My sons fathers birth certificate

[Lapizzo88]

I want to get my Italian citizenship, I have all birth certificates, marriage, death etc of my relatives for myself.

I would like to get the citizenship for my son (8 years old) as well but I am unable to obtain his father's birth certificate. His father is estranged from us, we have no contact, and there is no possible way he will aid in retaining this. We are divorced, and I have sole custody, which I have court documents to support. His father is American and me and my son live in Canada (we are both Canadian citizens) . Will I be able to prove that I am unable to retain his father's birth certificate? Or is there a way for me to obtain it for my son? Thanks.

[mler]

You will need to add your marriage certificate and your divorce papers to your citizenship documents and include your minor son in your own citizenship application. The consulate will ask for your ex-husband's birth certificate as well, but if this is impossible to obtain, the consulate may overlook it. Your ex-husband's information is included on both the marriage and divorce documents and also on your son's birth certificate. Since the Italian line is through you, the father's bc becomes less critical. Explain that you have no contact with your child's father; it may be all you need do.

However, if you want to obtain a passport for your young son, you may have to wait until he is 18. Italy does not require permission from both parents to recognize the citizenship to which a minor child is entitled, but it does require parental permission before issuing a passport. I don't know if there are exceptions in "sole custody" situations, but your consulate can advise you.