Everyone wants to visit Italy at some point in their lives, but have you ever thought about living there? The visa process can be taxing and only allows you to stay in Italy for a limited amount of time, but getting italian citizenship through descent would let your Italian vacation last a lifetime! If you’ve ever wanted to live canal-side in Venice or in the home of the Renaissance, Florence, then here’s how to take your first steps!
Your Family History
Jus Sanguinis, an appropriately Latin term, translates to “right of blood.” No, it’s not an old horror movie, it’s the Italian law that allows people not born in Italy to become citizens. Basically, it is italian citizenship through descent. The easiest way is to show that either of your parents were born in Italy. If your family history is a little sparser than that, you can also use grandparents or great grandparents. You just need to be able to prove a direct blood relation. From there, the process gets a little more complicated.
Get Your Records in Order
It’s all well and good that your family knows your great grandmother was born in Italy, but that’s not enough to prove it for the Italian government. You’re going to need to put together your family’s records to definitively prove this. The easiest way to prove italian citizenship through descent is to hire a service that specializes in proving Italian descent. They will be able to find birth, marriage, and naturalization records necessary for the next step in this process.
Getting Your Italian Records
So, you’ve got all of your American paperwork together, but you’re still missing the other half. You also need the Italian birth records of your relatives. This is a key part in proving your heritage. The specialty services mentioned earlier can handle this task for you, but if you are determined to go it on your own you should be ready for a wait. You’ll need to get in touch with your local Italian consulate. This is going to be in the nearest major city. For a fee, they will start the process of putting together your Italian family records. As a general rule of thumb, this is more expensive the more complicated your order is.
Last Steps
After this, you just need to wait it out while the Italian government puts your documents together. Once that is complete you will send some final paperwork to Italy and you will receive your Italian passport! From there, you can start the process of being a naturalized Italian or just enjoy your newfound freedom!
