Question about qualifying for Italian Citizenship

Over 25 million Italians have emigrated between 1861 and 1960 with a migration boom between 1871 and 1915 when over 13,5 million emigrants left the country for European and overseas destinations.
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JStone1
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Joined: 19 Nov 2018, 23:03

Question about qualifying for Italian Citizenship

Post by JStone1 »

Hello, I have a tricky question here. I was wondering if I would qualify for Italian citizenship by ancestry decent.

Here is the background. My grandfather was born in Gamberale, Italy in 1931. His father (my great-grandfather), was working in the United States at the time and sending money back to his family. Because of this, my grandfather was somehow a US citizen. My grandfather emigrated to the United States in 1945 to escape the Germans during WW2. When he came to the US, he was already a US citizen.

Here is what I'm wondering: since my grandfather was born on Italian soil in 1931, that would have to mean that he was an Italian citizen, as well as a US citizen. Would I qualify to acquire an Italian citizenship in this case?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I'd be happy to answer any more questions.
jennabet
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Joined: 14 Jul 2010, 20:28
Location: Ancestral Homeland - Abruzzo Italy

Re: Question about qualifying for Italian Citizenship

Post by jennabet »

It sounds like while your great-grandfather was working in the USA, he became a naturalized US citizen. If his son (your grand-father) was a minor at that time, the actions of the father affected the minor son and your grand-father was naturalized at the same time. This means he lost his Italian citizenship and it did not matter that he was still in Italy. So your grand-father did not have dual citizenship. He was an American citizen only and you are not qualified to acquire Italian citizenship.
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