In one of our previous articles we answered the most frequently asked questions about applying for Italian citizenship by descent via a municipality in Italy and we outlined the process from establishing residency in Italy to submitting an application via the citizenship office in the municipality’s town hall. This article instead will provide you with information about applying for citizenship via an Italian consulate – both in the U.S. and abroad – by answering some of the most frequently asked question regarding the application process.
What are the eligibility requirements to apply?
In order to apply for Italian citizenship by descent you need to prove that you have an unbroken chain of Italian descendants starting from the ancestor who emigrated from Italy; in other words, none of your ancestors in your direct line of descent must have renounced their Italian citizenship. Another requirement to apply is that your ancestor (who was born in Italy) must have been alive when Italy was unified as a nation on March 17, 1861, or he/she must have been born after that date. It is also crucial that your Italian ancestor was never naturalized or was naturalized after his/her child’s birth in the U.S.
Finally, if there is a woman in your Italian lineage her child must have been born after January 1, 1948, which is when Italy’s constitution came into effect, granting men and women equal rights. As a consequence, women could pass their citizenship on to their children. A legal precedent was established in the Civil Court of Rome in 2009 and since then, applicants with a female ancestor who gave birth to her child prior to January 1, 1948, can file a lawsuit in a court in Italy and apply for Italian citizenship retroactively.
Which consulate can you apply to?
You need to apply via the Italian consulate that covers the jurisdiction where you reside. Each consulate in the U.S., for instance, has jurisdiction over a number of states. You can view the complete list of consulates and their respective jurisdictions here. If you apply for Italian citizenship at an Italian consulate in a country outside of the U.S. and you are not a citizen of that country nor have permanent residency there, you will be required to hold a visa which covers you for at least 2 years from the date you submit your citizenship application. This is due to the fact that the citizenship office has a maximum of 2 years, by law, to process an application for Italian citizenship by descent. Generally, Italian consulates abroad are faster when processing citizenship requests compared to Italian consulates in the U.S. because they have fewer applications to process, therefore, you might not need to wait 2 years to be granted Italian citizenship. More information about applying for citizenship via an Italian consulate outside of the U.S. can be found here. Please note that all Italian consulates require applicants to provide proof of residency in order to verify that they reside under their jurisdiction (e.g. a utility bill, a driver’s license or a bank statement).
Do you need to speak Italian?
You are not required to speak Italian in order to apply for citizenship by descent. This is due to the fact that you are Italian by birth-right and you are only formally applying for the recognition of your right to Italian citizenship.
As for your appointment at the consulate, if you are applying in an English-speaking country the interview will be conducted in English. On the other hand, if you are applying via an Italian consulate outside of the U.S. the consular clerks might speak English, but they will mainly speak Italian and the language of the country in which they are based.
Which documents do you need in order to apply?
You will need to provide the Italian consulate with certified copies of all your family’s vital records. You will also need to provide your ancestor’s naturalization records or proof that your ancestor was never naturalized. Some consulates in the U.S. require the vital records pertaining to the individuals in the direct line of descent, whereas others also require their respective spouses’ records or the photocopies, therefore it is advisable to check the specific requirements of the consulate you will be applying to. All the records need to be authenticated with an Apostille seal except for your Italian ancestor’s Italian records. Finally, all the records need to be translated into Italian. If you are submitting records which were issued outside the U.S. you will need to make sure that they comply with the obligations provided for by law in relation to legalization/apostille and translations. However, there are consular offices such as the one in Boston, for example, which at the time of writing this article requires applicants to provide certified translations.
How can you book an appointment?
You can book an appointment for Italian citizenship by descent by registering with the consulate’s online booking system Prenotami. Due to the health emergency many consulates started to process applications via mail, whereas others replaced in-person appointments with short interviews conducted over the phone. Generally, the consulate will send you an email a few weeks prior to your appointment to provide you with instructions regarding the submission of your application.
Can you apply with your family?
If you would like to apply for citizenship with your family members, you will need to determine whether you will be applying via the same consulate. If this is the case you will only need to submit one set of documents pertaining to the individuals in the Italian lineage (provided that you all apply via the same Italian ancestor). On the other hand, if you apply via different consulates, each consulate will require a set of documents. If you have minor children and you are applying for Italian citizenship, your children will automatically be part of your application and they will not need to pay a consular fee to be granted citizenship. Please note that all applicants over 18 years old will generally need to book their own appointments and pay the consular fee for the consulate to process their application. If you would like to learn more about applying for citizenship with your family, please click here.
How much does it cost to apply?
The U.S. vital records needed to apply for citizenship generally cost between $5 and $10 each, whereas the vital records issued in Italy are generally free of charge. The cost for an apostille is generally between $10 and $20. If the consulate you are applying to requires certified translations, the cost for these will vary depending on the number of documents that need to be certified and on the state from which the certifications need to be obtained.
The consulate’s citizenship application fee is €300 and it must be paid on the day of your appointment. If you apply via a consulate in the U.S. the consular fee will be payable in USD; the exchange rate is updated every three months and it is published on the consulate’s website. For more information about the costs associated with a citizenship application click here.
How long does it take to be granted Italian citizenship?
Once you have submitted your application, the consulate will have a maximum of 24 months, by law, to process it. Some consulates’ processing times are faster than others; however, this depends on the number of applications they need to process. If you apply for Italian citizenship at an Italian consulate outside of the U.S, the processing time to be granted citizenship is generally quite short as consulates outside of the U.S. tend to have fewer applications to process compared to Italian consulates in the U.S.
How is an application assessed?
Once you submit your application the citizenship clerk will examine all your vital records to make sure that there are no discrepancies on them. Generally, the clerk will let you know on the same day of your appointment if additional documents are required or if any of your vital records need to be amended. If you are curious to learn more about what happens behind the scenes of an application for Italian citizenship by descent click here.
What happens when you are granted citizenship?
When the consulate approves your application, you will receive an email stating that your vital records have been sent to the municipality which holds your Italian ancestor’s birth record. The municipality will then register your vital records, such as your birth, marriage and divorce records (if applicable), and you will be registered with the AIRE (Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad); this will allow you to apply for an Italian passport at the consulate. Being registered with the AIRE means that both the Italian government as well as the consulate that covers the jurisdiction where you reside have proof that you are an Italian citizen residing abroad. If you move to another state in the U.S., or if you move abroad, you will need to update your address with the AIRE. Similarly, if you have children after you are granted Italian citizenship you will need to register their births via the consulate before they turn 18 in order for them to be recognized as Italian citizens. In fact, if you do not register their births they will need to apply for citizenship and submit all of your family’s vital records starting from the ancestor who was born in Italy and who emigrated to the U.S.
If you would like to learn more about the process of applying for Italian citizenship by descent via an Italian consulate, do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or at +1(951) 742 5830.
