How to Get Dual Italian Citizenship

Learn how to get dual Italian citizenship using genealogical information with my guest professional genealogist Sarah Gutmann of Legacy Tree Genealogists. 

Watch Live: Thursday, May 12, 2022 at 11:00 am CT 
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Three ways to watch:

  1. Video Player (Live) – Watch video premiere at the appointed time in the video player above.
  2. On YouTube (Live) – Click the Watch on YouTube button to watch the YouTube premiere with Live Chat at the appointed time above at the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel. Log into YouTube with your free Google account to participate in the live chat. 
  3. Video Player above (Replay) – Available immediately after the live premiere and chat. 

Show Notes

My special guest is Sarah Gutmann. Sarah began her obsession with family history when she was 13-years-old.  She now has almost three decades of experience helping others climb their family tree. She is a professional genealogist with Legacy Tree Genealogists where she specializes in United States and Italian research. As a veteran classroom teacher, Sarah enjoys teaching  various genealogy programs to libraries, historical societies, and lineage organizations across America.

Obtaining Italian Dual Citizenship Overview:

  • Who can become a citizen?
  • Finding out when your ancestor naturalized and obtaining those documents
  • Identifying your ancestor’s specific commune (village)
  • Using the Italian archives site
  • Requesting vital records from Italy
  • Obtaining long form vital records with an Apostille (American records)

Who can apply for dual Italian citizenship?

The following list refers to examples of some categories of eligible persons:

  1. Direct Descent: from an Italian-citizen parent (if maternal side, after January 1 st, 1948) born in Italy and they were still Italian citizens at the time of the Applicant’s birth. The Applicant and their parents must have never renounced their Italian citizenship. Naturalizations occurred prior to August 15th, 1992 constituted renouncing ones’ Italian citizenship.
  2. Through Descent: from an ancestor born in Italy who was an Italian citizen at the time of the birth of their child. The Italian citizenship would pass through the generations up until the Applicant (the maternal branch could pass on Italian citizenship to children born after January 1, 1948), provided that none of the descendants in the straight line lost/renounced their Italian citizenship, such as through naturalization prior to August 15th, 1992.
  3. From an Italian-citizen mother to a child born before January 1st, 1948: applicants who fall into this category will have to appeal to an Italian civil court to obtain the recognition of citizenship.
Italian dual citizenship process chart

Italian dual citizenship process chart (Source: Dual U.S. Italian Citizenship Facebook Group)

How Do I Know When My Ancestor Naturalized?

Using Census Records:

  • Take note of the year of immigration
    • Look for passenger records
  • Naturalization
    • AL- Alien
    • NA- naturalized
    • PA- have submitted the first papers to become naturalized
  • Find Them at Family Search – FREE!

Use the census record as a guide to what court your ancestor may have naturalized through.

Looking for Naturalization Records

  • Prior to September 27, 1906, any “court of record” (municipal, county, state, or Federal) could grant United States citizenship.
  • Beginning September 27, 1906, naturalization was done through the Federal courts.
example of declaration of intent citizenship

Example: Naturalization Declaration of Intention

Contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. They have records from 1906 forward.

Order an “Index Search”

On the Genealogy page at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service website click Order an Index Search or Record Request.

Provide as much information you know about the immigrant

  • Name
  • Addresses in America
  • Birthdate and place
  • Household members
  • Year of immigration

Order Record Request with Request Case ID.

Did Your Immigrant Ancestor Naturalize AFTER Their Child Was Born?

Start Gathering Vital Records!

Vital Records Issued by Italian Authorities 

Here are the Italian vital records for events which took place in Italy:

In Line Relatives:

  • Birth Certificate: Original Extended Certified Copy Issued by the Comune, with names of parents
  • Marriage Certificate: Original Extended Certified Copy Issued by the Comune, with names of parents, and any annotations of divorces
  • Death Certificate: Original Extended Certified Copy Issued by the Comune, with names of parents

Out of Line Relatives if born in Italy:

  • Spouse’s Birth Certificate: Photocopy of Certificate Issued by Comune in Italy
  • Spouse’s Death Certificate:  Photocopy of Certificate Issued by Comune in Italy

Finding the Italian Village of Origin

Here are some of the records that may include your ancestor’s village of origin:

  • Naturalization Record
  • Ship Manifest
  • Draft Record
  • Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, Death)
  • Obituary

If you don’t have success with your ancestor’s records, try searching your Ancestor’s FAN CLUB (Friends, Associates, Neighbors). These are the people who may have come from the same village. Search for their records as listed above.

Contacting the Italian Comune

  • Use Comuni-Italiani.it to locate your comune’s website
  • Find the comune’s email address and regular mail address
  • Write a request letter in Italian and include your i.d. (Letters are available in the “forms” at the Consulate Generale website)
  • Follow up! Follow up!

The Comuni-Italiani.it Webiste

Website: http://www.comuni-italiani.it/

This website provides Information and statistics on municipalities, provinces and regions in Italy. You’ll find links to official websites, zip code, number of inhabitants, banks, schools, pharmacies, maps, weather forecast, and other useful links.

comuni Italiani

Website: http://www.comuni-italiani.it/

Here’s an example of the official Italian document you are trying to obtain:

official italian document

The goal

This is your golden ticket to the Italian consulate and getting that coveted citizenship.

Vital Records Issued by Non-Italian Authorities (American Records)

In Line Relatives  ORDER NEW DOCUMENTS

  • Long Form Original Legalized by the Apostille & Translation of Document Only
  • Birth Certificate
  • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Death Certificate

Out of Line Relatives

  • Photocopy of birth and death

What is an Apostille?

An Apostille (pronounced “ah-po-steel”) is a French word meaning certification. An Apostille is a specialized certificate, issued by the Secretary of State. The Apostille is attached to your original document to verify that it is legitimate and authentic.

Research your General Italian Consulate

  • MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT!!!!
  • Fill out Citizenship forms
  • Download checklist and instructions

Resources

Downloadable ad-free Show Notes handout for Premium Members

Learn more about becoming a Genealogy Gems Premium Member. 

 

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Last updated: 2022

We Dig These Gems: New Genealogy Records Online

We dig these gems new genealogy records online

Every Friday, we blog about new genealogy records online. Might any of these collections include your ancestors? Today: English and Welsh Quaker vital records, Newfoundland censuses, New York marriage record, Nova Scotia deaths, Queensland wills and Pittsburgh newspapers.

ENGLISH AND WELSH BMD. Quaker birth, marriage and burial records from England and Wales, 1578-1841, are now available to FindMyPast subscribers. Quakers were formally known as the Society of Friends, a nonconformist religious group who practiced their faith outside of the established Church of England during this time.

NEWFOUNDLAND CENSUSES. Over a quarter million indexed records have been added to free existing databases of Newfoundland, Canada censuses for 1935 and 1945 at FamilySearch.

NEW YORK MARRIAGES. Nearly 640,000 images have been added to a free FamilySearch collection of New York marriage records (1847-1848, 1908-1936). The collection is only partially indexed, but you can “scroll through” images online, much like you would on a microfilm reader.

NOVA SCOTIA DEATHS. Nearly 350,000 indexed names and over a quarter million images have been added to free FamilySearch databases of Nova Scotia deaths from 1890-1955 and 1956-1957.

QUEENSLAND (AU) WILLS. More than 45,000 wills from Queensland, Australia are now indexed for FindMyPast subscribers. The database covers nearly a century: 1857 to 1940 and includes name and year of death.

PITTSBURGH NEWSPAPERS. Newspapers.com and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have partnered to put issues of that paper online (1877-1921). “If you take into account the earlier papers that evolved into The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (like The Pittsburg Post, The Pittsburgh Gazette, and others—also on Newspapers.com), you’ll find issues dating back as far as 1786,” says a news release. “That’s 135 years of Pittsburgh history!”

check_mark_circle_400_wht_14064

Here’s a tip: Most databases, even those with thousands of names in them, are incomplete. If you don’t find an ancestor in a record set in which they should appear, double check the record set description to see whether the years you want might not be included. Search on multiple name spellings, nicknames and initials, as well as for the names of other relatives. Page through any images online. Search that same website (and others) for additional record sets that may cover the same time frame and place. Finally, ask yourself why they could be missing from the records and follow up on logical lines of inquiry. This tip comes to you courtesy of the newly-revised and updated 2nd edition of The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox by Lisa Louise Cooke, which teaches you how to harness the powerful, free features on Google to find your ancestors.

DNA and Privacy: No Man is a Genetic Island

The recent identification of the Golden State Killer through a DNA database for genealogy is just one way your DNA may be used in unexpected ways. Lisa Louise Cooke shares 5 key principles to keep in mind when considering your online DNA presence.   Golden State...

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