Dual Citizenship?

[DANN]

Hi all, just a quick question...

Would I be entitled to dual-Italian-citizenship when both my paternal grand-parents (and their parents, and grandparents) and my maternal grandmother all were born in and lived in Italy until they moved to England, where my parents were born in the late 50s?

All the Italian laws I have read confuse me greatly, so any response would be very appreciated.

Kind regards,
Dan

[ricbru]

You are entitled to get dual citizienship if your grandfather never got the UK citizienship, or got it after your father was born,
bye Riccardo

[nuccia]

delete

[DANN]

Thanks Riccardo,
so if my grandfather did get a dual citizenship before my father's birth is there absolutely NO chance?

[ricbru]

if your grandfather got the UK citizienship before your father was born there is nothing to do at all

http://www.italiamerica.org/id71.htm

Contact an Italian consolate or embassy

bye Riccardo

[DeliBoy]

Dann,

Here is a link to the Italian Consulate General in London with address and phone number.

Before you phone them, as Ricardo has said, you need to establish if your gradfather ever did renounce his Italian citizenship, and if he did whether he did it before or after you father was born.

From the dates given and your name, I presume you are a male younger than 26? If so, there may be an issue with military service. I think that it will become optional after 1 Jan 2007, or if you were born after 1 Jan 1986. The consulate will be able to give a definitive up to date answer, don't take my word for it.

The dates I just gave came from this website which outlines a few of the benefits and obligations of having Italian citizenship. Remember that as an E.U. citizen, you have most of these benefits anyway.

Perhaps an interesting thread for discussion might be whether people should rather than could claim Italian citizenship.

[mler]

Dann,

If your grandfather naturalized in the UK before your father was born, he renounced his Italian citizenship and could not pass it to your father. Dual citizenship was not permitted until 1992.

However, as a citizen of the EU, you technically don't need Italian citizenship to live and work in Italy. So this may be your best bet.

[DeliBoy]

Dual citizenship was not permitted until 1992.

mler, What do you mean by this? Which nation do you think would have prevented Dann's father from holding dual British and Italian citizenship?

Unless Dann's grandfather had renounced his Italian citizenship before Dann's father was born, Dann's grandfather would have passed his Italian citizenship onto Dann's father by virtue of being the son of an Italian. Also, assuming Dann's father was born in the UK before the British Nationality Act 1981 came into force on 1 Jan 1983, he would have become a British citizen at birth.

It is therefore quite possible that both Dann's father and Dann have dual nationality.

[mler]

Deliboy,

Dann's father would not have Italian citizenship if his father naturalized before he was born. If he naturalized after Dann's father's birth, there would be no problem, because technically he could pass his "citizenship" to his son.

As far as dual citizenship is concerned, technically both Dann and Dann's father would have it in the second example; but this could not be claimed by either before 1992 when Italy permitted it. I am, of course, assuming that this policy is the same as that which applies to Canada and the U.S.

I was referring to Dann's question about the possibility of his grandfather's having dual citizenship. It's simply a question of symantics.