5 Basic Requirements Everybody Must Meet You’re a descendant of a person who was born after March 17, 1861, which was the unification date of Italy. Before this date, there were no Italian citizens. The Italian ancestor in question did not naturalize to any country before July 1, 1912. Based on Law no. 555 of July 13, 1992, Italian citizenship cannot be transferred to descendants. The Italian ancestor in question did not naturalize before the births of descendants interested in becoming an Italian citizen. If the direct line Italian ancestor in question is a woman and was born before Jan. 1, 1948, citizenship can only be claimed from her father’s line, and citizenship passed onto her children if born after this date. (Your application can be denied on this basis, however you can have it heard in Italy’s courts and still be granted citizenship. You can learn more about this little wrinkle by giving us a call for a consultation.) No one - you or your ascendants have renounced their Italian citizenship - be it via naturalization or another method.
I love that you're not only acknowledging your roots but EMBRACING them! So proud of you for being a part of your roots and continuing to spread the culture.
Wishing you all the best, Kristen! My husband was born and raised in Carini, Sicily, and I am a dual citizen by marriage. We have dear friends in Carini who are from Caccamo. Would love to visit there sometime. 💚 Blessings, ~ Carol Amato
@@anywherewithkristen Currently, we're in Texas with family but have tickets to move back soon. Can't wait. Will have to get to Caccamo when we do. Thanks. ~ Carol Amato
@maryannkilduff8659 Thank you so much for the kind words. I am totally looking forward to it. There is of course are some unknowns as there is whenever you travel in a foreign country. But I have a lot of support both in the United States and where I'm going.
@@YogaBlissDance in a lot of ways it feels like a very long journey I've been on. I started the process 2 1/2 years ago in some ways it feels like I'm just beginning a whole new chapter ahead of me
@@YogaBlissDance it feels like I've been on a very long journey. I started the process 2 1/2 years ago. And in some ways it feels like I'm just beginning. A new leg of the journey lies ahead of me.
@kristenandscott this is my 4th leadership role, in which I've been in for over 3 years now . I worked ICU for 16 years, then I was a ICU Manager, Assistant Med Surg Manager, Trauma Coordinator at one hospital, a House Supervisor, a Director of Clinical Services for a Home Health agency, and now I'm an Gastroenterology Nurse Manager. 26 years of nursing. I started later in life after having 5 of my 6 kids.
I am over the moon to have found you! I have spent the past year researching my Italian heritage and beginning the process of researching and collecting documents. I am also from Pennsylvania but found out I have a 1948 case so my journey is a little bit different. I am so excited to watch you settle in and complete your mission.
@@anywherewithkristen I am very familiar with Lancaster, it is such a beautiful area. I love seeing your videos in Sicily. My family is from Palena and Sulmona in the Abruzzo region. I will travel there in Spring 2025. I hope to meet some family as well.
Kristen- just stumbled on your channel. I also moved to Italy to obtain my dual citizenship, way back in 2008. The Philly consulate suggested I just go directly to Italy as it was my mother who was my LIRA- they assured me t would be easy peasy. Ha ha ha. They assured me I could go to any comune, as I had my heart set on living in Venice. I did it, packed up, and moved. Turns out Venice said No Way. Try where your mother was born. I did that, went off with all my documents to Cinque Terre and guess what, they also said No. GO Back to the Philly Consulate. Time for an immigration attorney! I hired Luigi Paiano in Bologna, who got it done. Not in 2 months, as expected, but 11.5 months! Happy dance! You and I differ in this way- we sold everything and moved over when I began my dual citizenship journey, intending this to be our forever home. We spent 10 glorious years in Venice, then decided we needed an even slower pace of life and transferred to the little teeny 4 sq. Km island of Procida, abt 30 min by boat from Naples. This coming March will mark 8 years here on the island. Every day is an adventure! I wish you a joyful journey. Baci da Procida.
Totally wow! What an adventure you had! I suppose looking back on it now, you can kind of view it that way, but in the process, I am sure it was frustrating. It makes me feel fortunate that one of the main frustrations has been trying to get an appointment with the Philadelphia consulate. I tried that for a year and then because I was up against the deadline where I wanted my son to get dual citizenship grandfathered in because of my decision I decided to hire a lawyer and move to Italy when they suggested I do. Thank you for sharing your story. Mat the Adventure continue.
I am rooting for you and just starting to watch your whole series and follow along ! The Detroit consulate is equally slow and I am considering doing this myself once I finish college next year. Half of my Great Grandparents are also from sicily . Do you speak any Italian? I have a basic level of French and am converting it to Italian but nothing beyond the basics . Enjoy bello Sicilia ❤️
It has been a hard journey and certainly not without its hiccups, but beyond the benefits of gaining dual citizenship, I have fallen in love with a town and its people, my people, and my experiences here I would never trade for the world.
Hi, figuring out if your grandparents renounced their Italian citizenship can be tricky. Look at old documents: Search for anything related to immigration or naturalization. If you have no luck with that, then you could always Contact the Italian Consulate: They might be able to help. Good luck.❤
Hi, Kristen! Very happy to happen upon your channel, and your story 😅😮😢🥹😊. I recently began my own citizenship by descent journey, and hope to find myself in Trapani in the near future. I hired an Italian attorney in Italy to do all the work for me. My question is, did you hire help or are you handling everything yourself…?
That is fantastic to hear, to hear that you are pursuing your own citizenship journey. I began the process doing it myself. Gathering all the necessary paperwork, which took me about a year to get everything notarized, apostiled and found. I then for the next year tried to do it from the United States side by logging in at 6:00 on Mondays to try and get an appointment at the Philadelphia consulate. This didn't work. So finally, I did hire an attorney in Sicily to help me with the process. This is the reason I am here now, and honestly, I don't know if I would have done it any other way. The experience of living in my ancestors' town and among these beautiful people is awesome.
@@anywherewithkristen Thanks, Kristen, I’m even more inspired now. PS: you didn’t see any Dunkin Donuts shops in Italy so far. Hmm? Psyching myself up now for the long withdrawal ahead 😅
If you aren't on a time crunch, you can try prenotami.esteri.it . At 6:00 every Monday night, they open up slots to go to the consulate in Philadelphia. I would make sure you have all your paperwork ahead of time. If you want to know a little bit more about what's involved from the paperwork end. Please visit: www.italiandualcitizenship.net/italian-citizenship-requirements/
Look for your local Italian consulate online. It’s determined by your home address. You may apply through your local consulate. Create an account in The Prenotami online system then watch for an appointment opening and schedule! Hopefully your consulate has availability. It may be 2-3 years out but you need time to gather the required vital documents.
They actually replied to this episode, and I did touch base with them a little bit. I am aware of their channel and watched many episodes as I looked at coming to Sicily.
I am in the middle of attempting this. There are 11 different scenarios to choose from! So hard to follow you need a flowchart! My i family was from Tortorici, Sicily. The Los Angeles consulate has an even longer wait list! What is the Italian word for extremely daunting?!?
I would have to look that one up - we tried getting into the Philadelphia consulate for over a year before I decided to pursue my dual citizenship in the country, so I get the wait. And I know that not everyone can do what I am doing.
I’m a second generation Italian American. My maternal grandparents were both from Sicily and my paternal grandparents were from Naples. They all came to the the US in the early 1900s through Ellis Island. I’m 60 years old now so they have all passed away. How do you find out if they renounced their Italian citizenship? My paternal grandfather served in WWI for the Americans and he became an American citizen. Actually I think all my grandparents became US citizens so wouldn’t they all have to had renounced their Italian citizenship? I’m just wondering how you found out about that with your ancestors?
It’s a tricky question because there is no one centralized location for these kinds of documents I would suggest looking through the old documents that you have and look for clues that way. If that doesn’t work, you could try contacting your local Italian consulate and asking them for help. Good luck to you and thanks for watching.
I started this process in 2018. I gathered all the documents myself but could not find my grandfather’s marriage certificate. I missed my consulate appointment in NY because of this. I put so much time and effort into this. It was very disappointing.
I get it. And I am sorry to hear that. I began the process two and a half years ago. Began trying to get an appointment at the consulate one year ago, so many people were applying through the Philadelphia consulate I could not get a slot. Final this past spring we decided to begin working with a lawyer in Italy. The sticking point in my family was that my grandfather was always know by Samuel, but he was born Salvatore. He never had an official birth certificate until he was in his 20s. When he got one, it was made out to Samuel. However his marriage certificate was Salvatore. We found an official baptismal certificate with Salvatore, and that was my saving grace. I passed the prechecks and, Lord willing, should be good to go!
@@anywherewithkristenIn 2018 the NY consulate wait was about 1.5-2 years. During that time you would do all your research and gather your documents. I heard now it’s all done without physically going to the consulate, you would just mail everything to them to review. I put myself in queue again and there were over 1700 people ahead of me. Do you know if the names have to match up exactly the same on all the documents? Birth, Marriage etc. Good luck in Italy.
@dominic6283 They are " supposed" to. Or at least be very close. They account for some variation...ie. Anselmo spelled Ansilmo for example. Basically, you have to be able to prove the person in your line is the same person regardless of variations in name, and these need to be proved through legally registered documents.
Be grateful for every kiss & show of affection you get in this life. One tragedy & it could all be gone. It was actually rude to see you say "gross" after your husband was gushing on about supporting you & shows you affection with a small kiss... made me cringe. Just sayin'.... otherwise I'm excited to watch your journey unfold!
Glad you are here for the journey. This is part of the relationship and humor that he and I have. He edits the videos and I am sure it would be in it if it were not a part of the humor or if he felt uncomfortable with it. That being said, I will keep that in mind for future episodes.
5 Basic Requirements Everybody Must Meet
You’re a descendant of a person who was born after March 17, 1861, which was the unification date of Italy. Before this date, there were no Italian citizens.
The Italian ancestor in question did not naturalize to any country before July 1, 1912. Based on Law no. 555 of July 13, 1992, Italian citizenship cannot be transferred to descendants.
The Italian ancestor in question did not naturalize before the births of descendants interested in becoming an Italian citizen.
If the direct line Italian ancestor in question is a woman and was born before Jan. 1, 1948, citizenship can only be claimed from her father’s line, and citizenship passed onto her children if born after this date. (Your application can be denied on this basis, however you can have it heard in Italy’s courts and still be granted citizenship. You can learn more about this little wrinkle by giving us a call for a consultation.)
No one - you or your ascendants have renounced their Italian citizenship - be it via naturalization or another method.
@@anywherewithkristen wow! I’ll have to check the birth dates and naturalization dates. I think it’s close!
Would love to know what you find out!
The person could have been born before 1861 but they had to still be alive after the unification date.
I love that you're not only acknowledging your roots but EMBRACING them! So proud of you for being a part of your roots and continuing to spread the culture.
@@italianspoken Thank you. My first week has been fantastic and challenging.
I'm was starting to look up my own lineage from Caccamo and stumbled on this page. Looking forward to following your updates. Auguri e buona fortuna.
Welcome to my journey. Have you ever been to Caccamo? What's the family name?
Wishing you all the best, Kristen! My husband was born and raised in Carini, Sicily, and I am a dual citizen by marriage. We have dear friends in Carini who are from Caccamo. Would love to visit there sometime. 💚 Blessings, ~ Carol Amato
It is truly beautiful if you get the chance. Do you currently live in Sicily?
@@anywherewithkristen Currently, we're in Texas with family but have tickets to move back soon. Can't wait. Will have to get to Caccamo when we do. Thanks. ~ Carol Amato
Best of luck and safe travels! I hope it's everything you're hoping for! ❤
@maryannkilduff8659 Thank you so much for the kind words. I am totally looking forward to it. There is of course are some unknowns as there is whenever you travel in a foreign country. But I have a lot of support both in the United States and where I'm going.
So happy for you!
@@YogaBlissDance in a lot of ways it feels like a very long journey I've been on. I started the process 2 1/2 years ago in some ways it feels like I'm just beginning a whole new chapter ahead of me
@@YogaBlissDance it feels like I've been on a very long journey. I started the process 2 1/2 years ago. And in some ways it feels like I'm just beginning. A new leg of the journey lies ahead of me.
You are a brave woman! Im still a nurse manager so I can't leave it all just yet! Hopefully, I will learn from you!
I know not everyone has the chance to do what I am doing. But maybe someday? How long have you been a nurse manager?
@kristenandscott this is my 4th leadership role, in which I've been in for over 3 years now . I worked ICU for 16 years, then I was a ICU Manager, Assistant Med Surg Manager, Trauma Coordinator at one hospital, a House Supervisor, a Director of Clinical Services for a Home Health agency, and now I'm an Gastroenterology Nurse Manager. 26 years of nursing. I started later in life after having 5 of my 6 kids.
I am over the moon to have found you! I have spent the past year researching my Italian heritage and beginning the process of researching and collecting documents. I am also from Pennsylvania but found out I have a 1948 case so my journey is a little bit different. I am so excited to watch you settle in and complete your mission.
@suzyblake2007 Thanks for finding me! Can't wait to hear how your journey goes. What area of Pennsylvania are you from?
@@anywherewithkristen I am from Western PA just about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.
@suzyblake2007 Oh cool! I am from the Lancaster, PA area, closer to Philadelphia.
@@anywherewithkristen I am very familiar with Lancaster, it is such a beautiful area. I love seeing your videos in Sicily. My family is from Palena and Sulmona in the Abruzzo region. I will travel there in Spring 2025. I hope to meet some family as well.
So exciting! Have an amazing trip!
It has been amazing and challenging so far and extremely rewarding all wrapped into one big cannoli
Kristen- just stumbled on your channel. I also moved to Italy to obtain my dual citizenship, way back in 2008. The Philly consulate suggested I just go directly to Italy as it was my mother who was my LIRA- they assured me t would be easy peasy. Ha ha ha. They assured me I could go to any comune, as I had my heart set on living in Venice. I did it, packed up, and moved. Turns out Venice said No Way. Try where your mother was born. I did that, went off with all my documents to Cinque Terre and guess what, they also said No. GO Back to the Philly Consulate. Time for an immigration attorney! I hired Luigi Paiano in Bologna, who got it done. Not in 2 months, as expected, but 11.5 months! Happy dance! You and I differ in this way- we sold everything and moved over when I began my dual citizenship journey, intending this to be our forever home. We spent 10 glorious years in Venice, then decided we needed an even slower pace of life and transferred to the little teeny 4 sq. Km island of Procida, abt 30 min by boat from Naples. This coming March will mark 8 years here on the island. Every day is an adventure! I wish you a joyful journey. Baci da Procida.
Totally wow! What an adventure you had! I suppose looking back on it now, you can kind of view it that way, but in the process, I am sure it was frustrating. It makes me feel fortunate that one of the main frustrations has been trying to get an appointment with the Philadelphia consulate. I tried that for a year and then because I was up against the deadline where I wanted my son to get dual citizenship grandfathered in because of my decision I decided to hire a lawyer and move to Italy when they suggested I do. Thank you for sharing your story. Mat the Adventure continue.
I am rooting for you and just starting to watch your whole series and follow along ! The Detroit consulate is equally slow and I am considering doing this myself once I finish college next year. Half of my Great Grandparents are also from sicily . Do you speak any Italian? I have a basic level of French and am converting it to Italian but nothing beyond the basics . Enjoy bello Sicilia ❤️
It has been a hard journey and certainly not without its hiccups, but beyond the benefits of gaining dual citizenship, I have fallen in love with a town and its people, my people, and my experiences here I would never trade for the world.
Hi, figuring out if your grandparents renounced their Italian citizenship can be tricky.
Look at old documents: Search for anything related to immigration or naturalization. If you have no luck with that, then you could always Contact the Italian Consulate: They might be able to help. Good luck.❤
Hi, Kristen! Very happy to happen upon your channel, and your story 😅😮😢🥹😊. I recently began my own citizenship by descent journey, and hope to find myself in Trapani in the near future. I hired an Italian attorney in Italy to do all the work for me. My question is, did you hire help or are you handling everything yourself…?
That is fantastic to hear, to hear that you are pursuing your own citizenship journey. I began the process doing it myself. Gathering all the necessary paperwork, which took me about a year to get everything notarized, apostiled and found. I then for the next year tried to do it from the United States side by logging in at 6:00 on Mondays to try and get an appointment at the Philadelphia consulate. This didn't work. So finally, I did hire an attorney in Sicily to help me with the process. This is the reason I am here now, and honestly, I don't know if I would have done it any other way. The experience of living in my ancestors' town and among these beautiful people is awesome.
@@anywherewithkristen Thanks, Kristen, I’m even more inspired now. PS: you didn’t see any Dunkin Donuts shops in Italy so far. Hmm? Psyching myself up now for the long withdrawal ahead 😅
Ok I was going to look into this but I’m not thinking about going and staying 6 months! My ancestors came from Casamicciola Terme, Ischia, Italy.
If you aren't on a time crunch, you can try prenotami.esteri.it . At 6:00 every Monday night, they open up slots to go to the consulate in Philadelphia. I would make sure you have all your paperwork ahead of time. If you want to know a little bit more about what's involved from the paperwork end. Please visit: www.italiandualcitizenship.net/italian-citizenship-requirements/
Look for your local Italian consulate online. It’s determined by your home address. You may apply through your local consulate. Create an account in The Prenotami online system then watch for an appointment opening and schedule! Hopefully your consulate has availability. It may be 2-3 years out but you need time to gather the required vital documents.
You should connect with the You, Me & Sicily couple, Eszter and Alfred. They are outside of Catania.
They actually replied to this episode, and I did touch base with them a little bit. I am aware of their channel and watched many episodes as I looked at coming to Sicily.
I am in the middle of attempting this. There are 11 different scenarios to choose from! So hard to follow you need a flowchart! My i family was from Tortorici, Sicily. The Los Angeles consulate has an even longer wait list! What is the Italian word for extremely daunting?!?
I would have to look that one up - we tried getting into the Philadelphia consulate for over a year before I decided to pursue my dual citizenship in the country, so I get the wait. And I know that not everyone can do what I am doing.
I’m a second generation Italian American. My maternal grandparents were both from Sicily and my paternal grandparents were from Naples. They all came to the the US in the early 1900s through Ellis Island. I’m 60 years old now so they have all passed away. How do you find out if they renounced their Italian citizenship? My paternal grandfather served in WWI for the Americans and he became an American citizen. Actually I think all my grandparents became US citizens so wouldn’t they all have to had renounced their Italian citizenship? I’m just wondering how you found out about that with your ancestors?
It’s a tricky question because there is no one centralized location for these kinds of documents I would suggest looking through the old documents that you have and look for clues that way. If that doesn’t work, you could try contacting your local Italian consulate and asking them for help. Good luck to you and thanks for watching.
I started this process in 2018. I gathered all the documents myself but could not find my grandfather’s marriage certificate. I missed my consulate appointment in NY because of this. I put so much time and effort into this. It was very disappointing.
I get it. And I am sorry to hear that. I began the process two and a half years ago. Began trying to get an appointment at the consulate one year ago, so many people were applying through the Philadelphia consulate I could not get a slot. Final this past spring we decided to begin working with a lawyer in Italy. The sticking point in my family was that my grandfather was always know by Samuel, but he was born Salvatore. He never had an official birth certificate until he was in his 20s. When he got one, it was made out to Samuel. However his marriage certificate was Salvatore. We found an official baptismal certificate with Salvatore, and that was my saving grace. I passed the prechecks and, Lord willing, should be good to go!
@@anywherewithkristenIn 2018 the NY consulate wait was about 1.5-2 years. During that time you would do all your research and gather your documents. I heard now it’s all done without physically going to the consulate, you would just mail everything to them to review. I put myself in queue again and there were over 1700 people ahead of me. Do you know if the names have to match up exactly the same on all the documents? Birth, Marriage etc. Good luck in Italy.
@dominic6283 They are " supposed" to. Or at least be very close. They account for some variation...ie. Anselmo spelled Ansilmo for example. Basically, you have to be able to prove the person in your line is the same person regardless of variations in name, and these need to be proved through legally registered documents.
Under 18's still have to registered but you don't need to do all the paperwork.
@@andrewwatson5324 Although the new law....
My Italian ancestor King Pepin circa 777-810 too far back I am thinking LOL
Probably. That would be like my husband trying to get German citizenship 400 years after.
Congrats. Are you working with a lawyer in Italy to help?
Yes, a highly recommended group out of Palermo.
Be grateful for every kiss & show of affection you get in this life. One tragedy & it could all be gone. It was actually rude to see you say "gross" after your husband was gushing on about supporting you & shows you affection with a small kiss... made me cringe. Just sayin'.... otherwise I'm excited to watch your journey unfold!
Glad you are here for the journey. This is part of the relationship and humor that he and I have. He edits the videos and I am sure it would be in it if it were not a part of the humor or if he felt uncomfortable with it. That being said, I will keep that in mind for future episodes.