Italian passport

[dan1234]

Hi All,

I have just about to start the process of getting my Italian passport (through my grandfather who was an Italian citizen).
I would really appreciate if you could help me with a problem regarding my grandfather's birth certificate.

The first problem is that while in his birth certificate his name is Alberto in all the other documents (my parent's marriage certificate, etc) his name is Abraham – which supposes to be the Hebrew version of Alberto (the surname is the same).

The second problem is that in the birth certificate it is stated that his year of birth is 1928 while in all the other documents (my parent's marriage certificate, etc) it is 1926.

Apart from that everything else matches. In both the birth certificate and my parent's marriage certificate my grandfather's parent's names match as well as his place of birth.

I am just about to provide all the documents to the Italian Embassy and would really appreciate if you could tell me, based on your experience, whether the above problems will cause to that, that the Italian embassy will not accept the documents or that these kinds of problems are common.

Many thanks,

Dan

[italy50]

Dan, the birth certificate from Italy is correct. Of course I am assuming that when you ordered it, you may have known his parents names, in order to verify it`s correct. My best guess would be that you will have to have the marriage certificate amended. as for the name, you may have to ask the Consulate. Since it`s the same name in a different language, it may be accepted, but not sure

I had a descrepancy on my grandfather`s death certificate, which gave his age as 71, but he was 73. I had to have the death certificate amended to match the birth record. I had to send the birth cert, as proof of his age, and they corrected it

[italy50]

I was wondering if anyone has had any trouble with the Consulate in Chicago. I have been trying since December 15, to reach the Consular official, but get a recording and have left a message. I sent an email also with no reply. I sent an email to the Washington DC Italian Embassy, and no responce. I submitted my application in Feb 2005, and was told in Septemeber that a new Consular had taken over. He advised me that things got behind and it may take another 3-4 months. I gave the benefit of the doubt and waited till the Holidays were over, but still can`t get through. Any advice?

[dan1234]

Thanks a lot Italy50

[tbottegal]

italy50: Here's some info: Chicago Consulate

dan1234: More about correcting docs: Ammending Official Records

[Shanna1]

I have ran across a name problem myself. My grandfather's surname was originally Pedro. Sometime after 1945 when he returned from the war he couldn't get any work so he changed his last name to Petrella. I had always thought it was the other way around but my dad informed me last night it was not. Does any one have a similar problem or know how to work with this information on my search?
Thanks!

[italy50]

Shanna, you didn`t say whether your grandfather changed his name "legally" or simply used another name. Are you seeking Italian citizenship? Also, I am presuming your father was born as Petrella?

If your grandfather was born as pedro and changed it legally, than no problem, because you can simply find the name change document to support the difference in name.

However, if it wasn`t done legally, you will have to prove that Pedro and Petrella is the same person.

Also, if he was born in Italy, than his original name will be on his birth record, and so will his parents names. The other documents of support would be his marriage certificate, which of course would show his wife`s name, which would be on your father`s birth cert. His marriage certificate, would be of great imporatnce in this case, because it would show an unbroken link between your grandfather and your father

Anybody have any difference of opinion?

[Shanna1]

Great ideas... the only problem is when my grandfather was alive his house burnt and he lost most everything. I am not for sure if it was legally or not. I am not seeking citizenship but would really like to visit the place where my father's family resided.
Thank you for you tips. I need all the help I can get!

[italy50]

Shanna, not seeking citizenship? You may get the "Italian bug" if you visit your ancestors town in Italy. You may fall in love with the town, with Italy, and maybe with a man who lives there, and you can live happily ever after? You may want to consider getting italian citizenship, whether you move to Italy or not. You could travel easily throughout the European Union, and have many benefits of medical and education, free.

Anyway, I am assuming you have never been to Italy?

As for the house burning down, is a tragedy and a loss. sorry to hear it.

However, there is always a record of name changes in the town he lived in, if it was done legally.

Anyway, except for the name change document, I would start with getting his birth certificate from Italy, and his marriage cert, and go from there

[Shanna1]

LOL...
I know that if I visit Italy then I would be bitten, so to speak, by the "Italian Bug!"
It has been a life long dream of mine to visit my ancestors town. As far as the "happily ever after" - I am currently married with a little girl. If I moved to Italy that would make it a "happily ever after!"
How difficult is it obtain Italian Citizenship? I have never looked into citizenship because I figured you had to live in Italy.
Thanks for the information. I will work on this this weekend for sure!

[italy50]

You don`t have to live in Italy to have citizenship. You could live and work in the US or anywhere in the European Union for that matter, like France, Spain, London, or Sweden, or any of the 20 something member countries.

What is great, is that you could travel through all these countries and stay as long as you like with no visas, and have free medical and education for your daughter

Another aspect to consider is you would pass along Italian citizenship to your daughter, which is a gift in itself

It`s not difficult to obtain citizenship. It`s a process of acquiring the required documents, and then waiting for a reply. Since you are not necessarily in a hurry, you could start anytime. However, you never know if Italy may change their existing laws

What the heck, you`re entitled to it, so go for it. Myself and others can guide you through the process on here. There is a certain way to go about it, and simple "certifed copies" of birth certificates in the USA are not recognized in Italy. You would need all birth records in LONG FORM, because it has the CITY of birth, not just the county or state, which is what Italy wants

I wish you luck.

PS: That poor man that you never met in Italy, will be heartbroken now, when he learns you are already married

[Shanna1]

the laws will probably change at the rate of the world these days. That would be great. I think I will honestly look into the citizenship thing! Of course, it would also help if I spoke Italian!! LOL
A rather bold statement regarding the mystery man in Italy. For all you know, he might be blessed to have never met me!

[italy50]

Blessed for never having met you? LOL.. Very funny

You don`t have to speak Italian for the process, but it would help if you picked up a few words and phrases, to try and communicate for your trip to Italy.

If you have time in the evening or in your spare time, there is a "self taught" book on Italian. It`s a sort of workbook, that starts with the Italian Alphabet, pronunciation, and extends to learning how to say words and phrases, to writing letters. It includes "exercises" which show you a phrase in English, and the Italian translation, and vice versa. It`s called "Italian Made Simple" by Eugene Jackson and Joseph Lopreato. The book is excellent for you, and can be purchase through Amazon.com, or I suppose other sources as well

[khizersozay]

hey shanna1 .... are you by chance in west virginia?