard the same thing in Argentina, where my parents are actually from. But it's probably due to the fact that many people from there are trying to get out of the country and so Italy would be getting a much higher amount of applicants for the citizenship.
How long did it take you to get your Italian passport? I'm working on it now through my grandfather born in Sicily. My dad was born in Ireland so I already have an Irish passport.
compared to you i am going to go through hell. My great grandparents were italian. To start they immigrated to Mexico & my father immigrated to U.S. I am going to have to fly to Mexico to find those documents and fly back because i am american & then probably fly to Italy. So happy that you got yours that is great. I hope to one day get mine but i don't even know where to start. Or if i am even eligible? :/
I have an Irish passport through my dad's birth there but my grandmother was also born in Italy and grandfather born in the USA shortly after his parents arrived from Italy. I don't believe any of my great grandparents were naturalized USA citizens or my grandmother. I believe I also qualify for an Italian passport. Any advice?
Hi my name is Nicola I'm a Dual Italian/US Dual citizen and have both passports like you. I have a question that is not clear to me. I came back to my country of birth Rome with the US passport and decided to stay for a while. Now my question is : am I allowed to stay as long as I want ? Does the 90 days apply to me on the US passport? I'm getting ready to work in Rome with my Italian nationality and yet I'm so confused. Please reply I'll be so grateful!! 😭
Nicola, 90 days is for a Visa stay. If you were not required to ask permission to go there and give an itinerary for approval, you are good to go. If you are abroad of the US, security dictates you should use your ITALIAN PASSPORT when traveling or living in the EU , especially where Americans are loathed.
Looking on the bright side, I have only to get documents from Omaha, Neb. Pottawatomie Iowa, and California at least the way it looks right now Santa Clara County Calif. is much easier for me to tackle and the folks in Douglas County Neb. are very gracious, but still this is rather daunting did I spell that right, we who are faced with these tasks must keep a sunny disposition and all of you on You Tube should also, oh I forgot but probably the Italian documents far as I know are in in Carlentini unless I find any surprizes down the line, everyone I hope your dreams come true as I am for mine, specially when someone asks me "are you still here" ? Certainly this is not a snap your fingers, wiggle your nose=finished type of situation! Moving to Italy as Sofie has done is a great option>>>>>>!
Hi Sofie, I am from Boston and I am starting to look into citizenship from my great grandfather on my fathers side. I was wondering if you have the information for the translator and how to get any of the apostilles. Also, is there like a test that you have to take because I know in the US you have to take a test to be a citizen? Thank you so much and Im a big fan!!!!
Hi Noah- thanks! And that's great! I do have the translator's contact info, if you want to contact my privately I'd be happy to share that with you. As for the apostilles, if the document is from the state of Massachusetts, or the translation was done in the state of Mass, you just have to go in person with the documents to the Commissions Section of the Secretary of the Commonwealth which is at One Ashburton Place in Downtown, Boston. And no, no test!! If you are getting it through blood then it's your birth right :) Feel free to reach out with any other questions :)
Sofie's World Thank you so much Sofie! Is I️t ok if I contact you on Instagram for the translator? Thank you again so much this is a big help and your encouragement makes I️t so much better!!!
Thank you, Sofie, for sharing your story. I see how it can be stressful with all the sudden twists and turns. This is very helpful to hear. I sure wish there was another way. One question, did you have to travel TO Texas and New York, etc...to get things Apostiled? Or could you do that through the mail? Thanks.
They can be done through the mail! Unfortunately New York lost the ones I purchased in the mail and with a time crunch, I had to physically go to Albany to get mine apostilled.
Thanks. That's helpful. Do more videos of you doing Italian dialogue. it's a great way to learn. I tried Rosetta Stone but it felt hoaky, with the same mannequin models. lol. You are good at teaching language for me because you are animated, excited, full of the Italian culture. Like a kid in the candy store. :).
Elisa Siragusa who is a member of The Italian Chamber of Deputies in Italy, is now proposing (in 2020) to reform this law, so that you can no-longer inherit Italian citizenship. I think that this is just the beginning. In the past, governments have tolerated dual, triple citizenships, because not many people new about the possibility and not many people cared. those who did were a minority. Now however, things are changing. With the internet and TH-cam, people are increasingly finding out about the possibilities of having more than one citizenship and having dual triple citizenships is being promoted on youtube, with a number of youtubers 'showing off' about having other citizenships and making videos about it. Being privileged is about being discrete. But sadly, the attention economy has done away with that adage. It is becoming a status thing as well as a trend to have multiple citizenships. With the growing populism around the world, it is only a question of time before there is a back-lash against it, with frustrated and jealous people voting in politicians who will seek to remove dual citizenship or make it harder to acquire. I do hope that it doesnt happen, but i am not optimistic about it.
Also, another interesting point: Getting Italian citizenship allows you, as an American, to live and work in the EU. Thats great! but sadly, this will not allow you to escape American taxes, if you do decide to live and work in the EU. America taxes you on your citizenship, no matter where you live. So, if you decided to live in Italy, you would have to pay taxes in Italy (Normal), but ALSO pay taxes to America, at the same time!, even if you do not live there anymore! I know...it is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. A lot of Americans in Europe are being refused bank accounts, because European banks just do not want to deal with the hassle of having to report American citizens accounts to the US government, which they are obliged to do, since America has bullied them into submission and threatened sanctions if they do not.
Does the application need to be translated in Italian?. I have 8 more Apostles to obtain from New York. Does the Naturalization Record need to be translated? If my family from Palmero: Prizzi do I send documents there? You obtained citizen by doing the Visa and presenting documents in Italy. Did you find that process faster than me presenting documents to Miami Consulate?
I was born in Ecuador but my parents are Italian and I got it just at birth but if you are a immigrant you are screwed you cannot be Italian because of the law. We are not like Germany or Holland so take that notice
Hi a really good personal connection helps a lot ! you be surprised when you know someone important that's the key. Like when you frequent a upscale restaurant. Make friends with manager like after eating introduce yourself and say how much you enjoyed etc. you've got to be reasonably friendly with everyone didn't grandpa know someone ? you should have married this guy friend
Parking, passport is not success but how you translate your life and opportunities. Passport is not the problem but achievement, most people end on social benefits. So that is not academic qualifications, just work hard that is the secret of success. That is the fact
I'm going to try to get dual citizenship jure sanguinis -- my mother was both in Italy and both my father's parents were born in Italy. The agency or lawyers that can help me get it will probably want me to pay them my last dollar of savings. So I inherited an Italian citizenship that will cost me a fortune to actually acquire.
This is a bit confusing so perhaps you could clarify. You provided a list of things needed to viewers, and you took all of them to the Boston Consulate one day. A clerk there looked at these items and told you they were woefully inadequate. So, why are you telling us these are the things we would need (let's assume we are in the exact same situation, ancestor--wise, as you are), and nothing more? Thanks!
MyristicMystic hi there! So sorry to confuse you, that wasn't my intention at all! I went to the consulate just to ask a question about something, not to present the documents, and the man there asked me some personal questions on my grandfather and then told me these things. He clearly had no idea how far I was into the process nor knew my background. He was just a negative grouch! So that nothing to do with the documents I provide for you, the documents I provide for you are indeed the ones I needed and presented in order to successfully obtain citizenship. So sorry to have confused you! Have a great day!
I know you're not an expert but I have relatives that actual still live in Italy is it easier to get citizenship through them or my Mom who was born there and gave up her citizenship to get her us citizenship. What do you think?
If your mom gave up her Italian citizen for her USA you cannot get it because she wasn’t an Italian citizen when you were born. You would have to go through at least grandparents
Hi if you marry the guy maybe he can become a USA citizen and you Italian ? You got yours already ...if getting married to each other would that have made it easier ?
I'm doing the same thing. My grandparents were from Italia and I am about to start my paper work. I'm done. Froza italia. Only dule if you had family from there.
Congratulations! You sound so overwhelmed throughout this video, it must have been a huge deal for you. I have dual citizenship too, it's a great feeling.
You didn't 'become' an Italian citizen, you always were. You have now been recognized by the Italian Government as an Italian citizen
Exactly. That's the right interpretation of that law my country introduced.
I think a lot burocrazy should be laid off
True.
As soon as you were born, you were an Italian citizen. All you did with all that documentation that you had to come up with, was to have it formally recognized.
Ciao Sofie! Great video! It took me 4 years to get through the process! I love being a duel citizen and my children are one by one getting theirs. We love Italy and hope to spend a lot of time there! LOVE all your informative videos!! Keep them coming!! Ciao ciao
Thanks so much Nancy! Congrats on the dual citizenship!
Same case for Argentine people with Italian grandparents. I am one of them :)
SiriusB88, I am wondering about my Grandfather. He left Italy, my Grandmother, and my Dad behind and went to Argentina. Did he lose his Italian Citizenship after a certain number of years in Argentina? To complicate things, he went to the U.S. from there and died in the U.S. My Dad was born in Italy in 1929, moved to the U.S. in 1948, and died in the U.S. in 1984. Any advice would be wonderful.
Find the Dual U.S.-Italian Citizenship group on FB. You will get help figuring this out :)
@@amazingbaby6051 No, you don't lose citizenship unless you ask to
I'm from South American, I'm going through the same hurdles. It's taking me 2 years for me to get Portuguese Citizenship through my grand father. Also, I moved to US on a Student Visa and it was almost impossible to get my Permanent Resident Visa (Green Card), which leads to citizenship. It took me 3 years to get the green card through an employers, so I know exactly how relieved you must be feeling. Congrats Sofie!
Pedro Martins Albernaz 3 years .. it took me 15 years ..
My maternal great-grandfather was born Italian, immigrated to Argentina and never renounced his citizenship, so my mom is in the process of gathering the rest of the paperwork so that we can get the citizenship. It's definitely cost us some money since we live in the US and can't afford to travel out there to get the documents we were missing, but I'm praying that it all works out! For a while it seemed like nothing but roadblocks
I know how that goes! I got all my documents from the states and I get it but it will be worth the hard work :)
Nice info! Congrats! For others applying in Italy, you don't need a Visa. Jure sanguis has a special set of rules. Get a dichiarazione di presenza, apply for residency, and then start the application process at your comune. If it will take longer than 90 days (standard time allowed to stay in Italy without Visa) then you get a permesso di soggiorno, which is the special permission to stay in Italy while applying jure sanguis. I did a similar process recently. Circolare K32 has the rules.
I'm a Canadian living in Germany and in the process now. After two months I got the documents. Now in the process of legalizing and translating the Canadian ones...
Hey Taryn! Thanks for stopping by- at least you've now got the documents! It will be worth it :) Good luck and keep me posted!
how did you get the documents? like where do you start?
Hey! I am exactly in the same situation, Canadian applying for italian citizenship in Germany :) How is the process going for you?
I feel like it sounds relatively simple when you just lay out all the steps you went through in a video like this, but when you're the one who actually has to go through all the research and setbacks yourself, it just gets so overwhelming! I did a lot of research myself (despite not speaking French very well) to get my French citizenship; luckily for me in the end it was much simpler than I initially imagined, but through my research I learned of a few situations in which it would have been a massive headache trying to gain citizenship. I thought my own situation would be very hard because of one little detail that thankfully ended up being a non-issue in the end.
But it turns out that in France, official copies of birth certificates actually expire(!!?!?!) within three months, and they have to be obtained directly from the city that they're from, and they can only be requested by immediate family members or the person themself. So basically, if you don't have immediate French family who are alive and willing to help you, it's either really hard or downright impossible to claim citizenship. Even though the law technically says that it's the birth right of all French descendants, in practice I think the government only wants to take in people with active ties to the country. It's crazy though that the Italian consulate wouldn't give you an appointment, and that you had to have Italian residency before you could submit your papers there. Each country has its own hurdles..... congrats on your citizenship!!!
Hi Sofie. I'm from Brazil and I've just got my italian citizenship like you did. It's really so hard but it's worth. Great job!
Congratulations! Such an accomplishment:) complimenti
Maybe an odd question, but why all the marriage certificates? Couldn’t you go the paternal route and use grandfather’s birth cert., dad’s birth cert., naturalization and your birth certificate and then move forward from there?
I recently also was able to get citizenship this way and can completely understand what the process can put you through. Congrats on successfully completing the process!
Rafael Di Furia thanks so much Rafael! And congrats on getting it also!!!! Cheers
Hey Rafael - how long did you need to reside in Italy for before applying for citizenship?
Thanks
can you please do a video on how you travel with two passports between your two countries of citizenship? I was born in Michigan and have an Italian grandmother and got my first Italian passport yesterday from the Italian consulate in Detroit! great vid BTW!
Yes! Absolutely! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I was actually thinking about doing a video like that :) Stay tuned!
Hi Aaron, I live in Michigan too. I'm looking into getting my Italian citizenship from the Detroit consulate too via either my paternal Italian grandmother or my father who was born on a army base in Italy. I wonder if my grandmother living in the States from 1962- 2000/2001 when she passed away lost her Italian citizenship, and what about my father? Just looking for if anyone has had a similar situation as me when trying to get their dual citizenship. And Sofie, do you have any information on this?
Hi Liseia thanks for stopping by! I don't know anything about army bases and citizenship so sorry there. Was your grandmother still an Italian citizen when she passed? If she was still holding an Italian passport at her time of death and you were already born then you should be able to get it by proving you are born from your father and he from her. As long as she was an Italian citizen when both your father and you were born then you should be in the clear. But you have to make sure she never renounced her citizenship! Hope any of that info helps and please remember i'm no LEGAL expert! So if you want answers that are 100% accurate I recommend hiring a professional! XO
Hi listeria, sorry for the late reply. Here is how the citizenship by descent works. Italian citizenship is transmitted from parent to child without limitation of generation, that includes those born outside of Italy, meaning an Italian citizen can pass their citizenship to their child regardless of what country the child is born in and regardless if the Italian citizen parent was not born in Italy and is also a citizen by descent. If your grandma was an Italian citizen at the time of the birth of your father, and your father was born after 1948, then your father would be an Italian citizen at birth by descent. before 1948 Italian women were not allowed to pass down citizenship. If your father is technically an Italian citizen he would have passed his citizenship to you when you were born making you technically an Italian citizen right now. And as you probably already know you have to go through the entire recognition process in order to actually be able to use that citizenship. If your grandma naturalized in the United States, or any other country for that matter, before 1992 she automatically lost Italian citizenship by function of Italian law, even if she didn't formally report her naturalization to the Italian authorities. So if she naturalized before your father was born (assuming your father was born before 1992) then your grandma would have lost the citizenship and not been able to pass it down. Most foreign citizens have to live in Italy for 10 years to naturalize as an Italian citizen, however if you have an Italian citizen parent or grandparent who for whatever reason couldn't pass their citizenship to you then you can naturalize after living in Italy for 3 years instead of 10. So if you can't get citizenship if your grandma naturalized in the US then you could always move to Italy and live there for 3 years and get citizenship that way, provided you speak Italian as its a naturalization requirement and don't have a criminal record etc. etc. Now lets go back to the 1948 rule. Due to the sexist nature of the law appeals made in Italian courts to have the citizenship of Italian citizen women who had their children before 1948 have had a %100 success rate. It has become very common for people in the situation of being descended from an Italian citizen woman who wouldn't pass down citizenship due to the 1948 rule to be able to pass their citizenship down through a court case. I know people who have done it and they got their Italian passports. There are many lawyers who do it. If you're on Facebook you should join a group called Dual U.S.-Italian Citizenship, there are multiple groups with similar names but the one you should join has about 5,000 member if I recall correctly, their is a wealth of very knowledgeable people in this group who will be able to answer all of your questions in a timely manner.
It´s simple, you leave and enter Italy (or the EU for that matter) using your Italian passport and leave and enter the USA using your American one. As for the other countries use the passport that is more convenient according to visa regulations and etc. I use my Italian passport to get into the USA (dual Brazilian /Italian here) because I don´t need a tourist visa using it. But I always use my Brazilian document do get in and out of Brazil.
I did my citizenship through the Boston consulate as well! I think for the initial appointment (this happened in 2012), I had my uncle accompany me because he knows the man in charge rather well (connections are always key lol). I got my citizenship certificate about five months after we started the process but I waited until 2017 to get my passport because I hadn’t traveled to Europe within those five years. But to do the passport I made the appointment online and truly had no problem! I went in for the appointment with everything ready and they made the passport for me there, on the spot in fifteen minutes 👌🏼
Wow, lucky you! And congrats!
I dont know why folks are hating the video. Great information. Keep those videos coming!
I've received confirmation from the Italian consulate that I qualify through my paternal great grand father how ever my maternal grandmother was also born in Italy so one generation more recent and I was informed by a friend that a recent court case now allows me to qualify through the maternal line. Doesn't make much of a difference since I still qualify just irks me that I should qualify through my grandmother.
Congratulations for your Italian citizenship! :) Getting it from an Italian comune is way easier than doing it from consulates.
Everything you said is correct except from the fact that you need a permesso di soggiorno in order to get residence and then apply for citizenship from Italy. It is only needed to communicate your presence at the local police station within 8 days from you arrival and then apply for residence. (I am an Italian Immigration lawyer )
can i ask you a question please i’m serious to it
I’m trying to get Irish dual citizenship and this video was so inspiring! Thank you
Thank you for stopping by! Best of luck!
my grandparents were born in Italy !!! I'm inspired now
+Amanda Telesca yessss girl!
Amanda Telesca It's a pretty easy but the process is very looooong. The painful part is procuring the original certificates.
No Can Do = one of your parents and I think even maybe only your father must hacee still been an italian citizen when you were born!
Do you wanna be Italian ?
absolutely
@@alessandrobianco3278
Hiii I really enjoyed your video and your experience, actually I'm in that process I'm from Argentina and my great grand father was from Italy , so I'm making the process.
The process is to long and complicated but the benefices to get your cittadinanza italiana is amazing , you can live and Italia and All the countrys members of the European Union so if some of your famili was Italian , is a amazing gift!!
Thanks! Best of luck, it’s worth it in the end!
Enjoyed this! And noted that the focus got better right at the conclusion of your vlog. 💛
I so enjoyed this video! I also was entitled (for lack of a better word) for Italian citizenship, there was no breakage in the Italian bloodline. I also went through the same as you. I got so discouraged in the process that I stopped from mental exhaustion 😱😄. I then decided to use my mother's German side, I was born while she was still a citizen. I cannot even began to tell you the difference. I sent an email to the German Embassy closest to me. I received an email back in 2 days with documents I needed. I sent an email to Italian Embassy never heard back from them😱 I found Germans more organized, easier to work with😉no hate also on the Italian side, I adore my father's family 💞💞💞💜💕
Am in the process of preparing to get dual citizenship for both my wife and I, but being considerably older(therefore the grandparents being considerably older) the documents are much harder to come by. The barriers that bureaucracy puts in front of you is enough to send any sane person running the other way. Not an easy process. I understand completely the 2 year span. I just hope I can complete this here in the states.
Trying to do this for Spanish citizenship! My great-grandparents were all Spaniards.
So happy for you…I’m going through it now. You said “a few weeks after” submitting your docs you got the call? That is what I was hoping for but it has not come to be. I was lured here by the notion that I would get mine in 45 days…now I’m returning to the U.S. because I just can’t stay longer than the 6 weeks that I’ve been here.
Hi Peter, do you have a permesso or carta di soggiorno? I was able to stay longer due to my permesso di soggiorno. I did receive my call a few weeks after but I think now the demand is much higher/less workers because of covid unfortunately.
@@sofiesworld Hi Sofie...sorry for the delay in my response...I was traveling back from Europe...do I have a permesso di soggiorno? I don't think so...is that something that would have allowed me to go back and forth freely?
@@sofiesworld Sofie…I am happy to report that my citizenship has been accepted. I return to Italy in a few days and my ceremony is on Wednesday!
Congrats Sofie. I got my Italian citizenship too!
Yay! That's awesome! Thanks for stopping by :)
@@sofiesworld What if you can't prove your grandparents are from Italy?
CharitableMiracleBeekeepers then i think your out of luck unfortunately :/ but there are still other ways you can get an italian citizenship
That is an amazing workaround that I can't believe isn't more widely known. I mean, why would anybody go thru the years of consulate bs when you can just get a visa and get it approved on your trip? If somebody wants citizenship, they're probably thinking about staying in Italy long term at some point anyway.
Thank you so much for this! I'm gonna check out some of your other vids, but I would maybe add an annotation or something telling people to watch to the end bc i'm sure there's tons of people who clicked away before the 15 minute mark.
Wow, I'm so fortunate my parents got my Italian passport when I was child. It is a lot harder to get now. I chuckled at the Italian consulate in Boston, same frustration we are facing with the Italian consulate in Adelaide, Australia in trying to now get a passport for my husband through marriage. We got all our documents through to the consulate, including our "apostiled" original marriage certificate to be sent to the Commune for our marriage to be recognised by the Commune. That was 2018! We emailed the Italian consulate to ask where our documents were at, who don't respond to emails, yet another appointment needed to be made just to ask a question. Absolutely ridiculous, so now we are hoping to go Italy this year and get this process started (can take 4 years) going straight to the Commune!
Hi Sofie, I'm currently in the process of getting my Italian Citizenship. Currently I only hold a Canadian citizenship. For the 'apostille' do you get this before you receive those requested documents? For example, when I request my grandfather's birth certificate - would I request the apostille at the same time? I've done my research, but this term is very new to me! Thank you for the informative video!
Hi! Some places can send you the certificate along with the apostille but not all states do it. Only documents outside of Italy need to be apostilled so if your grandfather has an Italian birth certificate it won’t need an apostille. For all other docs in the USA you can see if the office will send an apostille with it or you will have to do them separately. Hope that helps!
Hi Sofie,
The Jus Sanguinis law is in the Philippines too. I will be claiming my Philippine citizenship so that I can naturalize in Spain in only 2 years. So even though I have never been to the Philippines, I will be considered a national born citizen. Nice Video by the way!
Hi Sofie, thank you very much for sharing your journey! I'm currently in the process of applying for dual citizenship and am overwhelmed by all of the confusing information/scenarios that I've found online. My paternal great grandparents were from Calabria and I've been trying to make sure that all of the specific dates add up! I am from Rhode island and will be applying at the Boston consulate! Would you mind sharing the name of the translator that you used? Thanks again!
If you want to DM me on Instagram I’ll share with you his details privately!💖
my uncle hired someone to find out if my family can do this and we are all getting our passports. so excited!!!
It's quite a bit more involved than this. I had to go through the Italian courts to get my citizenship recognized because Italian women weren't allowed to pass their citizenship to their children before 1948. (The law was considered unconstitutional in Italy in 2009 but there was no law passed addressing it hence my court time.) There are a few businesses that deal specifically with helping people get Italian citizenship (I used one myself) and, while pricey, it is really worth using one in my opinion.
Ciao Sofìe! Fantastic video, thank you for sharing your experience! I have almost all documents needed for the process, but they’re copies. Curious to know how it was for you attaining original docs?
Thanks for this really interesting process. I'm from Australia and tried way back in the 1980s to get an Italian passport because both my Mother's parents were born and married in Italy. I was told by the Italian consulate then that "no way" could I get a passport because they do not recognize the maternal line, only my paternal line. I was stunned because at the time alot of my friends were getting British passports if they had a British Grandparent regardless if it was maternal or paternal. Have the rules changed?
Yes, the rules have changed but you may need to go through a different process called a 1948 case.
Another thing a lot of people considering dual citizenship might be interested in is the real estate situation in Italy. For example, the "great deals" you can see on some sites might usually have certain problems, but we wouldn't know if we didn't go there and see the listings. Even if we did, we might not know what to look for, especially in terms of possible legals issues. Thanks.
Congrats.. I know this video is old.. but thank you so much for making this.. wish me luck, my journey is beginning... you give me hope and strength.. molto grazie..❤
I can relate to this so well :)
I am currently going through the process of getting my dual citizenship also. My grandfather is from Napoli :)
Just came across your videos today. Subbed =D
Oh that's awesome! I wish you the best of luck and feel free to reach out with any questions! Best of luck and thank you so much for stopping by! 💖
It's a possibility for me but the only thing is, my grandfather became naturalized in the USA and I'm not sure if he took away his Italian Citizenship.
it is possible if he naturalized AFTER you mother/or father (his child) was born
If you don't mind me asking, what I have read is that if you are applying directly in Italy, you only need direct line documents. Meaning, no birth or death certificates of non-direct line. Did they take all your documents or did they give some back to you?
And you really only waited for 2 weeks after depositing the documents? WOW.. That is encouraging. Thank you!
Hi Manuel- Thanks so much for stopping by- great question! They only asked for my mother's documents (direct line) and not for my fathers. They did also ask for their marriage certificate. I did have everything prepared in case- I really think it depends on the comune and city you go to but that was my experience! I couldn't believe the fast turnover either!
I'm from (was born in England) and have Italian ancestry on my Mother's side.
I've thought of doing this, partly because I identify as being Italian rather than English (NOT British).
Also I was going to get this done because of Brexit - I want the same rights in Europe as anyone else from European countries should anything change after Brexit.
I don't speak Italian but the process of having to get a pile of documents ready, apostilled and translated is exactly the same for those of us in European countries.
I'm still considering this but I have another option.
In 9 countries of the world (Italy, Spain, Germany, USA, Finland, Sweden are some of them) you can get citizenship within about a month by getting yourself adopted as an adult
To do this, you have to be over 18 and your adoptive parents must be between 14 and 18 years older than you are, depending on Country.
Also, your adoptive parents must be living in and natives of the Country you wish to be a citizen of.
Certain documents are needed but when it gets to the court hearing, the applications are never rejected because all parties are over 18 and are consenting adults.
This process can take as little as one month.
For you personally, you could've asked your Grandfather to adopt you and of course you'd keep your own family name(s).
But still, you have your citizenship now and I'm pleased it all worked out for you xx
Hi, I am from the UK, but my grandma was Italian. Am I able to do the same thing?
I will say i've gotten an italian student visa and a religious visa from the Houston consulate and have never had a bad experience! They were very fast and efficient and kind, but yes I also had to make my appointment I think 6 months in advance :( I'm sorry that you had a bad experience in Boston!!!
Girl, the frustration is SO real. Definitely related to your experience as I started my process for dual citizenship via jure sanguinis in fall of 2014, with the help (or lack thereof) of the NY consulate. After 3 years, I just got my citizenship last March and my passport in December. I think every Italian consulate in the U.S. is just incompetent and awful, haha!
Me and my boyfriend are currently dealing with the same thing this video helped me so much.
How long was the visa process all together?
Also, after the three months when did you travel back to Italy?
Thank you for your help!
Now it takes about 4 years since they introduced the "dl sicurezza"
Hi Sofie,
I’d like to ask you a few questions about your experience applying for Italian citizenship as I’m doing the same now. My maternal great grandfather was born in Italy and never renounced his Italian citizenship before his death at a young age in the US. So, from my understanding of the law, I have the right to Italian citizenship if I have all the required notarized and translated documents like birth, marriage, and death certificates, right?
Thanks a lot in advance for any insight! : )
-Anthony Caraccio
Not one person on internet stating the ACTUAL way of acquiring Italian citizenship without an Italian descendent. American girls moving to Italy for “love” and lucky grandfathers is kinda common
Ugh I'm eligible through my great great grandfather now I'm dreading gathering the documents
All 4 of my grandparents were born in Italy but had to give up their italian passports when coming to Australia..... I have no idea what to do
Sofie, I'm still not sure how you got it! I'm going through the same thing right now - although I'm Canadian - and I have all my grandparents' original documents. You said you got it when you were actually in Italy already on a student visa. How long did that take? Or did the Embassy in Boston issue it? Not sure what you meant. Can you share any more info on it?
So as long as your grandmother or grandfather birth certificate shows there born in italy after unification of 1861. Not from the kingdom of two sicilies. Then you qualify no matter how many lines down? Some people are barley italian receiving it. So someone who is half italian like myself should have an easy time? The ability to move around the european union seems worth it and no tax if not working in italy.
I just found out today that this could be a possibility for me! I didnt know this was a thing and just happened to stumble upon it!
I'm in the process now. I should have my passport by March 2018! It's an intense process. An emotional roller coaster.
Right?! So intense and such a roller coaster! All the best to you- I completely feel ya, Good luck!! XO
Thanks! Headed to Italy this fall so hopefully all goes smoothly!
Positive thoughts for you! 💗 💗 💗
Found out my great-grandfather got naturalized 2 years before my grandfather was born. So I can't do it. 😔 I still am going to try Greece. I have another Great-grandfather from there... Greece doesn't care about naturalization after 1914 but I heard their bureaucracy is even worse.
Hi Sofie! I received my certificato di cittadinanza through the Houston consulate on February 7th of 2019. However, I was informed by the Houston consulate on July 11th of 2019 that I cannot get my passport yet because my birth certificate hasn't been issued in the questura where my family is from yet. They think it will take several more months. Do you think I can go ahead and go to Italy and obtain my birth certificate and/or passport?
I got accepted to a Maters program in Italy and it starts on Sept 30th and I need to present my passport then. I am desperate!
im american, i have a student visa here and have my permesso di sorgiorno. my great grandfather was born in italy and i have all the documents you said i need. my question to you is, where do i go to apply or make an appointment here? the italian consulate or the american consulate here? the anagafe? the comune? and if i get the documents i have in english translated here, do i still need them notorized? my permesso is up in jan, so do i have to have my appointment before that date for it to be valid until i get my answer? my great grandfather immigrated to canada but never renounced italian citizenship. how can i prove he didnt?
Hey Ana! These are great questions. My grandfather had to fill out a form and sign it at the Italian consulate in his now home country to swear that he never renounced citizenship. Is your great grandfather still living? If not, then I'm not sure! Do you have residency here? You need to be an official resident in the city you are currently living in (an extra step after getting your permesso) in order to get an appointment at the Comune. But if/once you have residence you can go to the Comune! I think you do need all translations notorized but maybe not if they are done by an Italian who lives here? At the end of it all, the comune asked for only half of the documents I prepared.
Sofie's World my great grandfather is dead. I do have my permesso here. Problem now is that my great grandfather immigrated to Canada not USA. And he naturalized in Canada before my grandpa was born. In USA this means I'm not eligible but I'm thinking in Canada it might be different bc Canada doesn't make you renounce other citizenship like USA does. I'm going to try to make an appoint with the commune then. This is so hard!
Will u mrry me??
The thing is, a lot of people are talking abut this kind of thing on
youtube. This is not necessarily a good thing. I wouldnt be surprised
if, because of the increased demand due to increased promotion and
awareness thanks to youtubers showing off about it, and because of rising
populism and nationalism around Europe (including the Italy), governments
vote to remove dual citizenship. People get jealous and jealous people
get frustrated. And angry. They will start to take notice as multiple
citizenships become a 'thing'. And they will pressure politicians to do
something about it. The key to being privileged, in any way, is
discretion.
Thanks for sharing the info Sofie! My Dad was born in Italy and migrated to Australia. I have loads of family in Italy and want to move there. I've been researching Citizenship too and read that you must reside in Italy for 2 years before you can apply.. How did you get around this?
I got a permesso di soggiorno from a student visa. Once I got my permesso I was able to get residence and once you have residence you can ask for citizenship at the comune if you have all the proper documents... at least that was my experience!
This is only for jure sanguinis though (italian blood line relative) I’m not sure for other instances!
dodoshlodo why would you want to go live in a basket case of a country, that is loosing a generation of people that can’t leave fast enough? It offers nothing to it’s citizens already
I only have a usa passport and a Mexican passport same as birth certificates and driver license and social security
Chihiro Fujisaki I want my Mexican passport but I don’t know how
My Grandparents are dead, and my father is dead so can't ask him questions. Its overwhelming, thats too much, I don't even have my parents marriage certificates. Originals at least. Is there anything else I can do? Overwhelmingly difficult it seem. Also impossible in my situation : ((
did you get your citizenship through your mother's father? I am trying to get citizenship through jure sanguinis as well and the rule regarding women not being able to pass citizenship on to their children confused me some.
Hello! Yes I did get it though my mother's father! That part confused me too- but because my grandfather is a male he was able to pass it on to me, i'm not sure what would be the case if it was my mother's mother... All the documents needed are listed in this video! Hope it can help! XO
Sofie's World sorry to bother you again but did you need to have all documents apostilled and translated into Italian as well?
yes! I needed all documents apostilled and translated, and get the translations apostilled and notarized. The ONLY docs that DON'T need to be apostilled are the originals from Italy from your relative (i.e. i only had ONE doc i didn't need to get apostilled which was my grandfather's birth certificate). Hope that helps and sorry for the delay!
Women don't pass italian citzenship for child if her child was born BEFORE 1948.
For example, if your great grandmother had your grandmother after 1948 you are eligible for italian citzenship.
Sorry btw, english os not my first language.
Also, do you have a video about the tax implications of American and Italian dual citizenship? What did you have to do in that context? Thanks!
That's a great question! I do not have a video about that, because I actually don't know much about it yet. I am currently working with an accountant here in Italy to help me figure it out, if I ever figure it out i'll let you know :)
Congrats, how exciting for you! TY for sharing, how very sweet of you.
it sounds like the best bet is to collect documents, get them translated in italy and file in italy? to not even deal with consulate?
Hi Sofie! I've just started the same process and am an already having problems, lol. I do have my original birth certificate though, which is nice, but I wanted to ask you--since you had your grandfather's original birth certificate and you sent that when applying, did you receive it back or they kept it? It's the only one I have, so I'm kind of nervous to send it!
I am currently going through Boston consulate. It’s been 7 months and I cannot get an online appointment.
I’m sorry.... I went through the same thing and never was able to get an appointment in Boston.
I was able to secure an appt at the Boston consulate for next year but I had to pay a tech company that specializes in this. I tried on my own as well but it’s nearly impossible. Apparently, they only release 40 appts at a time, 1 day a month. These 40 are divided within a month and only on Tues and Thurs which is about 4-5 per day. Supposedly the new appts are released the day of at 4 pm est and they are usually gone within seconds. Hope this helps and best of luck.
Jessica V. I would to know what tech company you used. I have gone to my Congressman whose office actually called and spoke to someone at Consulate Office in Boston and said the only way to get an appointment is online. I have gone on everyday at various times and only see red dates which means they are closed. Terrible and broken system. I wrote to Italian General Consulate in Boston who wrote back and basically said, wait just like everyone else and book online. I cannot claim my Italian birthright due to the Italian slow way of doing business.
@@robertrossi9306 I don't have the name. I am actually working with a service provider, Italian Citizenship Assistance (ICA), and they had the connection. You can try reaching out to them.
Applying for citizenship was the most stressful thing she’s ever been through? I completely understand anything and everything in italy is slow and complicated, but I am not sure how I can take a comment like that seriously.
Any suggestions on finding records from ancestors who never left Italy and marriages/births that took place there? I’ve searched and searched ancestry websites but can’t confirm my great great grandparents names or my great grandparents marriage/birth info needed to request records from Italy. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!
She’s stunningly beautiful 😍
💖💖💖
2 years? That’s a dream. Here in São Paulo, Brazil, we have to wait 12 (TWELVE) years for the Consulate calls us to get our papers. And then they have 2 years to tell us an anwer.
I heard the same thing in Argentina, where my parents are actually from. But it's probably due to the fact that many people from there are trying to get out of the country and so Italy would be getting a much higher amount of applicants for the citizenship.
@Sofie's World Great video just a question, can you recommend a service / business that obtains the needed documents for you and does the hard part !!
may woods thanks so much
For nothing
I'm having trouble getting my great grandfathers naturalization certificate from USCIS.
How long did it take you to get your Italian passport? I'm working on it now through my grandfather born in Sicily. My dad was born in Ireland so I already have an Irish passport.
compared to you i am going to go through hell. My great grandparents were italian. To start they immigrated to Mexico & my father immigrated to U.S. I am going to have to fly to Mexico to find those documents and fly back because i am american & then probably fly to Italy. So happy that you got yours that is great. I hope to one day get mine but i don't even know where to start. Or if i am even eligible? :/
I have an Irish passport through my dad's birth there but my grandmother was also born in Italy and grandfather born in the USA shortly after his parents arrived from Italy. I don't believe any of my great grandparents were naturalized USA citizens or my grandmother. I believe I also qualify for an Italian passport. Any advice?
Hi my name is Nicola I'm a Dual Italian/US Dual citizen and have both passports like you. I have a question that is not clear to me. I came back to my country of birth Rome with the US passport and decided to stay for a while. Now my question is : am I allowed to stay as long as I want ? Does the 90 days apply to me on the US passport? I'm getting ready to work in Rome with my Italian nationality and yet I'm so confused. Please reply I'll be so grateful!! 😭
Nicola, 90 days is for a Visa stay. If you were not required to ask permission to go there and give an itinerary for approval, you are good to go. If you are abroad of the US, security dictates you should use your ITALIAN PASSPORT when traveling or living in the EU , especially where Americans are loathed.
Looking on the bright side, I have only to get documents from Omaha, Neb. Pottawatomie Iowa, and California at least
the way it looks right now Santa Clara County Calif. is much easier for me to tackle and the folks in Douglas County Neb.
are very gracious, but still this is rather daunting did I spell that right, we who are faced with these tasks must keep a sunny
disposition and all of you on You Tube should also, oh I forgot but probably the Italian documents far as I know are in
in Carlentini unless I find any surprizes down the line, everyone I hope your dreams come true as I am for mine, specially when
someone asks me "are you still here" ? Certainly this is not a snap your fingers, wiggle your nose=finished type of situation! Moving to Italy as Sofie has done is a great option>>>>>>!
Hi Sofie, I am from Boston and I am starting to look into citizenship from my great grandfather on my fathers side. I was wondering if you have the information for the translator and how to get any of the apostilles. Also, is there like a test that you have to take because I know in the US you have to take a test to be a citizen? Thank you so much and Im a big fan!!!!
Hi Noah- thanks! And that's great! I do have the translator's contact info, if you want to contact my privately I'd be happy to share that with you. As for the apostilles, if the document is from the state of Massachusetts, or the translation was done in the state of Mass, you just have to go in person with the documents to the Commissions Section of the Secretary of the Commonwealth which is at One Ashburton Place in Downtown, Boston. And no, no test!! If you are getting it through blood then it's your birth right :) Feel free to reach out with any other questions :)
Sofie's World Thank you so much Sofie! Is I️t ok if I contact you on Instagram for the translator? Thank you again so much this is a big help and your encouragement makes I️t so much better!!!
Boston is literally my favorite place on earth. I’m from Ohio and I’ve been a couple times I love it ! Honestly I would have stayed in Boston lol!!
Ok so I godda wait 2 years for my appointment???? My whole family lives in Sicily and we have residency their. This is crap, what do I do now??????
El Coyote Loco The process can be completed in Prefettura
Thank you, Sofie, for sharing your story. I see how it can be stressful with all the sudden twists and turns. This is very helpful to hear. I sure wish there was another way. One question, did you have to travel TO Texas and New York, etc...to get things Apostiled? Or could you do that through the mail? Thanks.
They can be done through the mail! Unfortunately New York lost the ones I purchased in the mail and with a time crunch, I had to physically go to Albany to get mine apostilled.
Thanks. That's helpful. Do more videos of you doing Italian dialogue. it's a great way to learn. I tried Rosetta Stone but it felt hoaky, with the same mannequin models. lol. You are good at teaching language for me because you are animated, excited, full of the Italian culture. Like a kid in the candy store. :).
Grazie mille!!! xx
Elisa Siragusa who is a member of The Italian Chamber of Deputies in Italy, is now proposing (in 2020) to reform this law, so that you can no-longer inherit Italian citizenship. I think that this is just the beginning. In the past, governments have tolerated dual, triple citizenships, because not many people new about the possibility and not many people cared. those who did were a minority. Now however, things are changing. With the internet and TH-cam, people are increasingly finding out about the possibilities of having more than one citizenship and having dual triple citizenships is being promoted on youtube, with a number of youtubers 'showing off' about having other citizenships and making videos about it. Being privileged is about being discrete. But sadly, the attention economy has done away with that adage. It is becoming a status thing as well as a trend to have multiple citizenships. With the growing populism around the world, it is only a question of time before there is a back-lash against it, with frustrated and jealous people voting in politicians who will seek to remove dual citizenship or make it harder to acquire. I do hope that it doesnt happen, but i am not optimistic about it.
Also, another interesting point: Getting Italian citizenship allows you, as an American, to live and work in the EU. Thats great! but sadly, this will not allow you to escape American taxes, if you do decide to live and work in the EU. America taxes you on your citizenship, no matter where you live. So, if you decided to live in Italy, you would have to pay taxes in Italy (Normal), but ALSO pay taxes to America, at the same time!, even if you do not live there anymore! I know...it is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. A lot of Americans in Europe are being refused bank accounts, because European banks just do not want to deal with the hassle of having to report American citizens accounts to the US government, which they are obliged to do, since America has bullied them into submission and threatened sanctions if they do not.
Does the application need to be translated in Italian?. I have 8 more Apostles to obtain from New York. Does the Naturalization Record need to be translated? If my family from Palmero: Prizzi do I send documents there? You obtained citizen by doing the Visa and presenting documents in Italy. Did you find that process faster than me presenting documents to Miami Consulate?
I was born in Ecuador but my parents are Italian and I got it just at birth but if you are a immigrant you are screwed you cannot be Italian because of the law. We are not like Germany or Holland so take that notice
I love your video! I'm watching you from the USA, but I'm an American from Hoover, AL, USA. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💕💕💕💕
shainastars07 I never see people from Hoover, Al. I grew up there! Cool!
Hi a really good personal connection helps a lot ! you be surprised when you know someone important that's the key. Like when you frequent a upscale restaurant. Make friends with manager like after eating introduce yourself and say how much you enjoyed etc. you've got to be reasonably friendly with everyone
didn't grandpa know someone ?
you should have married this guy friend
I am working on doing the same thing, getting the naturalization papers have been a pain, but once I get that, I can get everything else
That’s awesome! It will feel so amazing once it’s complete... worth it!
Sofie, did you tally the total cost to do this? That's an interesting number. Has to be in the thousands.
Parking, passport is not success but how you translate your life and opportunities. Passport is not the problem but achievement, most people end on social benefits. So that is not academic qualifications, just work hard that is the secret of success. That is the fact
SO cool ! Lots of stuff involved to get the visa ! xoxo
SO much stuff... Welcome to beaurocracy! Ha! Thanks so much for stopping by XO
I'm going to try to get dual citizenship jure sanguinis -- my mother was both in Italy and both my father's parents were born in Italy. The agency or lawyers that can help me get it will probably want me to pay them my last dollar of savings. So I inherited an Italian citizenship that will cost me a fortune to actually acquire.
I have carta de sorjorno (PR)? I stay sri lanka more than 10 years after taking PR can I go back to italy?
This is a bit confusing so perhaps you could clarify. You provided a list of things needed to viewers, and you took all of them to the Boston Consulate one day. A clerk there looked at these items and told you they were woefully inadequate. So, why are you telling us these are the things we would need (let's assume we are in the exact same situation, ancestor--wise, as you are), and nothing more? Thanks!
MyristicMystic hi there! So sorry to confuse you, that wasn't my intention at all! I went to the consulate just to ask a question about something, not to present the documents, and the man there asked me some personal questions on my grandfather and then told me these things. He clearly had no idea how far I was into the process nor knew my background. He was just a negative grouch! So that nothing to do with the documents I provide for you, the documents I provide for you are indeed the ones I needed and presented in order to successfully obtain citizenship. So sorry to have confused you! Have a great day!
Okay, good to hear that. Thanks.
Congratulations Sofie!! 👍
I know you're not an expert but I have relatives that actual still live in Italy is it easier to get citizenship through them or my Mom who was born there and gave up her citizenship to get her us citizenship. What do you think?
If your mom gave up her Italian citizen for her USA you cannot get it because she wasn’t an Italian citizen when you were born. You would have to go through at least grandparents
Omg you’re so lucky i just have the Syrian citizen it’s so weak but it’s ok 👌🏻
Hi if you marry the guy maybe he can become a USA citizen and you Italian ? You got yours already ...if getting married to each other would that have made it easier ?
I'm doing the same thing. My grandparents were from Italia and I am about to start my paper work. I'm done. Froza italia. Only dule if you had family from there.
my dad wad born in italy, i am dual but us/aussie.
It is now a lot harder to get citizenship in Italy by descent. You now actually have to sue the Italian government.
You certainly have the loudness of an italian!
She actually has the body language of a person who highly insecure.
Such rude comments here!
I'm Italian but I don't have passport