When pursuing Italian citizenship by descent, genealogical research may be required at least minimally. This is necessary to be able to determine what documents will be needed, where to obtain them and what specific details are required. Obtaining documents can be an essential determining factor for eligibility to make a claim for Italian citizenship by descent and is the absolute first step necessary before proceeding any further. Italian Citizenship Assistance offers this service to evaluate what documents may be necessary and if it is indeed possible to move forward through the citizenship process. This service is included within our obligation-free assessment that we offer.
Our intention in this article is to go over the process of requesting vital records from Italy pertaining to your Italian ancestors. In accordance with Italian law, all the vital records of all major life events, births, marriages, divorces and deaths are recorded and kept by the Italian registrar of vital statistics (Uffico dello Stato Civile). The original documents remain in the comune (municipality) where this life event took place.
One of the main reasons for doing genealogical research prior to document retrieval is that it can be necessary to determine where the request needs to be made since there is not a central national record-keeping system in Italy. Each province and municipality keep their own records. Which office needs to be contacted may be determined by the type of record kept. Records are only kept at the location or in the vicinity of where these life events occurred.
Knowing as much information about your Italian ascendant prior to the request of documents will also make document procurement much easier especially when requesting older documents. Italian comuni (municipalities) usually do not conduct any genealogical or record research themselves. It is optimal to be able to provide a reference to the comune of the exact date that such events occurred. However, in lieu of a birth date, some smaller Italian municipalities may accept a birth month or year when making a request for a document.
If you do not have the information about your ancestors’ life events, our genealogical research team is available to be of assistance and help conduct whatever research may be necessary.
All requests for documents must be written in Italian due to the fact that Italian is the only official language of the country. Even if the clerks themselves have some knowledge of English, if a request is made in English they are unable to answer such a request. The reason being that English is not an official language of Italy and/or because the clerk simply doesn’t understand English. The important point is that if you would like to have the chance to receive a written response with documents included, it will be necessary to send your request in Italian.
In Italy many vital records are available at no cost to the requestor. Although it is recommended to provide a self-addressed envelope with enough money to cover any postage costs. This is always very much appreciated by the municipal clerks as they may otherwise be unable to supply you with the document(s) you’ve requested.
For more information about what the specifics of the comune where your ancestor/s’ records have been kept, it is recommended to contact them directly to find out what their particular requirements are. Keep in mind that it may be difficult to make contact with them especially if you are a non-native Italian speaker. If you require assistance with this step, our dual citizenship experts would be more than happy to assist you with this process.
Ready to get started on your journey? For more information or to contact us directly for any other questions about Italian citizenship click here.
