If you are just getting started with your journey to Italian Dual citizenship, understanding a few Italian laws (and their corresponding dates) can be very helpful in determining if you qualify or not. How many times did you come across 1861, 1912, 1948, etc.? Here is an explanation of why they exist and how your family situation may be affected (or not) by some of them. 

Will Your Citizenship Appointment Be “In-Person” Or Will You Be Asked To “Mail-In” Your Document Portfolio? 

Each Italian Consulate has its differences.

1. FIRST: each Italian Consulate here in the U.S. has jurisdiction over several States; ten (10) Consulates generally cover four (4) U.S. States or more each. 

Discovering that claiming Italian Citizenship is possible through our grandparents, great-grandparents, and even great-great-grandparents comes as a surprise to most of us. After doing a little research, we may come across articles and blog posts discussing how “easy” it is to get Italian Citizenship by descent compared to other countries, especially in terms of generation restrictions (there are none!). 

But how easy is it really?

Do I need a lawyer to claim Italian Citizenship by descent? The short answer is: It depends

Claiming Italian citizenship jure sanguinis, or by bloodline, requires that you meet certain qualifications. Sometimes, meeting these qualifications is pretty straight-forward, while other times, circumstances call for a little extra help navigating the law, especially when the laws in question have changed over time. 

For many Italian-Americans, the opportunity to claim Italian citizenship through an ancestor is an amazing discovery. It opens the door to celebrating our heritage in ways we never imagined, from traveling with one of the world’s most powerful passports to living and working visa-free in, not only Italy, but any of the 27 nations that make up the European Union.