Italian Citizenship: How To Be A Part Of Culturally Rich Life In Italy?

How To Be A Part Of Culturally Rich Life In Italy

Imagine living in a place that has the most number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Are you seeing yourself immersed in the cultural heritage of Venice, Florence, or Rome? The beautiful coasts, mountains, and alpine lakes are pretty mesmerizing in the thoughts itself, isn’t it? 

No wonder why people wish to move to this beautiful country. This could be true if your ancestors were a part of this beautiful country. But what if you are already a citizen of this country without you even realizing it? 

So, according to the Italian citizenship law, “Jure Sanguinis,” you can automatically claim Italian citizenship by descent. Did you know that more than 17 million Americans have Italian origin? And that since 2016, the number of applications quadrupled? And the most common way is via descent. Moreover, the pandemic further led to an increase in Italian citizenship applications by around 350%. 

Of course, if that’s the case for you as well, the next step is discovering your roots and claiming citizenship. But do you even qualify for this? Without further ado, let’s understand all the aspects around Italian citizenship by descent and why you should opt for one in the first place!

Italian Citizenship by Descent- Qualification Criteria

Having an Italian ancestor alone does not make you eligible for citizenship. You must qualify for the following conditions to begin the application process. 

• You can qualify if your parent/s hold citizenship through descent.
• You can qualify if your ancestor did not naturalize or took any other citizenship at the time of their child’s birth. This will only be effective if a child is born before August 16, 1992.

But here are some exceptions that might nullify your application to become an Italian citizen.

● If your Italian ancestor/parent no longer holds the citizenship and renounced it before August 15, 1992.

● Your ancestor naturalized before June 14, 1912, or lived outside the country. 

● Your ancestors are from your maternal side. And the child came into the world before January 1, 1948.

● Your ancestor died before March 17, 1861. 

In all these cases, you’ll be disqualified for citizenship. Contrary to that, you need to start sorting all the necessary documents to prove your claim if you happen to qualify. So, move on to the next part of this article to learn about the essential documents. 

Necessary Documentation

Begin with gathering all the documents or certificates like birth, marriage, and death. If you have an abstract form of these documents, you won’t qualify. So, get hold of long-form documents to increase your chances of acceptance. 

Also, make sure that all your documents have an official seal of the Registrar’s Office. It also needs to have affixed Apostille and the date of filling. But if you want the process to move further, you need to do one thing. You need to gather all these documents and get them translated into Italian. To know more about this process, visit this page for a complete guide and get hold of all the nitty-gritty details of the entire process of Italian citizenship by descent. 

Once you have all the documents ready, let’s begin with the application process. Are you ready?

The Application Process

First of all, make sure that you double-check your documents before submission. That way, you can eliminate any errors or omissions in your application. Once it’s ready, submit it to the Italian municipality where your ancestors resided. You can also submit it to the nearest Italian consulate where you live. 

Sounds daunting? 

Obviously, you will feel like that since there are so many intricacies involved, and you can’t keep up with all the updates regarding the law. That’s why you must always get in touch with experienced Italian lawyers with a specialization in citizenship. 

Don’t find it convincing enough? 

Here are some more reasons why you should contact a professional right away.

● You don’t have time to learn and understand laws and updates regarding Italian citizenship by descent. Also, do you have time to undergo the training process for your application? Of course, you don’t have that much time. But this goes without saying that you can’t risk your chances. So, take help from qualified assistance so you can avoid any potential errors. 

● Since the professionals understand everything about the laws and intricacies of the application process, you can quickly move forward into the application process. 

● They understand all professional maneuvers to present your application in the best way possible. Thus, you can get into the system very quickly. 

But the love for the country alone won’t make you go through the entire process, right? So, here are some of the benefits that you must consider. 

Benefits of Opting For Italian Citizenship

As we mentioned before, Italy is known for its magnificent views and diverse culture. So, the first reason that you might want to apply for citizenship would naturally be “Traveling benefits,” Isn’t it?

So, let’s get going with this benefit first. 

No More Visa Required to Travel in EU Countries

Since you are a part of a European Union country, you will automatically have the authority to travel to around 28 EU countries without any visa. So, whenever you think about rejuvenating yourself, all you have to do is book a flight ticket, and you are good to go. And since you get an advantage of the Consular and diplomatic protection, it gives you a sense of security as well.

But then again, you won’t get yourself in all the intricacies only because you want to travel visa-free. Isn’t it? Fortunately, the benefits are not limited to travel alone. If you have Italian citizenship, expect the following benefits.

Employment/Investment Benefits

Did you know many MNCs prefer hiring candidates that have the edge over others in terms of ease and comfort? And having citizenship is one such ease. Yes, using that, you can travel to International offices in the EU without any visa issues. Also, you won’t have to apply for a Work visa again and again. 

Not only employees but entrepreneurs can benefit from this as well. You won’t have to worry about any travel restrictions. You can also buy unit trusts, real estate, or Eurobonds like any other European resident. You can also start a business here and expand your reach in the European market. 

But what about your future generation? Can they benefit from this citizenship? Fortunately, yes, they will. And that too in the same way as you are going to. Suppose if you think about settling in this country, your children will benefit from the educational programs and universities like any other Italian citizen. 

So, let’s move on to understanding the educational benefits of Italian citizenship by descent.

Study in The Country at Affordable Rates

With Italian citizenship, you can automatically qualify for applying for any educational institution in Italy or any other EU country. And that too at an affordable rate. So, you can skip those long-term student debts easily. 

Currently, more than 1100 educational programs are running in the EU. You can be a part of any of your favorite institutions and grow. 

Besides these, you’ll have access to the following benefits as well.

• Like we said before, your children will automatically be Italian citizens by virtue of the same law. So, ideally, you’ll be passing this benefit to your child and their children.
• Further, let’s not forget that US healthcare is very costly. However, with this citizenship, you can apply for Sanitaria. Thus, you can easily benefit from the Italian healthcare programs. Further, you can also apply for the European Health Insurance Card.

And the best part is that if your application gets approved, your children (under 18 years of age) will automatically become Italian citizens without any additional paperwork. 

Isn’t that amazing?

Final Takeaways

So, you want to be a part of a rich cultural heritage? And you stumbled upon the fact that you have an Italian ancestor. Won’t it feel like a dream come true? Indeed, it will seem so. But by now, you are pretty aware that getting citizenship is not an easy task. 

This is why having the proper assistance is very important. Remember, you will have unique challenges. And having an expert by your side will help you navigate your issues and help streamline the process. To summarize it further, follow the steps mentioned below and start in the right direction right from the start.

• Get information about your Italian ancestor.
• Make sure to find more about their citizenship by naturalization record search.
• Gather all the records.
• Collect other US documents related to you and your ancestor.
• Get authentication proof of your documents with Apostille.
• Get all your documents translated into the Italian language.
• Apply for Italian citizenship by descent.
• Schedule your passport appointment.

Take into account all the benefits and proceed towards living a comfortable life in Italy. However, make sure to get in touch with experts right from the start to avoid wasting time during the application process. Won’t that be good for you? It will be indeed. 

So, are you all set to start your citizenship application process? If not, consider all facts mentioned here and get started right away!