Dual Citizenship

[mystictyger18]

A group of people and I were discussing dual citizenship a few months ago...a few of us believed that if your grandparents were born in another country you could file for dual citizenship...but there were certain setbacks...like not being able to join the military for either country...I havent seen anything about this since then though...does anyone know anything about it?

[ptimber]

Go to www.richw.org/dualcit and read about Dual citizenship and Unitedf States Laws. Peter

[DeliBoy]

The rules concerning dual nationality depend very much on the two nations concerned. There are no global rules.
I assume from your use of English that you are American, and from posting on this forum, that you are considering applying for Italian nationality.
You are wrong in your belief that having a nationality other than Italian is a bar to serving in the Italian armed forces. In fact, if you are a male Italian national below the age of 26 you must join the military for a period of 1 year. That is unless you can come up with one of a great many excuses not to, such as not being resident in Italy or being in full time education. I have heard this rule is about to change imminently which may be why so many top students are failing and having to re-take exams at the moment.
I don't know about the implications from the US side. Peter's link appears to be broken.
Consider your options carefully. Italy has an open and tolerant society. There are very few practical benefits conferred by having Italian nationality.

[ptimber]

Thank you for a cogent reply and for advising m about the broken link. Give your self a raise!. Peter

[mystictyger18]

yes I american...I was concidering applying for dual citizenship....but over the summer I visited Italy and realized it wouldnt be great to be a citizen of a place like that....so thank you for replying...your information was more useful than Peters link

[DeliBoy]

....but over the summer I visited Italy and realized it wouldnt be great to be a citizen of a place like that....

Am I the victim of a troll here? How can you say that? August has only just begun, so how can you have visited Italy over the summer?

Would I be correct in inferring that you did not completely enjoy your stay? At the risk of offending the inhabitants of any particular town, may I ask where you went? Regarless of where you went, I can confidently say that not all of Italy is like that. The villages are very different from the cities, the North very different from the South.

I would be genuinely interested to know what you found so unappealing.

[mystictyger18]

well I suppose I cant admit to seeing all of Italy...I flew into rome...stayed there a bit...took a train to florence...stayed there...then took a train to venice...none of what I saw there seemed better than the united states in anyway...I dont mean to offend anyone who lives there...Im just saying its not for me...Im used to new york...from venice I flew into Catania on Sicily...drove to Palazzo...and took the hydrofoil to Lipari...Sicily and the Aeolian Islands were nice...but Im just saying I would not like to live there

[raymo]

Just for the record, with regard to age for military service if you become an Italian citizen...I just received the hard-copy instructions & requirements from teh Italian Consulate in Miami, Florida.

You can be called for military service until you are 45 y/o, not the 26 that is quoted above. Something to consider if you are seeking to reclaim your ancestor's Italian citizenship.

[antonio45]

I have a friend who has lived in sicily all his life. Now according to him if you have documentation of grandparents being form that area they will automatically give you permit residence and work status. But I would not just take his work for it. You can check it out through the counsulants office.

[ptimber]

When all is said and done consult with an attorney at www.pincilaw.com about all this and get a definitive answer to your questions. My first reaction to mystictyger 18 on her trip to Italy was that she did not meet the heartthrob she was looking for in Italy. Peter