Dual Citizenship
When I first started mentioning to people that I was thinking about applying for Italian citizenship, the first question by many of them was "are you allowed to have dual citizenship as an American?" There was also alot of concern about what would happen to my US citizenship.
A quick search on google gave me a number of sites that explained the US stance on dual citizenship. In a nutshell, since 1967 the US allows for its citizens to hold more than one passport. One of the other very important things that I had to understand was that I already had Italian citizenship if I met the requirements. I was not naturalizing to Italy. I was born with it because it was passed down through the generations. This was important for me to understand so that I could explain it to people that were concerned that I might be jeopardizing my US citizenship.
I am not going to explain all the details of the laws here since there are so many websites that already go into detail. The ones that I used were:
myitaliancitizenship.com - They have a great FAQ on the laws of dual citizenship.
Dual citizenship FAQ - I found this site through expatsinitaly and it was very helpful in explaining the laws.
US State Department - This is the official stance on Dual Nationality
So after I was comfortable with what I was about to do, the next step was to start collecting documents to find out if Italian citizenship was in fact passed down to me....
posted by Michael Severini @ 5:04 PM
8 Comments
8 Comments:
The only document I need is a certified copy of no record. Where can I get it and how long does it take.
This one is difficult. You will need to check with the consulate that you are applying through because not all of them have the sam requirements. Some will accept a certification of "NO RECORDS" from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as proof that your ancestor was never naturalized. Others require a statement of "NO RECORDS" from the National Archives in addition to a survey report from a census dated after the date of birth of your ancestor's child.
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/index.html
Can you advise me on how you obtained your certified copy of no record. Please give me step by step instructions on how to obtain this document. For the past year and a half I have contacted many departments of the USCIS to no avail
In my situation, I didn't need to obtain a copy of no record. I found a step by step process at http://www.myitaliancitizenship.com/index.jsp?f=faq.htm#51. I have heard that trying to get a copy of no record can be difficult and time consuming. Hopefully this link will be helpful.
I'm reading and re-reading info on various sites regarding naturalization of Italian born parent and effect on jure sanguinis. Maybe you can help clarify or suggest where I might find an answer. My Grandfather became a US citizen as a young man, returned to Italy, married, fathered 2 sons (born in Italy) and eventually moved entire family to the US. So, my Dad was born(1905) a dual citizen. He would have no reason to 'become' a US citizen? ...making his children potentially dual citizens? But, if he did naturalize my siblings and I are US citizens only?
As I understand it, if your Grandfather came to the US and then became a US citizen, he gave up his Italian citizenship. Therefore he would not have been able to pass it down to your father. The laws at that time were different than they are now. Given that your Grandfather naturalized in the US and then moved back to Italy and then back to the US, I am not sure if that changes anything. My suggestion is that you pose this question to the Italian Consulate that covers your geographic area. You can find a list of the Italian Consulates here. http://www.ambwashingtondc.esteri.it/Ambasciata_Washington/Menu/Ambasciata/La_rete_consolare/
As a result of holding an Italian citizenship, are you automatically obligated to be part of the Italian military? I read somewhere this is true for males, but now cannot find that.
Military service is no longer a mandatory requirement.
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