If you want a second passport, you aren’t alone because it is trending for Americans right now. Italy is among the top destinations to explore because it has a lot to offer. You can enjoy an incredible lifestyle in a beautiful country with one of the best healthcare and education systems in the EU. Even better, you can travel visa-free anywhere in the EU with an Italian passport. The country has something for entrepreneurs, retirees, and young families alike. The best part is that you have an easy route to access it if you have ancestral roots in the country. Yes, Italy is one of the countries that offer citizenship by descent. If you want to explore more, here you can read everything about the process and its formalities. Let us give you an idea about using this option to get a second passport.
Check if you are eligible
The most evident requirement to go ahead is checking if you are eligible for citizenship by descent. It isn’t as simple as having a parent or grandparent of Italian origin, as you have to fulfill some requirements for eligibility. These include:• You must be born to or adopted as a minor by an Italian citizen parent. However, you can claim through other ancestors as there are no generational limits if you fulfillother requirements.• Your parent or ancestor should not have been naturalized in a foreign country before the birth of the next descendant. • The ancestor should have been an Italian citizen before the country’s unification on March 17, 1861.• If applying through a female ancestor, she should have given birth after January 1, 1948. People born before 1948 can claim through a judicial process called the 1948 Rule.
Validate your ancestral line
Being eligible for Italian citizenship by descent is your next step closer to your second passport. At this stage, you will need to validate your ancestral line with relevant documentary evidence. It includes the ancestor’s birth certificate from the local comune, and documents validating the births, marriages, deaths, and naturalization of all ancestors in your Italian bloodline. You may have to work hard to procure documents from Italy, but a citizenship expert can help you with it. Not surprisingly, applicants collaborating with citizenship professionals have better chances of success.
Apply for citizenship by descent
Once you gather your documents from Italy and have your own ID paperwork at hand, you can proceed with the process. But make sure that all non-Italian documents are certified translated and legally apostilled before you start. You can submit them at your local consulate and wait for your appointment. The waiting time is typically long, sometimes even extending up to a year. But you can expedite it by applying from within Italy.
After the formalities at the consulate, you get your citizenship by descent and a second passport. The best part is that it is a one-time process for your family as the rights automatically pass to your next generations. You can start a new life by reclaiming your roots in Italy.
