If you're Italian-American and passionate about your heritage, this article will help you understand if you're eligible for Italian dual citizenship and what you'll need to do in order to be successful. We interviewed the founder, Marco, of Italian Citizenship Assistance to get as many details as possible to help you on your journey.
Legacy Tree:
Tell me a little bit about Italian Citizenship Assistance. What is the origin and history of ICA?
Marco:
I established this company by myself, and I was the only one providing this service at that time. Soon after starting, I had to hire extra personnel because of demand, and my father helped, and still helps me in the hiring process. He's a valuable member of our team. We hire only high-quality people, and that is something everybody agrees with. It is something that sets us apart.
I was working in the U.S. for a law firm and met members of the Italian-American community. I saw the interest that these people had in getting Italian citizenship. Around the same period, my sister was adopted, she's from Northern Europe, and she got Italian citizenship. So, those are the factors that prompted my decision to start this business.
What inspired me was that many Americans wanted to acquire Italian citizenship, which was a larger interest compared to other communities. Italian-Americans love their heritage and are passionate about this process.
Why You Should Pursue Italian Dual Citizenship
Legacy Tree:
When you began ICA, were people mostly coming to you because of interest in their heritage? Were there legal reasons for the interest in dual citizenship, or was it more the draw to connection with their heritage?
Marco:
At the very beginning, when the number were lower, most people desired to reconnect with their heritage but mostly enjoyed the benefits of Italian citizenship. Free movement in the European Union, free healthcare, and purchasing real estate is more straightforward; furthermore, you can pass citizenship on to your children. In the beginning, these benefits pushed people to get Italian citizenship because Italian citizenship is one of the easiest that you can get in Europe. If you have Italian ancestry acquiring Italian citizenship is easier compared to Irish citizenship (which is only possible up to the grandfather).
I would say that over the years the reasons why U.S. citizens want to claim their Italian citizenship remains the chance to re-connect with their Italian heritage, as well as to enjoy the free movement and opportunities that living in the EU brings. Also important for clients has been to pass on citizenship to their children, so that they can have more prospects for travel, work and study.
In more recent times, I have also observed, with current social and political unrest; not just in America, but globally, that more U.S. citizens have other motivations for seeking their Italian citizenship. They wanted to have the chance to reside permanently in Italy or in the EU.
Legal Barriers & Solutions To Gain Italian Dual Citizenship
Legacy Tree:
Tell me a little bit about your team.
Marco:
A lot of them have a foreign language background. Many have a history, research, and genealogy background, and we also have lawyers on the team besides myself and professional translators. It's a combination of these kind of backgrounds.
Legacy Tree:
What legal barriers do you see people facing when trying to get their citizenship that your team might help them with?
Marco:
It's a complex process because Italian institutions, such as the consulates and municipalities, are overwhelmed with applications.
People have commented to me that they find the process complex, and have wondered why it isn’t straightforward. However, Italy, like many other countries, has systems in place to help manage and regulate. The bureaucratic nature of these systems does not mean that individuals of Italian descent aren’t welcome; in fact the opposite is true. It is just simply that the process can be complex, which is why we are here to help.
One of the difficulties can be submitting applications to local administration services. However, as already mentioned, this is more an issue of bureaucracy, and the fact that it is their role to verify and fact-check all documents. I understand why this can cause frustration to applicants, but, as my team tells them, as long as documents are all in order, there aren’t normally any problems.
Legacy Tree:
Having your assistance when they're trying to make this happen is helpful because I imagine some people try to do it independently and then come to you and say, I tried, and I can't make this happen. Will you please help me? Do you get clients like that who have been attempting independently and need help to complete it?
Marco:
Yes, very often.
Relocating To Italy With Dual Citizenship
Legacy Tree:
Do you find most people move to Italy permanently once they achieve dual citizenship, or do they maintain their residency elsewhere and have dual citizenship?
Marco:
It depends really, but we have seen that there have been many people from other countries who qualify for Italian citizenship, such as Brazil and Argentina, and the reasons they want to come to Italy, or to Europe, are because of the economic opportunities it affords, as well as re-connecting with their heritage.
In terms of U.S. citizens, I would say of those we have supported, they tend to want to explore their heritage as well as pass on citizenship to their children; making sure they also have the opportunities that Italian citizenship gives.
Also interesting, is that more recently more Americans are relocating to Italy. The reasons for this can be twofold: to experience life in Italy as a citizen and enjoy the lifestyle Italy offers. Either way, I have definitely noticed an influx of Americans who are eager to relocate to Italy.
The Time and Costs To Gain Italian Dual Citizenship
Legacy Tree:
If I'm a new client, what would be the expectation when we come to you? What would I be expecting in terms of a timeline and potential cost?
Marco:
The key point that I tell people is to be patient because the process is that, a process. There are many factors to consider when embarking on a citizenship application, and so having patience and understanding that this takes time is very important.
The timeframe is generally around 12 months, and this is because there are many documents to collate and verify. These documents then need to be translated and legalized, and we play a very significant role in this. All this requires time to ensure the documents are accurate and without error.
It is the Consulate where you reside that processes your application, and, depending on their backlog, it can take up to 24 months. However, if all documentation is in place and correct; then this shouldn’t be the case.
Some of our clients have also relocated to Italy as it is quicker to make the application here, and we have assisted many in the process of applying in Italy, as well as supporting with areas such as finding residence. It is reassuring for clients to know that they have options which will shorten their waiting time for citizenship.
We start with a free assessment of the case. A potential client will give us the information, and we will then assess the case. People are surprised because we do the initial assessment and research for free, and get back to those who are eligible to claim citizenship. We give back all the documents and information that we found during the initial research, which is also free of charge.
Legacy Tree:
Wow! That's excellent customer service.
Marco:
People like that because it demonstrates we are invested in customer care, and after they engage our services, we handle the application process entirely. We acquire all the documents from the U.S., Brazil, Italy, etc., and we handle the whole process.
How Genealogy Research Can Help The Dual Citizenship Process
Legacy Tree:
When would your clients need the help of Legacy Tree Genealogists in addition to what you are doing for them?
Marco:
That's an excellent question. In many cases, we can get all of the critical information before they engage our services.
In some other cases the client has little to no information on their family.
In these situations, we generally tell the client that we can’t determine with absolute certainty if all the documents needed exist, and it's hazardous to proceed with very little information. We tell them that they can talk to a professional genealogist to obtain the missing information before they engage our services.
Legacy Tree:
Is it a lot of work to stay current on changing regulations or laws for Italian citizenship?
Marco:
Not really, because the laws for dual citizenship have never changed, so the process is the same. It is just that the process is stringent and requires everything (documents) to be in order to avoid delays or discrepancies in the application.
Successful Italian Dual Citizenship Stories
Legacy Tree:
Tell me one of your favorite client stories.
Marco:
I have a client in which the process took about five years. He initially handled the process by himself and was turned down because of some discrepancies in the documents. Then he engaged our services, we filed an appeal, and he got citizenship. That was a very challenging experience. He had severe discrepancies in his documents, and it was tough to tell who in his family was who. But eventually, we made it.
Then, we had another client who recently relocated to Italy full-time, and he purchased a house with our real estate branch: we also have a branch of the organization that offers real estate services and supports clients to purchase property. He bought a house in Tuscany and after obtaining citizenship relocated to Italy with his family in the town where his great grandfather was from, and now they're happily living in Tuscany.
Legacy Tree:
What other services beyond dual citizenship are you able to provide?
Marco:
People come to us primarily for citizenship-related services or certain types of visas that most Americans seek, like the elective residency visa for people who want to retire in Italy. This visa is for people who are not citizens and can't become citizens by descent but want to retire in Italy. And Italy offers that kind of visa based on passive income.
We also help the spouses of dual citizenship applicants. When a person gets citizenship, typically, the spouse wants to either get citizenship through marriage or to get a residency permit that allows them to stay in Europe with their spouse. We can assist with that. Then, we help with current children and children born after a person becomes a citizen. So, there are a lot of services related to citizenship for people who have become citizens and for their family members.
And then, very often, they want to purchase or rent properties in Italy. We offer a very similar service where we start with an initial consultation or a series of consultations, sometimes where they tell us what they want, and then we go and look for properties for them. Some people find the property themselves. Others want us to help them find the property, which we do. They tell us the budget, where, and the property requirements, and then we go and look. Then, we complete the purchase, which is very complex. It's a very old system where there is a notary involved. We often take care of that process without the client's presence in Italy. They give us power of attorney, we buy the property, and we mail the keys to them, and then they travel as Italians and go live inside their property.
Legacy Tree:
As an example, if my husband got his Italian citizenship, I was not a citizen, and you helped me get residency, but we had children that were born before he was an Italian citizen, are they considered Italian citizens?
Marco:
If the children are minors, they will be included in the application. They also become Italian citizens automatically. Suppose there are adult children of the applicant. In that case, we always ask whether the adult children want to be included because it's much better to do the process together so they can become citizens simultaneously. If the adult children are left out of the process, they will have to redo it all over again if they become interested.
Legacy Tree:
If a person is interested in starting the dual citizenship process, what are their next steps?
Marco:
We offer a free eligibility evaluation that is well explained on our website. We will then research for free to determine if you qualify and have a good case.
You can also watch our podcast on YouTube to get many of your questions answered. With over 300 episodes, there is sure to be an answer to your question.
If you are ready to step into your Italian heritage and begin the process of dual citizenship, you can contact Italian Citizenship Assistance at italiancitizenshipassistance.com.
If you need help identifying and documenting your Italian ancestry, contact us at Legacy Tree Genealogists for a free quote for genealogy research into your Italian ancestors.
If you'd like to learn more about how to go about getting Italian Dual Citizenship, you can read our resource articles here.
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