The Ice Flow

By Red Sox Steve

This is the third and final part of the series I am writing, regarding my desire to obtain Italian citizenship. The first piece I wrote was in March 2009, the second piece in November, and here we are in early December, and I have my Italian passport!

In March, I was still waiting for the most critical document to come in - the Certificate of Naturalization, which was originally given to my great grandfather in 1926. It arrived in June, and at that point I finally had all the documents I needed. I gave myself the summer off, and by late August and early September, put the final pieces of the application in place.

As I discussed last time, I needed to get apostilles and translations for all the birth, marriage and death ("BMD") certificates related to those events which took place in America, and I needed to complete Forms 1 through 4 of the application, which can be found at the very bottom of this page.

To get the apostilles, I sent the BMD documents to the RI Secretary of State's office, with a check in the amount of $5/request, a letter stating my request, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. I had the documents back in about 10 days with the apostille (a 1 page letter signed by the Acting Deputy Secretary of State, in my case). For the official translations, I used the extremely reliable translators I found on the internet - www.italiandualcitizenship.com. I paid the company through paypal ($75/page), sent them scanned copies of the certificates, and had the documents back via email in about 2 weeks.

At this point, it was about mid-September, and the appointment date in mid-October was in sight. After making the appointment 10 months ago, it was finally getting close. I had some concerns - what if the consultants I had spoken to were all wrong about my eligibility?

They weren't, after helpfully reviewing my documents with me.

What if I made a mistake with the documents, and either didn't have something or missed a piece of information?

Not to worry, apparently the policy at the NY consulate is that you have about 2 months after your appointment to transmit all the necessary documents. The consular officer will advise you as to what is needed, and provide you with instructions for transmitting the documents.

Because it had taken me almost 2 years to get all the documents, I really wanted the appointment to be the end of the process. Further, I was in the most extensive of the 5 categories eligible for citizenship (from the website www.italiandualcitizenship.com): "Your paternal or maternal grandfather was born in your native country, your paternal great grandfather was an Italian citizen at the time of his birth, neither you nor your father nor your grandfather ever renounced your right to Italian citizenship" AND "A woman born before 01/01/1948 can claim the Italian citizenship only from her father and can transfer it to descendants after 01/01/1948."

The rules at the NY consulate are that you have to show up at least 15 minutes before your appointment, bring your passport, a copy of your passport, your application, a copy of your application, and a utility bill to show you live in the consulate's jurisdiction. Oh, and you can only bring a small bag with you to carry these things. Getting in went pretty smoothly - they let me in through a metal detector and shuffled me right upstairs to the citizenship/visa section. There I waited for about 20 minutes before I was finally called to meet with the consular officer.

We sat down, and the first thing he wanted to know was what category I was in. He was gruff, but professional as I mentioned I was getting citizenship through my grandmother's father. He called up a spreadsheet template on his computer, and began to ask to see my documents so he could keep them and record relevant information in the spreadsheet. I passed page after page across the desk while he recorded the information and kept all documentation.

By the end of the appointment, he was able to confirm that I had all necessary documents, I was eligible for citizenship and - here is the most important part - I would be contacted by the Italian government via letter; at which time, they would notify me that I was registered in Itri (where my grandparents came from) as an Italian citizen living abroad. My appointment was on Oct. 15 - on Nov. 10, I had received an email with the subject line: "Riconoscimento cittadinanza italiana". I had been registered as an Italian citizen! From here, it's a piece of cake...

About a week after I got the email, I returned to the consulate with a printed copy of it, a completed passport application, 2 passport photos, and the application fee of $120. I waited around for about 30 minutes, handed in the application and was told that my passport would be ready in 10 working days. I paid, kept the receipt and left. I returned on the appointed day, waited for a few minutes, picked up my passport and left!

My biggest piece of advice to anyone interested in this is to do your best to get the documents beforehand to determine whether you are eligible. There are 5 different categories of eligibility, so if you aren't eligible in one, you may be in another. Of course, do your best to keep everything organized because it takes time to obtain documents and then to obtain translations and apostilles. Further, I recommend that the applicant make it as easy as possible for the people receiving your requests for documents or information to assist you. I was very intimidated by the process at first, especially because I was in the most difficult category. I also had many relatives who have either passed away or simply don't remember dates, locations or specific events from so long ago. Therefore, it is hard to get certificates stating that these events have taken place without a great deal of searching. In other words, I had my work cut out for me, and felt like I was "flying blind" about 80% of the time. On the positive side, I gave myself plenty of time to get documents, felt as though I had good fortune because I got all the documents I needed, and did my best to keep everything in order.

In the process of investigating my family's history, I learned a great deal about what my ancestors' lives were like, as well as the challenges they faced both in Italy and the US. I was able to assemble a great deal of facts about my family's background - where they departed from in Italy, where they arrived in the US, how long it took, what time of year they endured the North Atlantic (January and February! Brrr....!), where they lived upon arrival in the US, where they worked, and when they passed away. Being a dual citizen makes me feel as though my ties to both countries are stronger than ever before - I often joke with friends that in getting my Italian citizenship, I am "undoing" what my ancestors did nearly a century ago by trying to get citizenship to the country they left behind.

They desired a better life and in doing so, felt they had to leave their country and the only home they had ever known, in the interest of giving themselves and their children something greater, yet unknown and unfamiliar. By having 2 passports, I think I am linking their past with my present. Italy and the rest of the EU nations are vastly different than they were even decades ago, as is America. Advances in technology put to use in areas like commerce and warfare mean that humanity is now bound closer than ever been before to events which take place thousands of miles away in unfamiliar places. Through this process, I have attached myself to a different and unfamiliar part of the world, which is something I have in common with what my ancestors were attempting nearly a century ago. Buongiorno!