Do You Qualify for Italian Citizenship Jure Sanguinis?
Filed under Genealogy
In theory, if you meet the qualifications, you are already an Italian citizen and have been since birth.
In the jure sanguinis process, you are not applying for Italian citizenship per se, you are applying for recognition of a citizenship you already have.
However, you must submit the required documentation to the Italian Consulate proving that your ascendants were Italian citizens and transmitted citizenship down the line.
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not you prove your case is theirs.
Below are the different categories that determine if you qualify for recognition.
Category n. 1: Your father was born in Italy and was an Italian citizen at the time of your birth.
Category n. 2: Your mother was born in Italy and was an Italian citizen at the time of your birth, you were born after January 1st, 1948.
Category n. 3: Your father was born outside of Italy, your paternal grandfather was born in Italy and was an Italian citizen at the time of your father’s birth.
Category n. 4: Your mother was born outside of Italy, your maternal grandfather was born in Italy and was an Italian citizen at the time of your mother’s birth, you were born after January 1, 1948.
Category n. 5: Your paternal or maternal grandfather was born outside of Italy, your paternal or maternal great grandfather was born in Italy and was an Italian citizen at the time of your paternal or maternal grandfather’s birth.
The Disqualifiers
Unfortunately, there are some rules that prohibit some from being recognized as Italian citizens.
1. Prior to March 17, 1861, Italy was not a unified country. This means that before this date, there was no Italy and, therefore, there were no Italian citizens. In order to qualify, the Italian ancestor in your line must have been born after this date.
2. The 1912 Rule. The Consulate says, “Italian citizens naturalized before July 1, 1912 could not transmit citizenship to their children even if they were born before their naturalization.”
3. The 1948 Rule. “A person born before January 1, 1948 can claim Italian citizenship only from his/her father (who was not a naturalized citizen of another country before his/her child’s birth), and a woman can transfer citizenship only to her children born after January 1, 1948 if she was not a naturalized citizen of another country before her child’s birth.”
4. One of your ascendants formally renounced their Italian citizenship in front of an Italian Consular, diplomat or government official.
Some people have legally challenged these Rules, but I do not know their success rate. If you choose to challenge, you will likely need a lawyer.
Here’s an example of a typical case: Mary is applying for Italian citizenship. Her grandfather, Francesco, came to the U.S. from Italy in 1920 and in 1926 had a child, Luigi (Mary’s father). Francesco naturalized and became a U.S. citizen in 1930. Luigi is a U.S. citizen because he was born in the U.S. He is also an Italian citizen because Francesco was still an Italian citizen at the time of Luigi’s birth. Luigi did not lose his Italian citizenship when his father naturalized and he never renounced his Italian citizenship. Because Luigi was an Italian citizen at the time of Mary’s birth, it makes Mary eligible for Italian citizenship jure sanguinis. If Francesco had had a child after he naturalized in 1930, the descendants of that child would not be eligible for Italian citizenship jure sanguinis.
If you fall within one of the categories and are not affected by any of the disqualifying rules, you may want to explore further.
Next, Taking the Plunge
my Great Great grandfather, Celestino, was born 1864 in Rosazza, he moved to Australia and naturalized in 1904, (2 years after the birth of my great grand-mother, Hellinor), do i qualify for citizenship or would i fall under both the 1912 and 1948 exceptions.
Yes, unfortunately, it seems that both rules affect you. However, there is always the naturalization process if you can find a way to live in Italy legally for 10 years (3 years for descendants of Italian citizen grandparents).
My Great,Grt,Grt grandmother was born 1846 in Belmonte Mezzagno.Sense she was born before 1861 and her son my great,grt grandfather Guiseppi Sparacio born 1888 Belmonte.And my grandfather was born 1914 in USA.So am I eligible to be a Dual citizen?
You must find out if your great-grandfather naturalized and if he did, was it before or after your grandfather was born. Also, if he naturalized before July 1, 1912, you would not qualify.
Mi Padre naciò en Italia,SERINO-AVELINO.Muriò en Argentina y nunca cambiò su Nacionalidad.Yo resido en Mina Clavero Pcia.de Cba.Arg.y deseo obtener la Ciudadanìa Italiana, toda vez que siempre me sentì màs Italiano que Argentino.Como debo hacer ??
Pascual, sono spiacente, ma non parlo espanol. Parlo un po’ italiano e penso che tu capirai.
Non so tutte le cose che il Consolato Argentino richiederà per la cittadinanza, quindi io suggerisco che visiti il website del Consolato Generale d’Italia di Cordoba alla sezione di cittadinanza qui: http://www.conscordoba.esteri.it/Consolato_Cordoba/Menu/I_Servizi/Per_i_cittadini/Cittadinanza/
Qui puoi trovare l’informazione. Se non trovi tutta l’informazione cui tu hai bisogno di, puoi inviare a loro una email con le tue domande. Buona Pasqua–è il tuo onomastico.
I was going to apply for Category 4.
How do you prove that your paternal grandfather from Italy did not renounce his Italian citizenship at time of your mothers birth?? Mothers birth is on US. Also if my paternal grandfather served in WWI – he would have had to be a naturalized citizen with an oath taken to US but not in front of an Italian consulate.
I have his birth certificate but not sure about above point??
Thanks
Steve
Steve, your mother would have had to been born before your grandfather naturalized. I imagine that to serve in the military, he had to have naturalized before signing up. At the time of naturalization, Italian citizenship was given up, so you will qualify only if your mother was born before before that date. You will need her birth certificate and your grandfather’s naturalization papers to be sure. If she never renounced her Italian citizenship and you were born after 1948, you should qualify. However, if your grandfather naturalized before July 1, 1912, he could not transfer citizenship to his children, regardless of when they were born.
I have just begun the process of applying by getting all my documents together. I spoke with an employee of the Italian consulate in my state and they told me that I am eligible, however, since my family came to the USA and changed their name without going through the proper channels, I need to prove that they are the same people. She told me that first names are no big deal, but if the last name is changed it could be a problem. I am writing my letter to the commune in Termini Imerese now to obtain his birth certificate, but I am trying to think of ways I can prove that the person on the birth certificate is the same person on the other US documents even though the last name is different. I am thinking if he is the only person with that name born that day then it would be proof enough, but I have no idea. Any thoughts on the issue??
Nik, try to track down when the change occurred. Many people made official name changes when they naturalized and if your ancestor changed his/her name at that time, the document would be with the naturalization records. Before contacting the Comune, it would be best to collect all pertinent documents so you know how many discrepancies you are dealing with; you may also have birth date discrepancies and perhaps one statement from the Comune may be able to address those as well. Some people take a legal route and get the courts (US in your case) to declare a person “one and the same” . If it is a minor discrepancy, like and “e” changing to an “i”, perhaps you can just get the records amended to match the birth certificate. Some death certificates (NYC, for example) have a line that says “Other Names by which the Decedent was Known” and if you have the documentation to back it up, you can add the other name to the death certificate.
I was born in Italy in 1952 and then came to Australia in 1955. My parents took out Australian citzenship in 1958 … I was included in the naturalisation process. I was told that I was not eligible for dual nationality unless I went to live in Italy and applied there after getting residence. Do you think I could get dual nationality?
Jo
Jo, according to the website of the Ministero Dell’Interno, what you were told is, unfortunately, true. However, it seems that only a residency of one year is required.
http://www.interno.gov.it/mininterno/export/sites/default/it/temi/cittadinanza/Sottotema_007_English_version.html
i was born in licodia eubea in 16 .05.1949 my parentes giusseppe e gaetana montalti came to australia in 1956. i have australian citizen ship but would love to obtain italian citiship could you please help me thankyou
You probably already have dual citizenship since you were born in Italy. You should write to the Stato Civile there and ask for a copy of your birth certificate. Then you need to contact the Italian Consulate where you live to see what steps to take.
I believe I may be qualified for dual citizenship.
My paternal grandfather Guiseppe(Joseph)Miranda was born in Italy(1890)
(He arrived in this country in 1899).
His father had been working in the United States (1885)
Great Grandpa Arcangelo did not live long enough to apply for US citizenship.
(Arcangelo returned to the US in 1897.)
Arcangelo passed away in 1912 in New Haven, CT at the age of 55.
I have the documentation for Great Grandpa Arcangelo Miranda and for
Grandpa Joseph Miranda.
This is like a jigsaw puzzle.
Is there any assistance available to sort this out?
Thank you for any assistance that you can provide to me in this matter.
Sincerely,
Andrew Miranda
Andrew, yes, it is like a jigsaw puzzle and can be very confusing. I believe that if your GF was born in Italy, you should not have to be concerned with your GGF’s records. Now you have to find out whether or not your GF naturalized, and if so, was it before or after your father’s birth.
Ok. My nonno was born in Ireland but the family went back to Casalattico when he was still a baby. To the best of my knowledge he was registered with the comune on their return. He later returned to Belfast but never renounced his Italian citizenship as he had already dual nationality. How do you think I stand on the matter
I would surmise that if his birth certificate is on file at the Stato Civile in Casalattico, then he is an Italian citizen and, provided that you meet the other criteria of the Italian Consulate, you should qualify. You should write to the Stato Civile in Casalattico and request a copy of the birth certificate. ItalianSide Community has templates for letters in Italian that you can adapt for your use. Buona fortuna!