Italian citizenship

[andresignacio]

Hi, I am actually living in the UK and I'm looking for informaiton about my great grand father who was born in Nervi, Genova. They came to Argentina in the 19th century and settled in Buenos Aires. His name was Luigi Carbone. I need to get his birth certificate as its the only document missing to start the italian citizenship application. If anyone can help, I would appreciate it, A LOT! Thanks!

[ricbru]

Hello,
you should give us more infos like date and place of birth, ship of arrival, age at arrival, name of spouse, etc.
bye ricbru

[andresignacio]

Hi, thank you very much for your quick reply. The only details that I've got are: date of birth (aprox): 1856-1858. His parents' name are Benito Carbone and Teresa Sesniego. Cheers. And once more thank you.

[andresignacio]

Hi, thank you very much for your quick reply. The only details that I've got are: date of birth (aprox): 1856-1858. He was born in Nervi, provincia di Genova. His parents' name are Benito Carbone and Teresa Sesniego. Cheers. And once more thank you.

[ricbru]

Hello
contact Genova civil record office

Ufficio certificazioni di stato civile
corso Torino 11
16100 Genova
Italy

bye ricbru

[brujaojos]

Hi, I am actually living in the UK and I'm looking for informaiton about my great grand father who was born in Nervi, Genova. They came to Argentina in the 19th century and settled in Buenos Aires. His name was Luigi Carbone. I need to get his birth certificate as its the only document missing to start the italian citizenship application. If anyone can help, I would appreciate it, A LOT! Thanks!

Hi There,

I'm not sure if the UK uses the same format as the USA does for dual citizenship. If it does, you will need to get Luigi Carbone's Birth Act directly from the town itself. (Some Consulates will not accept microfilm copies. You'll need an original document.) So with the address that Ricbru gave you, write to the town requesting the document.

Here is a link that will help you translate your letter.
http://www.circolocalabrese.org/resourc ... civile.asp

I hope this helps,
Trish

[john_dominic]

For everyone:

I have to ask you guys who guys who have done it.

How long did it take to get processed?

I gave my documents to the consulate (with a full meeting and verification, twice) roughly six months ago, and they said it would take six months, but it's really getting tedious.

Mind you, it wasn't only me, but my entire immediate family who I got the citizenship for.

I hope this isn't going to take years.

It's already taken years, alone, to get the documents gathered, corrected (as much as possible), and certified.

Thanks

-J

[brujaojos]

For everyone:

I have to ask you guys who guys who have done it.

How long did it take to get processed?

I gave my documents to the consulate (with a full meeting and verification, twice) roughly six months ago, and they said it would take six months, but it's really getting tedious.

Mind you, it wasn't only me, but my entire immediate family who I got the citizenship for.

I hope this isn't going to take years.

It's already taken years, alone, to get the documents gathered, corrected (as much as possible), and certified.

Thanks

-J

Hi J,

I know of a few people that have gone through the process. One gentleman submitted his papers in December and still hasn't heard a word.

This is a great link for everyone to read that might be interested in trying to obtain dual citizenship.

http://www.italiamerica.org/id71.htm#8

There are pros and cons.

An example would be a big con for my family is my son's age.

Q. Will I have military obligations to Italy?

A. On May 8, 2001, the Italian government passed a law (Art. 7 del D. Lgs. 8 maggio 2001 n. 215) making military service completely voluntary as of January 1, 2007. Females do not have any military obligations, nor does any male born on or after January 1, 1986. If you have already served in the US military or you are forty-five years or older, you do not have to serve in the Italian military. If you are twenty-seven or older and younger than forty-five, you can avoid military service by filling out some paperwork. If you are a male born between 1976 and December 31, 1985 and you want to live in Italy, in theory you are obliged to complete your military service unless you are enrolled in a university. Work exemptions also exist for those who meet certain qualifications (e.g. independent business-owners or members of a family business). We feel that, in reality, LEVA (the bureau regulating mandatory military service) is slowly winding down and is no longer tracking newly-recognized male Italian citizens for military service. Nonetheless, if you were born between 1976 and December 31, 1985 and you want to live in Italy, We strongly recommend you contact the LEVA office of the area in Italy in which you are planning to live for more information.

Trish

[pascalena]

The San Francisco Consulate tells us that it could take up to two years to receive your Italian Citizenship after the paper work is cleared!

[italy50]

hello, I believe I can give some information to those who want Italian citizenship. First, I have applied for citizenship based upon my father and grandfather. I started gathering documents in September, 2003, and the most important seemed to take the longest time, which was the Immigration records from the Department of Homeland Security. However, I finshed the gathering process by June 2, 2004, and sent the documents with apostilles to the Consulate in Chicago. At that time, i was told that it would take 6 months to process. As of December, almost 6 months to the day, I received my documents back, with a letter saying it was incomplete, and the necessary steps I needed to take to 'correct', and resubmit. I resubmitted the documents in February, 2005, and as of August I called hoping to obtain some sort of status. I was told that the person who was in charge of the Citizenship processing had been moved to another office, and the 'new' person had just arrived nd had a backlog of months. I spoke briefly with him, and he could give no date, only to promise me he would get to it as quickly as possible. My consulate is the most strict, which is in Chicago. the other strict one is in Miami. It is important for everyone to realize that every Consulate is different, with respect to the requirements. New York City, and Philadelphia are probably the most lenient. Some consulates require just the "Paternal" side, while others require the "maternal" side as well. Also, let me add that when trying to get a birth certificate from Italy, please be advised that you CANNOT obtain a birth record from your ancestors birth place, if your ancestor was born before 1865. All birth records before 1865 are in the Archives of the 'province' in which your ancestor was born. Italy does not issue birth certificates, but an "Estratto di Nascita", which is simply an extraction of the pertinent information. The Estratto is usually filled in by "hand print" and stamped at the bottom with a sort of blue or purple color stamp. the margin of error is "zero". Sorry for typing so much, but just trying to help. By the way, it may interest you to know that there are literally thousands of Italian Americans looking to leave the US, since 2002, and the number is rising. Perhaps this is the cause of the delays.

[john_dominic]

hello, I believe I can give some information to those who want Italian citizenship. First, I have applied for citizenship based upon my father and grandfather. I started gathering documents in September, 2003, and the most important seemed to take the longest time, which was the Immigration records from the Department of Homeland Security. However, I finshed the gathering process by June 2, 2004, and sent the documents with apostilles to the Consulate in Chicago. At that time, i was told that it would take 6 months to process. As of December, almost 6 months to the day, I received my documents back, with a letter saying it was incomplete, and the necessary steps I needed to take to 'correct', and resubmit. I resubmitted the documents in February, 2005, and as of August I called hoping to obtain some sort of status. I was told that the person who was in charge of the Citizenship processing had been moved to another office, and the 'new' person had just arrived nd had a backlog of months. I spoke briefly with him, and he could give no date, only to promise me he would get to it as quickly as possible. My consulate is the most strict, which is in Chicago. the other strict one is in Miami. It is important for everyone to realize that every Consulate is different, with respect to the requirements. New York City, and Philadelphia are probably the most lenient. Some consulates require just the "Paternal" side, while others require the "maternal" side as well. Also, let me add that when trying to get a birth certificate from Italy, please be advised that you CANNOT obtain a birth record from your ancestors birth place, if your ancestor was born before 1865. All birth records before 1865 are in the Archives of the 'province' in which your ancestor was born. Italy does not issue birth certificates, but an "Estratto di Nascita", which is simply an extraction of the pertinent information. The Estratto is usually filled in by "hand print" and stamped at the bottom with a sort of blue or purple color stamp. the margin of error is "zero". Sorry for typing so much, but just trying to help. By the way, it may interest you to know that there are literally thousands of Italian Americans looking to leave the US, since 2002, and the number is rising. Perhaps this is the cause of the delays.

Son of a bitch.

Thanks for posting this.

I sent my documents in this February in the same Chicago office and did not know the consular officer left.

It's been about seven months now, and given that a new person is doing it, that would explain what the hell is going on.

I was strict as hell, with all documents corrected to the most finite date, birth, and name, with apostilles and seals from EVERYONE.

The consular officer (prior one) actually complemented me on the research, since it was as good (or better) than most legal firms do.

I'm going to call them this monday.

[italy50]

John Dominic, please reconsider calling the Consulate on Monday with the intention of telling them off. It could cause you more aggravation and possibly cause them to take 'longer'. I am just as aggravated as you are, believe me. Anyway, if you do call them, act as though you dont know what happened, and see what they tell you. Although, I was upset because I am anxious to move abroad, I figure that they have the 'upper hand', and can cause me more delay if I start shouting. In the meantime, if you should obtain any valuable info, perhaps you will share it with me on here.

Also, I am curious if you wish to move abroad or just to have the 'Dual citizenship status'. However, i am glad that I managed to tell you what happened.
Angelo

[john_dominic]

John Dominic, please reconsider calling the Consulate on Monday with the intention of telling them off. It could cause you more aggravation and possibly cause them to take 'longer'. I am just as aggravated as you are, believe me. Anyway, if you do call them, act as though you dont know what happened, and see what they tell you. Although, I was upset because I am anxious to move abroad, I figure that they have the 'upper hand', and can cause me more delay if I start shouting. In the meantime, if you should obtain any valuable info, perhaps you will share it with me on here.

Also, I am curious if you wish to move abroad or just to have the 'Dual citizenship status'. However, i am glad that I managed to tell you what happened.
Angelo

First off, since I sound aggravated here (which I am) don't think i'd be that way around them. I've been walking on eggshells throughout the whole process, even bringing my mother along, giving some cookies, etc to "smooth things over." Believe me, i'm not going to make a stink about it. It was just hitting the 7th month, and I wasn't sure if I was going to wait until the 8th (just to be sure) but now I see reason to make sure it doesn't fall by the wayside.

As for living abroad - i've done that before, both in college and on a specific, extraordinarily limited work permit (6 months at the time, although they currently do it for a year).

It's a rather complex thing for me at the point, since my original plan WAS to move back to England, and then see about the rest of Europe. But, the process (especially getting so many damn documents corrected) took such an incredibly long time that I actually have a pretty decent job now and social network. And, of course my family is still (for the most part) in the area.

Do I want to give that up for what I like over there?

That's the question.

Let me just say that i've got a plan if or when I choose to go back. Even my career is fully transferrable to Europe without additional licenses / certifications / etc. I'm 29 at this point, and I see this as a pivotal point in my life - where I chose the "design" of my adult life. I'm still torn whether I want to live a life going back and forth across the Atlantic, or just over there.

I guess by living a very unconvential life, and as a result of not following the suburban or urban molds, it seems that I've got so many avenues to choose from that it's driving me crazy.

We'll see.

[italy50]

well, you are younger than I am, and you have many years left to make important decisions that will affect your life. As for your "social" life, only you can say what suits you, or if you can have a 'better' life in Italy. You did say that your "original" thoughts were to go to England, and perhaps you would have traveled throughout Europe. With Italian citizenship, you could easily do that without much restriction. In my case, I would not go through so much pain and aggravation in the research, ordering of documents, apostilles, and translations, if I wasnt certain of my intentions or to have second thoughts. For my circumstances, there is nothing to hold me in the US. Both my parents are gone now, and have two brothers left, who are also contemplating moving abroad. I would personally not stay for the sake of employment, although I can understand making good wages and having prestige in a company. These are personal issues for each of us to consider. regardless of what you choose, I wish you well. Anyway, even if you choose to stay in the US, you can still get your Dual citizenship, and use it to your advantage for travel, etc. For me, I see only Italy, and want to travel on the same path as my ancestors across the ocean, and if possible to land in Italy on or about the same month and day, as my ancestors arrival at Ellis Island

[john_dominic]

well, you are younger than I am, and you have many years left to make important decisions that will affect your life. As for your "social" life, only you can say what suits you, or if you can have a 'better' life in Italy. You did say that your "original" thoughts were to go to England, and perhaps you would have traveled throughout Europe. With Italian citizenship, you could easily do that without much restriction. In my case, I would not go through so much pain and aggravation in the research, ordering of documents, apostilles, and translations, if I wasnt certain of my intentions or to have second thoughts. For my circumstances, there is nothing to hold me in the US. Both my parents are gone now, and have two brothers left, who are also contemplating moving abroad. I would personally not stay for the sake of employment, although I can understand making good wages and having prestige in a company. These are personal issues for each of us to consider. regardless of what you choose, I wish you well. Anyway, even if you choose to stay in the US, you can still get your Dual citizenship, and use it to your advantage for travel, etc. For me, I see only Italy, and want to travel on the same path as my ancestors across the ocean, and if possible to land in Italy on or about the same month and day, as my ancestors arrival at Ellis Island

Well, a huge caviat for me is that i'm not fluent in Italian.

I've been there twice, to quite a few places, including where my family is from, and I do see myself (likely) when i'm older, and more "settled down" being there, since there's something more natural about society there, versus our rat race. People actually go outside and talk to each other instead of being boxed up in front of our TVs and computers as we are doing right now. Families aren't distant from each other. People are more laid back and actually "live life." I can go on and on with it.

But, even being there 2 1/2 weeks ago - it became abundently clear that i'm going to have to be completely fluent for any sort of dialogue / social integration and general happiness there. People just aren't that strong in English, so it would be an incredible rough (and lonely) time for me in the years it would take to get it well enough for people to interact with me.

I did not meet a single person who would carry a conversation with me who wasn't from an English speaking country and on vacation. I know what would happen if I jumped ship tomorrow, and it would be incredibly hard.

So, i've got time, yes - and inevitably I may be there, but, I do want to get the language down very, very strong before I even consider it.

Let me ask you - are you fluent and what do you think about what I say about it?