citizenship — Italy

Italian citizenship for those with ancestors born in Trentino, Alto Adige, Gorizia, Trieste and Istria

How to find information about individuals born in the territory of Trentino from the year 1815 to 1923?

This article has been co-authored by Avv. Giuditta De Ricco — https://www.linkedin.com/in/giuditta-de-ricco-7434b9127/

In accordance with the terms of the the Treaty of Saint Germain that ended WWI, Italy gained the territories of Trentino, South Tyrol (Alto Adige), Gorizia, Trieste and partly Croatian-speaking Istria (“Annexed Territories”).

What happened to persons living in the Annexed Territories?

The Treaty set forth specific provisions about the rules for granting citizenship to the persons living in the Annexed Territories. In particular:

Art. 70 of the Treaty provided for that

“every person possessing rights of citizenship (pertinenza) in territory which formed part of the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy should obtain ipso facto to the exclusion of Austrian nationality the nationality of the State exercising sovereignty over such territory.”

Pursuant to art. 71

“notwithstanding the provisions of art. 70, Italian nationality shall not, in the case of territory transferred to Italy, be acquired ipso facto: (1) by persons possessing rights of citizenship in such territory who were not born there; (2) by persons who acquired their rights of citizenship in such territory after May 24, 1915 (i.e. the date when Italy entered the war) or who acquired them only by reason of their official position.

What happens if you have ancestors born in Trentino or Alto Adige before July 16, 1920?

Those who have ancestors born in Trentino and Alto Adige are entitled to apply for Italian citizenship ON CONDITION THAT they can prove that their ancestors:

• lived in these territories until July 16, 1920 and
• they did not emigrate before this date.

The “Italian citizenship eligibility issue” linked to the “16 July 1920” requirement is the following:

the ancestor who emigrated before 16 July 1920 expatriated as an Austro-Hungarian citizen and not as an Italian citizen, meaning he or she could not pass Italian citizenship on to their children.

How can you find information about your ancestors?

The regional government of Trentino has created a useful online database, www.natitrentino.mondotrentino.net , with the data of all 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).

It is also very useful and interesting the website of the Research Center on the history of the emigration from Trentino, with biographies and stories of many emigrants.

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.