Getting Citizenship By Ancestry in Italy in 2022

Got Italian parents, grandparents or earlier ancestors? In today’s episode, we unpack how you can get Citizenship By Descent in Italy in 2022…

Getting Citizenship By Ancestry in Italy in 2022

Obtaining a second passport is an excellent strategy for safeguarding your freedom of movement — and especially during these uncertain times. We’ve recently taken a look at how you can obtain Citizenship By Ancestry in Portugal and Greece. 

And in today’s episode, we explore your options in Italy…

Italy is an amazing country with a powerful passport, being part of the European Union and Schengen Area. Its passport offers visa-free access to a whopping 159 countries around the world, earning it an “A” grade ranking in the Sovereign Man Passport Index. 

It is also in this country that our founder, Simon Black, obtained a citizenship and passport based on his ancestry.

A quote from his personal story:

Several years ago, it came, neatly wrapped inside a 3.5” by 5” package.

Inside was a new gift of freedom: an Italian passport, courtesy of my ancestry and a little time and effort. Instantly, I had just doubled my options. 

I could live and work anywhere in Europe without issue; now, two enormous regions — the US and the EU — could be considered ‘home’.

If you’re of Italian descent, this could be YOU…

The above is a powerful message. And hopefully, quite a few of our subscribers will be able to tell the same story after exploring their European heritage.

Italy, in particular, is very generous in terms of its citizenship by ancestry rules. According to Italian law, having an Italian parent, grandparent, a great-grandparent or even a great-great-grandparent can qualify you for a passport. 

There is no limit on generations, but your Italian ancestor must have been alive on or after March 17, 1861. (This is the date Italy became a unified country.) 

If your Italian ancestor died before this date, then Italy does not consider him or her officially Italian. And that means that you won’t be Italian either.

Additionally, your lineage needs to be uninterrupted — meaning that no one in your family chain renounced their Italian citizenship without first passing it on to their children. 

(Citizenship usually passes automatically from a parent to a child at birth. So, if your ancestor renounced their Italian citizenship, and then gave birth to a child, then the child would not have become Italian.)

And there’s one additional factor to consider if your Italian lineage stems from a female ancestor…

The letter of the law is that women born before January 1, 1948, cannot pass down citizenship. Only men were allowed to transfer Italian citizenship, according to the Law of 1912. This is often referred to as the “Rule of 1948.”

But in 2009, the Italian Supreme Court issued an important ruling. They confirmed that gender equality should be retroactive, and hence the Rule of 1948 became null and void. 

So, the spirit of the law has changed… but that change has not yet been formalized in law. 

In case of a male Italian ancestor, once your documents are ready, you can submit them at the nearest Italian consulate.

And if your Italian lineage comes through a female ancestor born before January 1948, then you should submit a claim to the Court of Rome, with the assistance of legal counsel.

As for the approximate timeline…

It took Simon quite a while to complete his process — more than two years. That’s because, as he said, he had no idea what he was doing.

He had to figure this all out himself, with no guidance, no tips, and no contacts.

You have much more of an advantage. If you’re a Sovereign Man: Confidential member, you’ll have access to our detailed, step-by-step SMC Alert  — “​​How to acquire Italian Citizenship By Ancestry” — from a few years ago. 

You can also check out the following information on the website of the Consulate General of San Francisco. 

And if you’re thinking about completing this process yourself from the US, here’s a link to a list of Italian consulates near to you.

Or you can use the services of an Italian immigration attorney. Sovereign Man: Confidential members, get in touch if you would like a reference.

If you have to challenge the Rule of 1948, then an attorney will definitely be needed. 

Over the past few years, the adjudication process was already taking much longer than when Simon applied more than a decade ago. And then COVID hit. 

(And, as you know, it hit Italy early, and hard.)

Just scheduling an appointment in some consulates takes more than one year. And it’s not unheard of for the full process to take four to five years before you receive your Italian passport. 

So, start applying yesterday. 

On the bright side, Italy allows dual citizenship with no restrictions.

The fast-track to Italian Citizenship By Ancestry

There is a way to fast-track your Italian citizenship by ancestry process.

You’ll need to travel to Italy, demonstrate that you’ve secured accommodation (i.e. a rental apartment), and register as a resident with the local authorities.

Next, you’ll file your citizenship application from within the country, instead of waiting for a consular appointment in your home country. 

We discuss this process in much more detail in  the pages of Sovereign Man: Confidential as well.

Prior to COVID, the entire process (following this method) took around six to eight months, and possibly up to one year. But given the pandemic, Italy’s stringent lockdowns, and increasing levels of scrutiny from public officers, you can expect the timeline to be longer. 

The bottom line

There are excellent EU passports to be obtained on the basis of ancestry. But the process takes time, and tends to be paperwork intensive; no matter which country you’re applying for.

Our most recent 74-page SMC Black Paper covers scores of countries offering Citizenship By Ancestry programs in Southern Europe and the Balkans, and offers an excellent point of departure if you’re looking to explore your options for second Citizenship By Descent. 

To gain access to this invaluable resource, join Sovereign Man: Confidential today.

Yours in Freedom, 

Team Sovereign Man 

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Source

Simon Black is an international investor, entrepreneur and permanent traveler. His daily letter is both educational and entertaining, and we suggest that those who want unbiased, actionable information about global opportunities sign up for Sovereign Man’s free, actionable newsletter at http://www.SovereignMan.com.

From Simon Black of SovereignMan.com