The three most common ways of becoming an Italian citizen and obtaining an Italian passport are through marriage, descent (jure sanguinis) and residency. Here’s how to get it through a combination of descent and residency. If your Italian bloodline was broken like mine was, but it was only a generation or two ago, this is another option you can try.
My story
My paternal grandfather was born in Italy but moved to the United States when he was a little kid. When he became a U.S. citizen, he had to renounce his Italian citizenship. This was all before my father was born, which meant our Italian bloodline was severed. Therefore, my father – and hence me, his granddaughter – could not claim Italian citizenship through descent. However, I recently found out an interesting fact.
Since my grandfather was born in Italy, it can help speed up the process of my becoming an Italian citizen and obtaining an Italian passport.
I can become one through a combination of bloodline, residency as well as language skills. Since 1992, Italy has allowed dual citizenship with the United States. You will not need to renounce your American citizenship during the application process.
The scoop
To “fast track” your Italian citizenship, here are the three things you will need to have proof of besides recent Italian heritage, as I learned from the Italian Dual Citizenship website:
• Documentation of residency in Italy for three years, which means you must spend more than six months per year in the country for three years. You must register with the local authorities to make it official. Stop by the Questura, the Central Police Station, or the municipality’s registry office (known as “anagrafe”) upon arrival.
• Pass the Italian language exam at a B1 level or higher. Check out details on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) website.
• Have a sufficient income to support yourself.
This whole process of becoming a citizen is not easy. It is really a project, and you will also need to complete an application and pay some euros.
The application
You will typically be required to provide four documents for your application, and they will need to be authenticated or apostilled, which costs money.
According to the Italian Dual Citizenship website, they are as follows:
- An original copy of your birth certificate, which must be properly translated and authenticated. The country where your birth certificate was issued will stipulate the requirements to appropriately translate and authenticate the document.
- Documentation of criminal records issued by all countries where you currently hold citizenship. These records must also be properly translated and authenticated. If you’re from the United States, criminal background checks are typically required from both the federal government and each U.S. state and county where you’ve previously resided.
- Payment of likely 1200 euros in fees for court filing and applications whether you are doing it in-country or abroad.
- Proof of Italian ancestry including official vital records of your ascendants.
Shortcuts
There are other shortcuts to becoming an Italian citizen and getting your Italian passport if you are an EU citizen, such as only being a resident for four years, as opposed to being a non-EU Citizen for 10 years. Whether you are an EU or non-EU Citizen, the following link has lots of excellent details.
Getting a residency permit
If you are not an EU citizen, you will have to figure out how to get a three-year residency permit and whether you can use your time in the country to count as part of your residency requirement. For example, a student visa will get you into the country, but it may not count toward residency. A digital nomad visa might get you in for one year, but you will still need two more years.
I have an Italian friend who has some empty bedrooms, and she needs a personal assistant very badly. In my case, as a digital nomad, I would need to apply first for an Italian national visa, then for a residency permit, and then for citizenship to make this all happen.
The Italian national visa
The Italian National Visa is a long-term visa (over 90 days) issued at the Italian Consulate for various purposes, such as work, residency, etc.
According to the Italian Embassy:
“This type of visa allows a foreign national, who is awaiting a residency permit in Italy, to move freely within any other Schengen Country for up to a maximum of 90 days within 6 months from the initial date of validity of the visa. A foreign national who has been granted an Italian National Visa must report to the Questura (Central Police Station) within 8 working days from the date of entry to apply for a permesso di soggiorno (residency permit). Please note that failing to report to the Questura might compromise your ability to legally reside in Italy.”
Caveats
Since laws are always changing, there’s no guarantee that this will hold true and that you will be successful in getting your Italian passport. Italy is a giant bureaucracy, so expect that everything you do will take at least three tries.
This is all to the best of my knowledge and I can’t be held liable for any of this information; however, this post will give you an idea of the intricacies and challenges that lie ahead. Check out your country’s Italian Embassy webpage and/or talk to an immigration lawyer. In the meantime, I found the Italian Dual Citizenship website information was very helpful.
Lots to think about. Every situation has its pros and cons.
––––––––––
Read more about Italian visas here in Dispatches archives.
Mary Porcella is a Europhile who has lived in Germany, Norway, Italy, and the U.S. She is a writer, editor, and photographer. She loves seeing new places, returning to old haunts, and meeting up with family and friends. As of today, her travels have taken her to 20 European countries, and she hopes to visit the rest.
