Living in Italy sounds like a dream for most Americans. But this dream can be turned into a reality if you can get yourself a USA and Italy dual citizenship. You can enjoy the perks of living in Italy while not giving up your American citizenship.
The easiest way of making this happen is by marrying an Italian citizen. The laws of the European Union allow for the perks of dual citizenship to be extended to the spouse of an Italian citizen. This is also applicable to couples who have been married in a civil union. You can also become an Italian citizen if you are related to one by descent. This is known as jus sanguini.
If you are an American citizen born on Italian soil then you can get an Italian citizenship by jus soli. This is where things might get slightly complicated but moving to Italy can be a dream come true for you if you just follow these steps.
To get more into financial benefits of this move check this article about dual citizenship usa italy.
What Is the Process of Acquiring a Dual USA and Italy Citizenship?
The process of moving to Italy and acquiring a US and Italy dual citizenship through jus sanguini starts at the consulate of your jurisdiction. You must gather the birth, marriage and death certificates of your Italian relative through whom you are claiming citizenship. A number of caveats may be applicable to you if your Italian relative was naturalized in the US. First of all, you will need the documents that prove this naturalization. Here are the other things factors that you must fulfil.
- You must have descended from someone who was a citizen of Italy after 17 March, 1861.
- Your Italian relative must not have naturalized in Italy before 14 June 1912.
- The Italian relative must not have naturalized before your birth.
- If you are claiming jus sanguini dual citizenship USA Italy through a female relative born before 1 January 1948 then you can claim it only through her father’s line.
- You are not eligible to apply for dual citizenship if someone in your family has ever renounced their Italian citizenship.
If you satisfy these caveats and have all your paper work in order only then you can go ahead with your application for a USA and Italy dual citizenship. If you are wondering about the cost of getting all of this done then you must know that using a lawyer will set you back by something close to $8000. If you do the process yourself then be prepared to do a lot of running around. The application fee is $340 and this amount is non-refundable even if your application for the USA and Italy dual citizenship gets rejected.
The birth, marriage and death certificates of your relative may cost anywhere from $25 to $30 each. All of these documents have to be translated to Italian. You can do this yourself if you are well-versed with the language or you might have to pay to get these translation services and that might take up your total for applying for a USA and Italy dual citizenship even higher. At this cost, you can realise your dream of moving to Italy.
Benefits of Moving to Italy
The benefits of moving to Italy definitely outweigh the efforts that go into applying for a USA and Italy dual citizenship. Healthcare and education are much more affordable in Italy. You have the freedom to live, work and move anywhere within not just Italy but also the European Union. This is what tempts most people to take a shot at getting an USA and Italy dual citizenship.
To conclude
Applying for a USA and Italy dual citizenship may seem like a hassle but the perks of moving to Italy outweighs all the effort involved in going through the process of acquiring the citizenship. So, many people keep trying it.
