Do I Qualify?

Well, that depends. Several laws need to be reviewed first. At Citizen d’Italia we call them the qualifying hurdles. First, we determine your ancestors’ naturalization status. Then we test it against the Naturalization rule of 1912 and the Law of 1948 to name a few. We often determine your eligibility during our first conversation.

 

The Hurdles

Unification of Italy

The formation of the modern Italian state began in 1861 with the unification of most of the peninsula into the Kingdom of Italy. Italy incorporated Venetia and the former Papal States, including Rome, by 1871. Before March 17, 1861, Italy was not a unified country. Your ancestor must have lived after the above date to be considered Italian and pass on Italian citizenship. As long as your Italian ancestor was both alive anywhere in the world after March 17, 1861, and also not yet a naturalized citizen of another country on that date, you may qualify for Italian dual citizenship.

The 1912 Rule

Italian citizens naturalized before July 1, 1912, cannot transmit Italian citizenship to their children, regardless of when they were born. Or put another way, if your ancestor became a naturalized U.S. citizen before June 14, 1912, they could not transmit citizenship, even if their children were born prior to their naturalization.

The 1948 Rule*

Italian women have no rights to transmit citizenship to their children until 1948. Therefore, applicants who were born prior to January 1st, 1948, can claim Italian citizenship only from their paternal line. Providing the following:

• The father was not a naturalized citizen of another country before his child’s birth.
• A woman can transfer citizenship only to her children born after January 1, 1948.
• The mother was not a naturalized citizen of another country before her child’s birth.

*If this is the only obstruction to your eligibility, you may still have your citizenship recognized. You can have your application reviewed by the courts in Italy. Some people have successfully challenged this rule in the Italian courts.

Naturalization & Renounced Italian citizenship

Your Italian ancestor must not have naturalized before the birth of his/her descendant. It includes you and any of the ascendants in your direct line born before August 15, 1992.

Citizenship Jure Sanguinis (by descent)

You may claim Italian citizenship through “jure sanguinis,” or the bloodline. Your ancestors must be Italian at the time of your birth and may not have renounced their Italian Citizenship. The Naturalization oath is how they renounced their Italian citizenship.

We help you explore applying through either your father or mother. However, you must prove that citizenship was never interrupted – starting from you – going back to your Italian born ancestor.