How Italian ancestral connections pave the way for citizenship

23^rd July 2022

The editorial unit

The editorial unit

23 July 2022

Immigration is an exciting prospect, but the legal formalities can get overwhelming. They may even dissuade people from pursuing the dream of starting afresh in another country. But the truth is that immigration can be a breeze if the right destination is chosen with an apt route. Italy makes an excellent destination for people with ancestral connections in the country because it offers citizenship by descent. Prospective settlers can find information online and get a consultation with a law firm seek assistance with the process. The journey is easy and opens the opportunity to obtain citizenship status directly instead of following a long process for naturalisation. Here’s an idea of how Italian ancestral connections can enable citizenship.

Assess eligibility

This one is a no-brainer because it is not possible to claim citizenship unless one is eligible for it. The good thing is that there are no generational limits when it comes to leveraging ancestral connections for an Italian passport. But only having an Italian bloodline is not enough to get in – the ancestor must have been alive after Italian unification in 1861. Further, they should not have renounced their Italian citizenship by moving elsewhere and naturalising in that country before the birth of their child. A female ancestor can open doors to an exceptional category: one cannot apply through Jure Sanguinis if she gave birth before 1948, however, a claim can be brought through a court process.

Get ahead of documentation

Documentation is perhaps the most challenging part of claiming Italian citizenship by descent. The process requires applicants to provide a long list of documents to validate their claim. It includes ancestral proof with certificates of birth, death, and marriage from the ascendant’s local commune. The challenge of obtaining long-lost documents from a small office in a different part of the world is significant. Luckily, the task can be left to an immigration expert as they have the right connections. Besides the local documents, one also has to give ID paperwork from a current residence and remember to get them translated and apostilled for the process.

Close the process at a local consulate

The final step is to close the process by applying at a local consulate instead of traveling to Italy. Although an application in one’s home country sounds convenient, the immigration queues at the consulate can make the wait painful, and the interview appointment may come months or even a year after the application, so patience is the key to completing the process without stress. However, the wait is worthwhile because it results in one of the most powerful passports and the opportunity to live in the country of one’s ancestors. The legacy can also be passed on to the next generation as citizenship rights are automatically transferable to children, grandchildren and beyond.

Italian citizenship by descent could be an effective way to get into the country and start a new life with family. But everything boils down to understanding eligibility and ensuring one not come into an exception. Moreover, collaborating with an expert gets everything on the right track.

The editorial unit