Most applications for Italian citizenship go well. They’re trouble-free, and an Italian passport is often issued soon after.
Yet, some challenges do exist that applicants may encounter when submitting their application.
If that’s you, then worry not. You can get Italian citizenship by descent, all while dealing with minimal issues. To help you avoid them, below are a few common issues (and solutions to follow) when applying!
As with any citizenship procedure, you'll need to schedule an appointment with your local Italian consulate. However, wait times are rarely short. It’s likely that your appointment’s deadline may be extended, and this may come as a nasty surprise to you.
Why? Appointments are frequently planned two years ahead in certain regions. There are some rare occasions when no appointments are available, which means applicants need to wait for the sake of scheduling their interview.
Also, each embassy follows its own set of standards per application. That is, documents presented to an embassy in a foreign location would almost certainly be denied in your home country embassy.
If you choose not to follow the protocol for the exact embassy you're applying to, then your application might be rejected. You must then wait for a new appointment time to provide the requested documentation in the accepted format.
To avoid significant delays and handle procedure issues quickly, we recommend the following...
While you assemble the paperwork needed for your Italian descent citizenship application (called a "jure sanguinis") or Italian marriage citizenship (called a "jure-matrimonii''), you will most likely encounter specific difficulties.
For example, your ancestor may have opted for a name change, either voluntarily or as the result of an error by an immigration agency. Also, because of the differences in how the US and the EU write dates, Italian birth certificates may show different birthdays from those stated on US immigration documents.
Consulate standards require no "substantial disparities" to exist between your supplied documents and ancestral Italian vital records. Thus, if you prepare an application with false facts, the application may be dismissed due to eligibility problems or an inability to properly show that the ancestor was Italian-born.
If you notice any errors in your records, or if no marriage or birth certificate can be found (and other important documentation), you can:
You can also:
You might be convinced that you fit what’s required for an Italian citizenship. However, your regional embassy might take a different stance regarding your application.
Assuming you choose to apply for marriage citizenship, you're required to have a basic understanding of the local language. Many important dates in the citizenship by ancestry or descent requirements may result in your application being refused.
With that, recent court rulings have criticized many of those rejections, where Italian courts have granted citizenship to many applicants with US-naturalized ancestors.
In circumstances where refusal of an applicant was caused by their birth to a female ancestor (born prior to January 1948), Italian courts frequently overrule the rejection that consulates are compelled to issue due to Italian laws.
If an Italian consulate tells you that you do not qualify for citizenship, you should understand why the denial was issued. Also, keep in-mind that procedures exist to overturn or petition that rejection. You can:
Recent laws have taken effect permitting applicants born to Italian women (who were in turn born pre-1948) the right to citizenship. Those applications are approved on a case-by-case analysis.
Why? It has to do with the increasingly frequent appeal of applicant rejections. Courts in Italy have become sympathetic to applicants whose ancestors became US-naturalized without their knowledge or consent.
With that, the lengthy waiting time for a consular appointment has permitted some candidates to get Italian citizenship via court orders, rather than by consulate approval.
So far, submitting a comprehensive and error-free application to a local embassy is the best way to qualify for Italian citizenship by descent. There are still alternative choices available for individuals who are refused due to faulty paperwork, excessive waiting times, or regulations that many view as obsolete.
Consulting a dual citizenship professional will give you the highest likelihood of acceptance by your local embassy. It will give you a fast track if your initial application gets rejected.
You may have previously filed for Italian dual citizenship and received a rejection. Or, you might be new to the process and still drafting your application.
The process is worth your time. You benefit from dual citizenship, with advantages including the ability to move within the EU using your Italian passport. You also get work and residence rights across the EU, along with education and health benefits.
Don't allow anything to stand in your way of enjoying your Italian citizenship rights, and eventually giving these advantages to your descendants.
Contact Global RCG today. We'll help you discover whether you qualify for Italian citizenship or not. Also, we'll show you how simple the process really is!
Global RCG is well-versed in the full procedure and will help you get the required official paperwork, apostilles, translations, all while resolving disputes.
We can assist you from start to finish. Whether that be an Italian ancestry or marriage citizenship, you can always rely on our services!
