Differences in name = big problem?

[aruffalo]

Hello all! I have recently sent a letter to Italy requesting documents regarding my gggrandfather, but I am a bit concerned about something and was hoping that people might be able to share what their experiences have been.

Basically, my gggrandfather's family surname in Italy was Ruffolo but somewhere along the way (most likely when arriving at Ellis Island) the last name was change to Ruffalo and was never changed back.

My question is, will this be an issue when I submit documents to the consulate for dual citizenship?? All of the dates, birth location, family lineage, etc. etc. all match up except for the slight change in surname, but I'm afraid to go through the entire process to have them refuse my request because of the name difference.

Any advice or experience with a situation like this would be greatly appreciated!

[johnnyonthespot]

Basically, my gggrandfather's family surname in Italy was Ruffolo but somewhere along the way (most likely when arriving at Ellis Island) the last name was change to Ruffalo and was never changed back.

Each consulate handles these situations differently; where will you be applying?

You are in luck in the sense that Ruffolo appears to be a common nmae throughout modern Italy whereas Ruffalo is non-existent (see here).

I can tell you that, two years ago when the NYC consulate was more lenient than it seems to be now, they were most adamant in cases where the changed spelling resulted in an equally valid Italian name.

[aruffalo]

Johnny, thank you for that link, that is pretty interesting and a little reassuring that there may not be a big problem.

I will be working with the Los Angeles consulate. I would try to call and ask, but whenever I have in the past, it has been a gentleman, although very nice, I am not sure he understood my questions, and unfortunately, I only speak a teeny tiny bit of Italian. So, I thought I would try and ask here first.

Do people know how "stickler" the LA consulate is?

[PeterTimber]

sometimes a typo goes by easily so why ask just submit and if they make a big deal out of it then fix it and if you do bring it to their attention and they make a big deal out of it then you will also have to fix it. So have your pick. =Peter=

[aruffalo]

Thanks Peter, but that is actually what I am trying to avoid. I would hate to go through all of the work and money it will take to get all the documents gathered just for them to tell me that I have to change the name on the Italian documents (which would seem like an impossible task) or to change ALL of the U.S. documents (which I absolutely refuse to do for many reasons).

I suppose my only option might be to just do it and make sure that I am prepared with as much evidence as possible that it is him if they do notice or have issue with it.

[VaDeb]

From everything I have read, changing the Italian documents will not be an option. They are correct and that is the basis of your claim for Italian citizenship.

If there is a problem, it is the USA documents that will have to be changed to agree with the Italian document.

Debbie

[PeterTimber]

Debbie what I think he is talking about is trying to reconcile the American documents with the Italian documents and not the other way around. I agree with you about this. I also agree with the position he is taking and perhaps it will all work out to his advantage. =Peter=

[aruffalo]

Thank you all for your advice! I actually was able to get an email address for the dual citizenship department and they sent me an email back saying it wasn't a big deal. Fingers crossed that they'll still feel that way when I go to my appointment

[Rodio]

Aruffalo:

I sucessfully filed in LA this past Sept. My surname has an extra letter compared to my GGF and GF. The consulate accepted my app without correction as my ancestors are deceased, and that the change was small. Hope this helps. Buona fortuna!