Misinformation has spread like wildfire, causing a myriad of misconceptions about the possibility of acquiring Italian citizenship through maternal lineage.
Are your dreams of becoming an Italian citizen crushed if you spot a woman in your family tree? Absolutely not!
Unfortunately, statements such as “A person born before 01/01/1948 can claim Italian citizenship only from his/her father” have flooded official websites of Italian consulates.
Such misleading information has infiltrated minds worldwide, creating a false narrative about Italian citizenship.
Clearing the confusion:
– Regardless of gender, if you have one or more Italian ancestors in your direct lineage, you have the right to Italian citizenship.
– The application process varies depending on the birthdate of the child of the woman in question.
Situations to consider:
– Situation 1: If the woman gave birth to her descendant after January 1, 1948, you can obtain Italian citizenship by applying through your nearest Italian authority.
– Situation 2: If the birth occurred before this date, you must apply to the Rome Tribunal for your Italian citizenship.
Why the differentiation?
This harks back to an old Italian law which stated that a person could only be considered an Italian citizen if born to an Italian father. This changed with the establishment of the equal treatment principle on January 1, 1948.
In a landmark judgment in 2009 (judgment no. 4466/2009), the Italian Supreme Court reinforced this principle by forbidding gender discrimination in citizenship matters.
Unfortunately, several Italian consulates still don’t process “1948 cases”. As such, to enact the non-discrimination principle, you may need to submit an application to the Rome Tribunal.
Conclusion:
Being born to an Italian mother should never be seen as a barrier to claiming your Italian citizenship. This post is an invitation to challenge outdated assumptions and embrace the truth of your Italian lineage. In the eyes of the law, you are an Italian citizen by birthright, regardless of the gender of your Italian ancestor.
Your successful application:
It is important to note that your citizenship application’s success hinges on several conditions. You’ll need official documents confirming the birth of your Italian ancestor and each person in the direct lineage, irrespective of the number of generations.
Furthermore, your ancestor should not have given up their Italian citizenship when they acquired citizenship in their immigrant country.
Getting citizenship isn’t just about checking these boxes.
There are other crucial criteria to meet. That’s why you should have your case and official records reviewed by a specialist in Italian citizenship law.
At Smart Dual Citizenship, we’ve been helping people claim citizenship through lineage since 1999. We started as civil servants in municipalities and government immigration offices, and since 2007, we’ve been serving as legal practitioners.
We only take on cases with a high likelihood of success after careful review and possibly a few adjustments. By doing so, we have to refuse some cases and that may translate sometimes into lower profits for us in the short term. Many lawyers prefer to say yes to every new client even when their case is weak and their chances to succeed in court are very low. But our experience shows that our policy always pays in the long term. Our clients believe in our success and Courts do too. We have a 100% success rate to date!
Work with us!
We offer to review your paperwork for a nominal fee, which will be fully discounted from the court application charges if your case proceeds to court and your official records are suitable. This means that the initial fee effectively reduces to zero when we’re able to take your case to court.
Allow us to guide you on your path to Italian citizenship. Get in touch, and let’s go through your documents together.
