citizenship — italy
How to trace your Italian ancestors
Italy is one of the countries which has the most contributed international emigration. There are more than 80 million individuals around the world potentially eligible for Italian citizenship
Italy is one of the countries which has the most contributed international emigration, with approximately 30 million Italians leaving the country from 1861 to date (14 million only in the period 1876–1915).
Where to find information about your ancestors
To start your genealogical exploration, numerous resources can help you in tracing your Italian lineage, amongst them
- Ancestors Portal (cultura.gov.it)
- Archivi e Alberi Genealogici Gratuiti (familysearch.org),
- Ancestry® | Genealogia, alberi genealogici e documenti di storia della famiglia.
If you have an ancestor from the Trentino region, you can find valuable information in the online database provided by the Trentino regional government at www.natitrentino.mondotrentino.net with all data about the individuals born in the territory from the year 1815 to 1923. The database contains the names of more than 1,300,000 persons (20,951 family names).
To assist individuals with Italian ancestry in tracing their family histories, the Italian government has recently launched a project called “Italea” https://www.italia.it/it/italea. The website offers a genealogy consultation to find out information about your family of origin.
And abroad
- U.S.A., Immigration Records | National Archives
- UK Immigration and immigrants — The National Archives.
- Australia Immigration and citizenship | naa.gov.au
- Canada Immigration records (canada.ca)
- Brasil Consultar registros de entrada de estrangeiros do acervo do Arquivo Nacional (www.gov.br)
- Argentina www.cemla.com/buscador/
Pathways to Italian citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis)
Any child born to an Italian parent is also an Italian citizen, no matter where the child is born. If you have an ancestor who was born in Italy, you might qualify for citizenship, considering several factors, including the birth dates and places of your parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents, also noting that none of your ancestors should have renounced their Italian citizenship.
Is there a generation limit to obtain citizenship?
While there is no strict generational limit, it’s important to know that Italy became a unified Kingdom on March 17, 1861. Consequently, the oldest ancestor from whom citizenship can be derived must have acquired Italian citizenship on or after this date. There are other key dates influencing eligibility, such as:
Ø 1912: If your ancestors naturalized before this year, citizenship cannot be passed down to future generations.
Ø 1948: Children born to an Italian mother prior to this date did not automatically acquire Italian citizenship. Those affected by “1948 cases” must pursue legal action in the Italian courts.
Ø 1992: Prior to this date, Italian law did not allow dual citizenship, leading to automatic loss of Italian citizenship if an individual became a citizen of another country.
Italys’ territory changed since 1861
It is also important to know that since 1861, Italy has annexed, acquired and lost several part of its territory. Venetia was annexed in 1866. The Papal States (in central Italy) and Rome were annexed in 1870 (in fact between 1865 and 1871, the capital of Italy was Florence!).
Trento and Trieste were annexed after WW1, together with the cities of Pola (Istria) and Zara (Dalmatia). The city of Fiume (in Croatia) was annexed only in 1924. After WW2, Istria, Dalmatia and the city of Fiume were lost to the former Yugoslavia. Italy has also possessed for some time colonies, such as Eritrea and Somalia (1890–1945), Ethiopia (1936–1945) Lybia (1912–1945) and the island of Rhodes (1924–1943).
Can you be recognized as Italian citizen by descent if your ancestor was a minor when parents acquired a foreign citizenship?
Passing on Italian citizenship to minor children | by Marco Mazzeschi | Medium
Benefits of Italian Citizenship
1) No tax obligations unless you take residency in Italy
2) Right to settle and work in Italy and all European Union countries
3) Fast track lines when you enter the European Union
4) If you choose to reside in Italy, you can register with the Health National System (HNS)
5) HNS Registration in Italy allows the right to emergency healthcare in all EU countries
6) Right to pass on automatically citizenship to any of your children under the age of 18
7) Right to vote for Italian and European Parliament elections
8) Consular protection from the embassy of any other EU country in a country outside the EU
Disclaimer
The information provided on this article (i) does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; (ii) are for general informational purposes only and may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information (iii) this website may contain links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader; (iv) readers should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter.
