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Are you looking to obtain Italian Citizenship?
Or just looking to get Italian Citizenship assistance in 2022?
In this guide, we’ll talk you through how you can get your Italian Dual Citizenship by Descent, through Marriage, or other ways.
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Italian Citizenship Assistance in 2022: Brief Introduction.
Non rimandare a domani quello che puoi fare oggi —
Italian proverb.
It’s a famous Italian phrase that recommends you don’t postpone what you could do today to tomorrow.
If you’ve been considering becoming an Italian citizen, you’ve likely been waiting long enough to pursue that opportunity.
Securing Italian citizenship is a process that can take years, and after the year we’ve all had, shouldn’t you give yourself something to live for?
Whether you’re a descendent of an Italian family, or a longtime admirer of Italian culture, the road to citizenship can feel like an impossible task. Ready for a deep dive into Italian dual citizenship?
Refer to our ultimate guide of the Italian Citizenship Assistance in 2022 for a full breakdown of the process.
Italian Citizenship Statistics: why getting Italian Citizenship Assistance in 2022
It seems that there has always been a fluid passage between Italy and the United States.
4 million Italians came to America before 1920.
They hoped for a new life– one of economic prosperity, open spaces, and family that had set out before them.
In recent years, the number of Americans that have immigrated back to their ancestral roots has skyrocketed.
Reports by the U.S. Census suggest that many of the 17 million Americans who identify as Italian are homesick for a country they’ve never seen.
Since 2016, the number of Americans applying for Italian citizenship has quadrupled.
Though restrictions and documentation have tightened drastically since the early days of immigration, there is still an accessible path for an American to achieve full rights as an Italian citizen.
It’s up to you and your chosen representation to determine the most seamless route for this next chapter.
Why Become an Italian Citizen?
Italy is more than just the birthplace of pizza (thank you, Naples).
It is a powerful country with an advanced economy and a penchant for luxury.
Though a history of failed empires and political challenges have peppered the history books, Italy has become a highly developed nation with a high standard for education, health care, and European Union residency.
Free Public Education
Free public education is available to all children who reside in Italy. If you are relocating to Italy have children (or are planning on having them down the road), you can rest easy knowing that they are receiving an excellent education in a place rich in ancient history.
Additionally, citizens of the European Union have access to subsidized degrees.
National Health Care
Unlike the United States, Italy provides public health care to all citizens. This means that any visits that taxation covers trips to a family doctor, most specialists, tests, and hospital admissions. Cut the stress over unplanned hospital bills or annual physicals.
EU Citizenship
Italy is one of 27 countries that make up the European Union. Once you qualify for EU citizenship, you will have the ability to travel and stay in other EU countries without worrying about a Visa.
Freedom of Movement and Residence
The Italian passport is the 4th most powerful passport in the world. This means that an Italian passport allows you to enter more than 188 countries without applying for their respective Visas.
Civil and Social Rights
With Italian citizenship, you have the right to vote in any applicable elections. You may also own property and stand as a candidate at municipal elections.
Eliminate Visa Headaches
As an Italian citizen, you will not have to worry about leaving the country or filing inconvenient paperwork to maintain your life in Italy. You will be a permanent citizen who can pass citizenship along to your children.
Protection Under the Law
Remember– all citizens of the European Union receive diplomatic or consular authorities of any other EU country. During emergencies, countries included in the EU must assist EU citizens in evacuating in an emergency as if they were their own citizens, assist with stolen passports, and support in a serious accident or illness.
But coming to Italy (and getting an Italian Passport) is not so easy: that’s why many are seeking qualified Italian Citizenship Assistance in 2022.
How can you receive Italian Dual Citizenship in 2022?
The Italian Citizenship assistance in 2022 will be different, depending on the path.
There are three paths to Italian citizenship: descent (Jus Sanguinis), residence, and marriage.
Though residence and marriage tend to be commonplace for most countries, the rule of descent is one option that is particularly unique to Italy.
If you find yourself qualifying for more than one of these categories, work with a citizenship expert to determine the easiest course of action.
One additional consideration to make is the way in which you hope to file your documents. Though requirements may vary, you may consider petitioning citizenship through the Italian Consulate, Italian Comune (Italian Municipality), or Italian Court. Verify the next steps with a lawyer to ensure you are filing with the correct government body.
Jure Sanguinis = through Italian Descent
To claim rightful citizenship through descent, you must prove your familial connections to Italy.
To prove this bloodline was never interrupted, you must also meet any of the following criteria:
- You were born to an Italian parent
- You were born before August 16th, 1992, and your Italian parents did not take another citizenship before your birth
- When using an Italian-born female ancestor or female intermediate ascendant to claim lineage, you must have been born on or after January 1, 1948
To claim Jure Sanguinis in Italy, you must collect the following documentation to prove descent:
- Vital records of your Italian ancestors
- Next in line’s vital records
- Your vital records
- Proof of the naturalization (or non-naturalization) of Your Italian grandfather or great-grandfather
- Your children’s vital records
Vital records exist with local authorities to mark a life-changing event.
They include birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, and divorce certificates when applicable.
Italian Municipalities keep birth, death, and marriage, marriage records in their local archives, so you may need to follow up on local records when needed.
Once you have gathered the appropriate documentation, your citizenship procedure will follow this general path:
- Set an appointment through the online booking system
- Bring your completed application documentation to the appointment, along with all of your required documentation (see above)
- The Italian law that was in place at the time of your birth applies to your case in order to determine citizenship rights
Remember– all of the documents that you bring to your appointment must be certified copies. This means that they will need to be legalized with an apostille and translated into Italian.
If you cannot make an appointment with the Italian Consulate, you will need to consult with a citizenship attorney as soon as possible.
We provide tailored Italian Citizenship assistance in 2022 for these kinds of matters.
As citizenship procedures expire after two years, you must discuss alternatives before this expiration.
-
How to Apply for Italian Citizenship by Descent if I can’t book an appointment at the Italian Consulate?
Learn how to file for Italian citizenship by descent without having to make an appointment at the Italian Consulate. Contact us because we have the solutions.
Residence
After 10 years of living in Italy as a legal resident, you may become an Italian citizen.
To achieve this qualification, you must be living in Italy legally on an extended Visa. If you are a former Italian citizen, this term is reduced from 10 years to 3 years. Any immediate descendants will be eligible for citizenship as well. If you are coming to Italy as a citizen of another European Union country, you must live in Italy for 4 years– a substantially reduced term.
Claiming statelessness or refugee status will require only 4 years of living in Italy as a resident.
Citizenship by residence may allow you to bypass the Italian Consulate completely. To claim citizenship by residence, you must submit your Italian citizenship application and all associated documents to the Italian Municipality (called Italian Comune), where you are a taxed resident.
Filing in your Italian Municipality can be a more expedited process than requiring the Consulate or Court, though there is no guarantee of success. The Municipality will not assist you in filing your documents. If you require additional assistance, it may be time to hire an Italian citizenship lawyer.
Marriage
Italian Citizenship through marriage ensures that generations to come will reap the benefits of Italian citizenship for years to come. It’s a common path for Americans who have spent years living in Italy, those who lived in America with an Italian spouse, or U.K. residents hoping to secure EU citizenship following Brexit.
In 2018, Law No. 132/2018 mandated that all individuals seeking citizenship through marriage complete an Italian Language requirement and an extended processing time of 48 months. You may need to seek legal counsel to navigate all marriage requirements, especially living outside of Italy.
Before filling with the appropriate government body, you will need to prepare the following documents to prove citizenship by marriage:
- A completed Italian Language Certification
- Marriage certificate
- Your certified foreign birth certificate and other vital records
- A completed criminal background check conducted by the FBI
- Receipt for the wire transfer of €250
- Application form
- Residency list
- Original and copy of Italian passport
- Non-Italian’s spouse original and copy of State ID and foreign passport
- Original and copy of proof of residency in consular authority
- Signed declaration (parties agree they are still married)
Once you have gathered your documents, the procedure is as follows:
- Submission of online application
- A brief evaluation by the Italian Authority (Prefettura Office in Italy, or the Italian Consulate in the United States) to review documents, interview candidates, and finalize all signatures
- Mandatory processing period (may not exceed 48 months)
- Application approval and oath
If you marry an Italian citizen, you will qualify for Italian citizenship through three years of marriage.
If you and your spouse have children together, this term reduces from 3 years to 1.5 years.
This is a rule that has changed since 1983.
Before April 27th, 1983, women who married Italian citizens automatically became citizens themselves without an additional waiting period.
We have specific service packages for your Italian Citizenship assistance in 2022.
Italian Citizenship Challenges in 2022: pay attention.
You’ve heard the saying: “If it were easy, everyone would do it.”
While the size of the country (116,350 square miles) certainly couldn’t support as many that may want to live there, Italy does make this enough of a challenge.
You can’t expect to be awarded citizenship without a few deliberate roadblocks.
The so-called “1948 Case Italian Citizenship”
90% of Italian citizenship by descent cases involve the 1948 rule in some capacity.
When pursuing Jure Sanguinis (citizenship claim through descent), it’s important to consider how you are connected to your Italian bloodlines.
According to the Italian Consulate, you must have a direct paternal lineage that connects you to Italy– as long as your father did not become a naturalized citizen of a foreign country before your birth.
What if your connection is maternal? You may run into some pushback unless you claim the “1948 Rule.”
The “1948 Rule” claims that if you have a woman in your direct lineage that had a child before 1948s, you are still eligible for Italian Citizenship by descent. Why does this need to be specified?
The Italian Constitution was created on January 1st, 1948. It wasn’t until after this date that women were granted the same rights as men under the law. Because of this, Italian Citizenship Laws do not recognize women born before 1948s and who had a child before 1948s as those who can pass on Italian citizenship.
What does this mean for your citizenship application?
If you fall under 1948 Case Italian Citizenship parameters, you will not make an appointment and apply through the Italian Consulate. You will be required to apply through the Italian Court.
2022 UPDATE. PAY ATTENTION.
A New Rule in force from June 2022.
It’ll be valid for 1948 cases of Italian Citizenship.
And for all Italian Citizenship applications through the Italian Tribunal.
You can apply for the 1948 Case through the local Immigration Court.
Based on where your Italian ancestor was born.
The Italian Government introduced this new rule in November 2021.
Law 26 November 2021, n. 206, has provided (with art. 1, paragraph
37) the following new rule.
“When the plaintiff resides abroad, disputes regarding the ascertainment of the status of Italian Citizenship are assigned having regard to the municipality of birth of the father, mother, or ancestor of Italian citizens.
The provisions apply to proceedings initiated from one hundred and the eightieth day following the date of entry into force of this law “.
It means that all Italian Citizenship by descent applications won’t pass through the Court of Rome.
As it happened until today.
It may also be beneficial for new applicants.
Indeed, the processing time may be lower than before.
The Italian Consulate will reject your application if you proceed despite your claim to Jure Sanguinis and clear familial descent.
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Italian Citizenship 1948 case: A Great Guide for 2022
Italian Citizenship 1948 cases. Are you familiar with the 1948 case of Italian citizenship? Take some time to read about how this rule works!
Get an Appointment with the Italian Consulate: What if you cannot book it?
When it’s time to file immigration papers, you will be required to make an appointment at the Italian Consulate. A common complaint from immigration clients is that there are no appointments available at the Italian Consulate. Appointment slots tend to book months– or even years– in advance.
Thousands of eligible applicants flood the Italian Consulate website daily. The average wait time for an applicant is one year and two months.
After the backlog created by the COVID-19 pandemic, this situation is looking even worse. Suppose you are attempting to book an appointment with the Italian Consulate website and see that they cannot accommodate any claims to Italian Citizenship by Descent.
In that case, you may need to seek legal counsel. If you feel as if the rights of your Italian ancestors have been violated, you may fight for citizenship through the Italian Court in Rome.
Once you are ready to make an appointment, it’s time to navigate the site of the Italian Consulate. This will look like this:
- Gather all necessary documents prior to scheduling
- Register on the Italian Consulate website, under the section labeled “PrenotaOnline.”
- Create an online Italian Consulate account
- Book your visit at the required office, and black sections indicate no availability, green indicates all availability
- Receive an email confirmation to ensure your appointment is booked with the Consulate
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How to Apply for Italian Citizenship by Descent if I can’t book an appointment at the Italian Consulate?
Learn how to file for Italian citizenship by descent without having to make an appointment at the Italian Consulate. Contact us because we have the solutions.
If you’re concerned about the two-year deadline in which a hearing must take place, you’ll need to pull every legal string you can to secure an appointment. The following tips may come in hand when vying for an appointment slot:
- Book an appointment at the beginning of your application process rather than waiting until it’s time to file
- Check the online booking system daily after 6 pm when canceled appointments become available
- Don’t expect a particular day or time– appointments are not open every day
- Contact a legal expert if you cannot book an appointment on your own
- Inability to book an appointment through the standard administrative process will require a court hearing
- Gather all documents early
- Document your attempts to book an appointment in case you need to claim your Italian Dual Citizenship through the Court
Remember– it is illegal to bribe or pay for Consulate appointment slots. If caught, you may be blacklisted from applying for citizenship in the future.
The Italian Citizenship Law declares that Italian Citizenship procedures must be finalized in 2 years before the process must be re-opened. For additional guidance, make sure you have the right Italian citizenship attorney on your side from the beginning. They can work with you to pursue a Consulate appointment or suggest you fight the case at the Italian Court if this appears to be the only available option.
Final fees for getting qualified Italian Citizenship assistance in 2022
Unfortunately, citizenship and all of its benefits must come at a cost.
These fees can quickly pile up if you aren’t intentional with your planning.
Costs will vary depending on whether or not you choose to seek legal representation, so be sure to weigh the pros and cons of each.
Without Representation
Without legal consultation, you may find yourself wading through the red tape that is the Italian citizenship application.
Your citizenship investment will vary based on the path you take to dual citizenship.
You will be responsible for the cost of gathering all documentation to prove vital records for each person on the Italian bloodline you are claiming.
Jure Sanguinis will also require a Consular fee through the Italian Consulate and a one-time payment for court fees.
You’ll always want to refer to your local Consulate to verify the current costs and fees.
Citizenship by residence will require a comprehensive relocation to Italy and all costs involved.
If seeking citizenship through marriage, all associated filing fees will apply.
In addition to the standard fees, an Italian Language Certificate B1 will come at a cost.
Is it worth it? Maybe not – better seeking for Italian Citizenship Assistance in 2022, no?
With Guided and qualified Legal Representation
With citizen assistance with the right legal representation, it’s best to receive a transparent quote rather than an estimate with hidden
n fees. Bersani Law Firm offers various Service Packages with a transparent, fixed price–including all co-applicants eligible on the same bloodline.
No need to worry about additional retainers or hidden hourly charges.
Bersani Law Firm offers three citizenship assistance packages
These include the Gold, Silver, and Platinum Packages:
- Silver Package- the most basic package, which includes a basic check of the documents and the application itself (starting from €5,800 + taxes)
- Gold Package- we provide assistance in obtaining all necessary documentation, translation, and application filing (starting from €7,800 + taxes)
- Platinum Package- the most comprehensive package that includes a dedicated lawyer, post-approval assistance, Italian Citizenship application finalization, and moving assistance (starting from €9,800 + taxes)
Remember– these fees will be in addition to relocation fees that one can expect from moving internationally.
Most spend thousands of dollars to settle comfortably overseas.
Let’s Connect!
Contact Us!
See how we can provide qualified Italian Citizenship assistance in 2022.
It’s easy, and free.
The option of Italian Visa
With its rich history, world-famous cuisine, friendly communities, and proud contributions to art, architecture, design, literature, and film, it’s no wonder you’re ready to get out of your old routine. If a temporary Visa is more your style (or preferred method to achieve citizenship), you might consider the Italy Elective Residence Visa or the Italian Investor Visa.
Italy Elective Residence Visa
Through the Italy Elective Residence Visa, you can plan a long-term stay without having to worry about working, studying, marrying, or owning a business.
The Italy Elective Residence program allows American citizens to achieve a 1-year Visa (renewable for 2 years) while sifting through citizenship options. If you want to qualify for the Elective Residence program, you must prove passive or continuous income or self-sustaining measures that do not require Italian employment. It’s a popular option amongst retirees who can afford long-term relocation.
Investor Visa
The Italy Investor Visa (also known as the Italian Golden Visa) is a 2-year visa (renewable for 3 years) given to non-EU citizens who choose to make significant investments. You will need to be evaluated by the Comitato Investor Visa for Italy (The Investor Visa for Italy Committee) to ensure you meet all investor requirements.
Italian Investments may include:
- Government bonds issued by the Italian Government
- Companies incorporated and operating in Italy
- Investments in Italian startups
- Philanthropic donation
Once you have been pre-approved by the committee, Golden Visa holders and their families may apply for residency.
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Italian Citizenship Through Investment? 2 things to consider
Are you interested in learning how to get Italian citizenship through investment? Read this detailed overview to see if the process might be suitable for you.
Remember– these investments must be from lawful sources. Donation or investment through illicit activities will deem you ineligible for a Visa or residency.
The Transition Into Italian Citizenship from your Italian Visa
After five years of stay through either the Italy Elective Residence or Investor Visa program, residents may apply for a Permanent Permit of Stay.
After 10 years of stay through the Italy Elective Residence program or the Permanent Permit of Stay, a resident may apply for Italian citizenship. In order to pursue Italian citizenship through this avenue, you must have filed tax returns and be a recognized resident.
Those considering either Visa can relax knowing that there is no annual limited Visa number for those wanting to apply and relocate to Italy.
No need to agonize over the increased popularity of Italian immigration– go for it!
Get Help with our Italian Citizenship Assistance in 2022
Chi dorme non piglia pesci— it literally translates to “who sleeps catches no fish.”
Are you ready to take the leap into dual citizenship?
Don’t sleep on your chance to join the Bersani Law Firm Italian Citizenship Assistance in 2022.
Bersani Law Firm assists all international clients in verifying and claiming their citizenship rights.
Get your Italian immigration law questions answered by an expert team.
Book your high-priority consultation today, and receive the expert advice that you’ve been missing.
Ad maiora semper-– we know you’re headed towards more incredible things.