Italy is a beautiful country. Italy also has some great opportunities for its citizens. For one, they can easily own properties in the form of lovely houses and apartments at competitive prices nationwide. Secondly, Italians travel freely in their country and any of the EU Member States; they can also travel freely across Europe without legal worries.
Thirdly, they enjoy quality education at affordable fees. Italian universities are generally pocket-friendly. Then there are the job opportunities, the right to vote and incredible family values.
It makes sense to wish to be an Italian citizen. Indeed, you can if you just have the correct documentation. While the required documents may vary slightly from consulate to consulate, the following are 5 crucial documents that are likely to be asked for when applying for Italian dual citizenship:
1. Personal Civil Records
You should have your official birth certificate when applying for Italian dual citizenship. Other documents you might be asked to produce are your children’s birth or marriage certificates, where applicable.
If you are divorced, you may have to produce a certified copy of the divorce records and an apostille for these documents from the Secretary of State. The apostille is an official document that validates the document.
2. Death Certificates of Your Ancestors
You will need to produce certified copies of the death certificates of your ancestors if they are already dead. The document must have an Italian translation and be supported by an apostille. In other words, the death certificate must be accompanied by another document confirming it’s a copy of the original documents.
Moreover, you may also be asked to provide death records.
1. Birth Certificates of Your Ancestors from Italy
You will also have to produce the birth certificates of your ancestors who were born in Italy. You can get this at the Italian commune where they were born. But if you are claiming Italian citizenship based on a paternal grandparent, you must produce a certificate for both grandparents from their respective communes and your parents.
In other words, you need to produce birth certificates for each generation in direct lineage to you. It’s no big deal if you come from a family that’s been keen on keeping their records.
2. Marriage Certificates of Your Ancestors from Italy
You also have to produce a marriage certificate which proves that either your parents, their parents, their grandparents or their great-grandparents were married in Italy.
But suppose the marriage took place outside Italy, for instance, in the US. In that case, you must produce a certified copy of the marriage certificate together with an apostille from the US Secretary of State.
3. Naturalization Certificates
If you are not able to get an Italian passport plus an official resident card for your parents or paternal grandparents, you have to produce a copy of the naturalization record for your parents or grandparents if you are applying through them.
Wrapping It Up
Apart from producing these documents, you also have to ensure they are thoroughly accurate because even small or seemingly minor inaccuracies can result in your application being rejected.
