Since its foundation in 2013, Italian Citizenship Assistance (ICA) has helped hundreds of citizens with Italian descent around the word to obtain an Italian passport thanks to Attorney Marco Permunian and his team of professional genealogists, translators, attorneys and dual citizenship experts both in Italy and in the United States.  

ICA has grown into one of the most well-known international companies that specializes in applications for Italian citizenship via Italian consulates abroad, municipalities or courts in Italy; however, ICA also helps people to apply for Italian citizenship by marriage and by residency. So, how can ICA help you to realize your dream of becoming an Italian citizen?

ICA’s preliminary assessment

If you are interested in determining your eligibility to apply for Italian citizenship by descent, ICA can offer a free preliminary assessment of your case, which is completely free of charge and obligation.

The assessment entails studying your family tree based on the information you provide them by filling out ICA’s so-called Family chart. You will need to list details regarding your name, date and place of birth and marriage, and information regarding your spouse and children, if applicable. The reason for this is that if you have minor children they will be automatically included in your application and they will become Italian citizens when you are granted citizenship, provided that you submit certified copies of their birth certificates with Apostille and a translation into Italian. On the other hand, if you have adult children who are interested in applying for Italian citizenship, they will not be automatically included in your application as Italian consulates require each adult applicant to file his/her own application. However, if you and your adult children reside under the same consular jurisdiction you will be able to apply via the same consulate and share the vital  records pertaining to the individuals in your Italian lineage, but you will need separate appointments. On the other hand, if you live under different consular jurisdictions you will need to apply via different consulates and you will all need to provide the consulate with certified copies of the vital records pertaining to the individuals in your Italian lineage, starting from the ancestor who was born in Italy and who emigrated to the United States. More information about applying for Italian citizenship with your children is available here.

The family chart will also have blank spaces for you to fill out with information regarding your parents, grandparents and great-great grandparents’ dates of birth, marriage and death, and your Italian ancestor’s naturalization or non-naturalization. Please note that there is no limit in the number of generations you can go back in order to apply for Italian citizenship by descent.

If you do not hold all of the necessary information, ICA’s client intake team member and the genealogist who are responsible for assessing your case will carry out genealogical research for you and provide you with the scans of the records that they were able to find on genealogy websites, databases and registries, as well as with information regarding the best path toward acquiring Italian citizenship and a list of the required documentation to apply.

Filing an application

As discussed in previous articles, there are several paths toward obtaining Italian citizenship. In particular, if you have a consular case, your citizenship specialist will take care of guiding you throughout the entire application process, from retrieving your Italian ancestors’ vital records from Italy, and the rest of your family’s records from the U.S. and other countries around the world, to checking the records for discrepancies, translating them and ultimately preparing your citizenship kit which you will need to submit to the Italian consulate. Your citizenship specialist will also take care of booking an appointment for you at the Italian consulate that covers the jurisdiction where you reside. In this sense, ICA will take care of the entire application process from A-to-Z, ensuring that all the phases run smoothly. Once your application has been approved, your citizenship specialist will help you to register your birth, marriage, and divorce records (if applicable) with the municipality in Italy, and once you are registered with the A.I.R.E. (the Registry of Italian Citizens living Abroad) you will be able to apply for an Italian passport at your local consulate.

If you decide to file your application in Italy, the citizenship specialist who will be assigned to your case will help you to prepare your application and she will also be your point of reference in Italy. In particular, your citizenship specialist will help you to find suitable accommodation, establish residency and she will also take care of scheduling appointments with the offices which are involved in processing your citizenship application. On the day of your appointment the citizenship clerk will check that all your documents are in order; if no additional records are required you will need to allow a couple of months for your application to be processed. Please bear in mind that the processing time might vary depending on the municipality to which you apply.

Once you are recognized as an Italian citizen you will be able to apply for a passport. If you live in Italy, your citizenship specialist will help you to apply for a passport at the local police headquarters (Questura); on the other hand, if you return to your home country, your specialist will help you to register with the A.I.R.E. and apply for a passport at the Italian consulate that covers the jurisdiction where you reside.

Finally, if you have a 1948 case you will need to apply for citizenship via a judicial proceeding. The citizenship specialist assigned to your case will collect and amend (if needed) all the necessary vital records, authenticate them with Apostilles, translate them into Italian, and ICA’s lawyer will prepare the petition to be filed in court. The trial will take place in Italy, however, you will not need to travel to Italy to attend the hearings. In fact, one of ICA’s lawyers will represent you in court and file your petition via a Power of Attorney. Once you are recognized as an Italian citizen you will be assisted in the post-trial phase, which entails registering the final judgment, registering you with the A.I.R.E. and helping you to apply for a passport.

If you would like to learn more about the eligibility requirements to apply for Italian citizenship by descent, or if you are interested in filing an application, please feel free to contact ICA at info@italiancitizenshipassistance.com.