The Path to Italian Citizenship: Bumps and Potholes

So, you’re thinking about getting Italian citizenship by descent through your ancestry?
It’s an amazing opportunity, but I won’t lie – it can be a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Even if you think you have a straightforward pathway, something always comes up that has you correcting course.

For me, it was a tiny little vowel switch in my nonna’s name that had me about to throw in the towel. Even though all of my other documents were squeaky clean, all names and dates matched, and everyone in my lineage was still alive, it took 14 months of sweat and tears for me to remove the pesky “o” that had somehow made it into my nonna’s name on my dad’s birth certificate. And yes, this was at the request of the consulate.
If you’re worried about the surprises that can pop up during your journey – or if you’ve already had to deal with some – let’s talk about some of the bumps many people hit along the way so you know you’re not alone!

Finding the right paperwork

First up, you’re gonna need to dig up some documents to prove your eligibility for citizenship by descent. Sounds simple, right? Well, not always. Depending on how far back you need to trace your lineage, these records can be super old and hard to find, destroyed, or non-existent, and you need to know details about the subjects of the records to even know where to search for them (like names, birth dates, place of the event, maybe even parents’ names, etc.). You may need to spend a lot of time doing some genealogical legwork before you can even start collecting records for your application. It can be a time-consuming and frustrating process, although some people enjoy the challenge and find it rewarding putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Kind of like a treasure hunt!

Dodgy discrepancies

So, you manage to find the right documents, but you’re not out of the woods yet. They might be missing important info or have spelling and/or date errors. Like, your bisnonno’s name is completely butchered on his son’s birth certificate, or a marriage certificate has your mother’s birthdate completely wrong, not to mention the appearance of a middle name for your father that wasn’t on his birth certificate. Or maybe somebody somewhere put an “o” in your nonna’s name 😏 Whatever happened, you may have to address discrepancies before your application is submitted or you could risk it not being accepted after months (or even years) of waiting.

Application requirements keep changing

If you’re new to the world of Italian citizenship by descent, you may not know that each Italian consulate (even consulates within the same country) has their own set of application requirements. Yep, that’s right – requirements are not standardized. This means that you have to follow the requirements of your specific consulate when putting together your application, and these requirements are subject to change at any given moment. You may be alllllmost done pulling everything together and BAM! Now you’ve got to collect additional records or pay for extra translations. Or, you may have collected and paid for the whole shebang and now you only need half of what you needed starting out. Remember when I mentioned this process being a rollercoaster ride? It’s super important to always keep your eye on your consulate’s website so you’re aware of any changes in process or requirements that may affect your application.

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting

Brace yourself, because the application process can take ages. I’m talking months or, more likely, even years. There are a bunch of reasons for delays, like backlogs, high demand for appointments, mistakes in paperwork, or application requirement/process changes. It can be extremely frustrating, especially if you’re eager to live la dolce vita in Italy. But, aside from making sure you’re submitting an accurate and complete application, a lot of these factors are out of your control. It’s going to make your citizenship journey a lot less stressful if you accept from the start that you’re embarking on a multi-year process.

So, there you have it. Getting Italian citizenship by descent through your ancestry can be an amazing way to connect with your roots, but it’s not always a walk in the park. Be ready for challenges like finding documents, dealing with errors, keeping up with application changes, and lots of waiting. If you’re worried about taking on all of the unknowns alone or are nervous about not completing your application to your consulate’s standards, it may be a good idea to get some guidance!

Did you know….that you can be mentored by a Dual Italian Citizenship Expert like me for a fraction of the cost the mega-agencies charge? That’s right! If you’re Canadian or American, I help you confidently and accurately complete your application for Italian citizenship by descent by working collaboratively with you one-on-one through the process to make sure your application is perfetto.