Dual Citizenship

[jchiarenza]

My father, now deceased, was born in the US. My paternal grandparents were born in Italy and came to the US in the early 1900's. Is it possible for me to obtain Italian Citizenship? My plan is to purchase property in Italy within the next 2 years and relocate permanently in about 5 years.

Thank you.

[Mulé]

Did your paternal gp naturalize before your father was born?

[johnnyonthespot]

Expanding on Mulé's comment, the lineage you describe is common and, in fact, is the same as mine was when I applied for and was recognized as an Italian citizen.

The most important question facing you is did your grandfather become a naturalized US citizen and, if so, did he do so after your father was born. This would be the ideal situation as it is relatively easy to prove and keeps the consulates happy.

If your grandfather naturalized *before* your father's birth, then the bloodline has been "broken" and you would have to find another route to citizenship. There are options, especially if you are willing to actually live in Italy for an extended period of time.

If your grandfather never naturalized, you have to convince the consulate of this fact. As you can see from other threads on this site, providing sufficient proof is a large task.

[PeterTimber]

Johnnie even if the grandfather returned to his town of origin in Italy and died there after his US born children returned to the USA ? =Peter=

[johnnyonthespot]

Johnnie even if the grandfather returned to his town of origin in Italy and died there after his US born children returned to the USA ? =Peter=

Peter, I am not sure where that question came from (did I miss something?), but the general rule is that (in this case) the grandfather must have been an Italian citizen at the time of the father's birth.

If the grandfather regained citizenship under rules which have only come into place since 1992 (I believe), then if the child (the poster's father) was still a minor at that time, he would have gained citizenship as well. It is my impression that these facts do not apply in the case being discussed.

[mler]

I agree with Johnny, and since the grandparents came to the U.S. it is likely that the 1948 rule will apply. The grandfather's status is important.

[jchiarenza]

Thank you all for this information. I will have to check on whether or not my grandfather was naturalized -- I do not believe he (or my gm) was, but finding that documentation will be difficult to track down. Would immigration have this information?

[Mulé]

Yup, search for the threads on requesting information from the USCIS. There is a genealogy program link that you can issue a search from.
uscis.gov