What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship? [2021 *UPDATED*]

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship by Descent?

What documents are needed for Dual Italian Citizenship? A FULL GUIDE and everything to know about Dual Italian Citizenship by Descent.

Italian Dual Citizenship Cost – Today Contents

SHARE NOW!

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship by Descent?

In several articles, we already talked about how to obtain Italian dual Citizenship and the different ways to obtain Italian Citizenship.

Now, we want to go a little deeper and analyze one of the most frequently asked questions about the application for Italian Dual Citizenship by Descent.

One of the most frequent questions we receive is: “What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship?“

Let’s find a final answer.

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship by Descent?

However, before we dig into the specific requirements for Dual Italian Citizenship by Descent, it would be worth providing a brief overview of the eligibility requirements for Italian Citizenship by descent. 

We know the general rule: you can apply for Italian citizenship by descent if your Italian ancestor (grandfather/grandmother, great-grandparents, and so on) who was born in Italy, was never naturalized.

Or — in case he/she naturalized — it’s important (and mandatory) that he/she was naturalized after the birth of the next-in-line.

Of course, none of your ascendants in your direct bloodline have to have renounced their right to claim Italian citizenship Jure Sanguinis. 

Please bear in mind some exceptional cases with some exceptional rules.

For example, the so-called 1948 Rule: if there is a woman in your Italian heritage, who gave birth to her child before January 1, 1948, you can only claim Your Italian Dual Citizenship by descent through the Italian Court as a typical “1948 Case of Italian Citizenship“ – and not through the Italian Consulate.

The same 1948 rule can be applicable if your male ancestor naturalized before the birth of his child, born before 1922. 

In this case, you may not be able to apply for Italian Citizenship by Descent through the Italian Consulate –  but you may be able to claim your Italian Dual citizenship by blood through the Italian Court because Italian women, who married Italian men, automatically became Italian Citizen.

And so, your starting ancestor can be that woman (your grandmother, great-grandmother, and so on).

If You’re asking yourself “What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship?” regarding the 1948 Cases, there are no differences: the documents are the same. 

When I have a so-called “1948 Case of Italian Citizenship”?

You fall under the 1948 Rule (and so your case may be qualified as a “1948 case”) when you find there’s one (or more) female on the family line, and she had her kid before 1948s. Example: Your Italian Great-grandfather had your Grandmother in 1920. Your Grandmother had your Father in 1940.

You may be interested in reading our latest article about the 1948 cases

⇣

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship? – For responding to this question, let’s start with a basic principle:

The first requirement for Italian Citizenship by Descent is to obtain Certified True Copies of Your Family’s Vital Records. 

There is no difference if you are applying through the Italian Consulate or the Italian Court. 

You have to prove your Italian lineage, and that’s it. 

What are the Vital Records Certificates needed?

These include Birth Certificates, Death Certificates, Marriage Certificates, and Divorce certificates when applicable.

BIRTH CERTIFICATES.

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship, as the most important one?

Birth Certificates: we will need all Birth Certificates, also (and especially) the ones from Italy. Not a problem for that, as it’s part of our Italian Citizenship Assistance services to obtain them.

You need to contact the local Vital Records office (called “ Stato Civile”) for obtaining the Birth Records of your Italian ancestors.

That’s not so easy sometimes: they require you to give them exact information, or you will never find the Certificates.

That’s why it’s also important to request qualified assistance on Italian Citizenship by descent by professionals, and  Attorneys specialized in Italian Citizenship. The answer to the question “What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship?” maybe not so simple.

⇣

Need assistance for Italian Dual Citizenship by Descent?

Get a Free Evaluation of Your case!

MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES.

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship for proving the parental lineage?

Marriage certificates: these certificates can generally be easily obtained from the county where the marriage was celebrated.

The marriage Certificates are essential, not just for proving that the married couple gave birth to the next-in-line.

The consular clerk or the judge (if you’re applying for Italian Citizenship through the Italian Court) may need to see the registrant’s parents’ names, to verify the applicant’s Italian lineage.

The same can be said for Death Certificates. 

⇣

DIVORCE CERTIFICATE (DECREE).

Divorce decrees can be retrieved from the court in which the divorce was filed.

Please note that if you divorce you will also need a Certificate of No Appeal, for proving the Divorce was definitive and without appeals or open litigation. 

Sometimes, this phase may be a little challenging: a well-known example is for the State of NY.

They will release birth certificates for deceased individuals only based on a court order.

That’s not a problem as we have partnerships with American Lawyers able to proceed.

But, of course, you have to be prepared to have additional expenses, if you fall under these circumstances.

Why do I have to show I divorced? What relevance the divorce has?

It’s important to show if you divorced and when (and also for all people on the line), because the divorce (and a 2nd marriage) may have an impact on the Italian bloodline. For example, a divorce with a 2nd marriage may be able to broke the Italian bloodline.

When you’re asking yourself, “What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship” do not underestimate this document.

Great – I have all the documents required for Dual Italian Citizenship by Descent. So Now?

⇣

Legalizing the documents for Your Dual Italian citizenship by Descent.

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship, and how I can be sure they will be accepted?

The certificates (All of them) that you need for applying for Italian Citizenship by Descent must be certified copies as they will need to be legalized with an apostille and translated into Italian. 

Let’s clarify a little more about these steps.

⇣

WHAT IS THE APOSTILLE?

An apostille is a certificate issued by the Secretary of State, which is attached to the original document to verify that it is legitimate and authentic. 

So, you understand that it’s mandatory to have each document with an Apostille – for being accepted by the Italian Authorities.

All documents must then translated into Italian.

Some Italian Consulates may also require the non-in-line family members’ vital records – it’s weird, we understand that. 

But if you’re applying through the Italian Consulate, it’s important to be aware of that before submitting your Italian Citizenship by Descent application.

The proof of Naturalization (or non-Naturalization).

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship for proving my Italian ancestors naturalized or never naturalized?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions.

Having proof of the naturalization (or non-naturalization) of Your Italian grandfather or great-grandfather is mandatory.

And not just because it’s one of the most important requirements of the Italian Citizenship by Descent procedure, but also because it’s the game-changer in your application). 

Why may it be a game-changer?

If your Italian ancestor naturalized before the birth of his child, the line is broken. That’s it. End game. 

So, you can understand why it’s so important. 

So, the most important document you need for getting your Italian Citizenship by descent is proof that your Italian grandparents, or great-grandparents, never renounced their Italian Citizenship by naturalizing as an American Citizen (or Citizen of another country). 

Before 1992, Italian Dual Citizenship didn’t exist, so if your ancestor naturalized it means he/she renounced Italian Citizenship. 

So let’s see a little more in detail.

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship for proving the Naturalization (or not) of Your Italian Ancestors?

You have to retrieve the naturalization records about the Italian ancestor (if he naturalized)  or proof that the ancestor never naturalized. 

But what documents do I need for proving that? We explain to you right now what You need and how to obtain all documents. 

There are 3 relevant documents:

⇣

Declaration of Intentions, Petition for Naturalization, and the Certificate of Naturalization.

Where can I obtain these documents? 

In the United States, they can be retrieved from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), or the county in which the naturalization took place. 

But if they never renounced their Italian Citizenship, how can I prove they never naturalized? What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship for proving my Italian Ancestor remained an Italian Citizen?

If your Italian grandparents or great-grandparents never naturalized, you will need to prove it.

You can obtain, from the foreign authorities (like NARA and USCIS) the  Certificate of Non-Existence of Records that certifies that no naturalization record was found about your ancestor.

⇣

How to fix misspellings or discrepancies on the documents I obtained?

With regards to misspellings and discrepancies, it’s really important to have your Vital Records Certificates with correct information.

So, everything must match first names, last names, dates, etc.  

If You’re expecting issues on that, you can proceed in 2 ways: 

[The easiest one] Contact the amendment division of the office that issued the record. Sometimes this can be done administratively

In case of major discrepancies, you have only one secure solution: you need to request a  “The same person” court order.

This is a judicial remedy for declaring that records about the same person despite the name differences.

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship?

Need assistance for Italian Dual Citizenship by Descent?

Get a Free Evaluation of Your case!

Read more on the ways to apply for Italian Citizenship by Descent:

F.A.Q. about What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship and requirements needed for Dual Italian Citizenship by Descent

Did You Like this Article about “What Documents do I Need for Dual Italian Citizenship by Descent”?

Share it.

You can help somebody else who are searching Your same informations and with the same question “What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship?”.

SHARE NOW!

What documents do I need for Dual Italian Citizenship? – Related Articles:

• How can you apply for Italian citizenship by descent in 2024?
  How to Apply for Italian Citizenship by Descent in 2024 Are you of Italian descent? Let’s apply for Italian Citizenship! Applying for Italian citizenship by descent in 2024 offers an exciting opportunity… Read more: How can you apply for Italian citizenship by descent in 2024?
• 
  Italian Dual Citizenship Application 2023: What’s Happening?
  Before submitting an Italian dual citizenship application let’s review the policies for 2023. This resource will give you all the information you need to know.
• 
  How to Get Italian Dual Citizenship by Descent: An Ultimate Guide
  How to Get Italian Dual Citizenship by Descent? What do you know about getting Italian dual citizenship by descent? Read about it here in this ultimate guide.