Italian Dual Citizenship – Is it worth it? | Page 3
Next, all of the documents, apostilles, translations, required forms and payments were sent to my attorney who in turn submitted all the paperwork to the local Italian consulate in Los Angeles. Again, my patience was being tested by the length of time required for processing. Finally, several months later, the consulate notified me that I was approved. I was now a dual citizen of the USA and Italy. Finally!
One last step to go and then it was all official. I now had to apply to get an Italian Passport. More paperwork needed to be filled out, photos needed to be taken, more money needed and more time to process. Since I fell under the jurisdiction of the Italian Consulate of Los Angeles, I first had to register my address with the consulate. Once I was given official approval that I was recognized as an Italian citizen by the local consulate, I was then able to go on to the consulate’s website and book an appointment date to obtain my Italian passport in person in Los Angeles. The first appointment was three months away. I grabbed the date, made my appointment on-line and arranged a trip to Los Angeles to receive my Italian Passport. I was done! Bear in mind the process of passport renewal needs to be repeated every 10 years. Actually, there are no renewals. You have to get a brand new passport every 10 years as if it was your first passport. If you move from one state to another, you have to re-register with the Italian Consulate that holds jurisdiction in your state. This is very important. As a citizen, it is your right to vote in Italian elections and you will be sent election material for all elections. In any case, you must book your appointment through the consulates through their websites. Depending on the workload of the local consulate, it could take months to get an appointment. In my case, my Italian passport has expired and due to the current Covid situation, I have made several appointments for renewal but had to cancel due to current conditions. I currently have an appointment at the end of January and hopefully, I will be able to keep it. You must appear in person at your consulate to have your passport renewed each time.
The entire process took a little under one year and cost between $5,000-$6,000.
In summary, only you can decide if you reap the benefits of Jure Sanguinis. The process is time consuming, expensive and a real test of your patience. Yes, it is something nice to have and pass on to your future generations. I am glad I did it. However, due to my current life situations, I don’t know if I will ever own property in Italy. I don’t know if I will have the opportunity of a lengthy stay in Italy in excess of three months. I would love to experience life “Under the Tuscan Sun” but who knows what life brings? Will I work in Italy and receive a pension? At this stage of my life, I doubt it. Do I use the immigration express lanes at Italian airports designated for EU citizens upon arrival in Italy? Just once. I was able to quickly claim our luggage while I waited for my spouse who was on the non-EU citizen line.
If you are eligible for Jure Sanguinis, please give this right of yours a lot of thought. If your own circumstances allow you to take advantage of these benefits, then go for it. I personally don’t regret it. I did discover a lot of unknown history about my ancestors while going through the process, which was all fascinating to me. I was amazed to find out my grandfather came to this country with only a few dollars in his pocket. I discovered with whom he travelled on his journey to a new life, where he stayed upon his arrival and what he did to make a living. I hope your search will allow you to discover interesting information about your family as well. Investigate websites of these companies offering their services to help you obtain Jure Sanguinis. Call and ask questions. Investigate immigration attorneys and compare costs. Watch YouTube videos of those going through the experience. There is a wealth of information to be found online. If you want this badly enough, you will see it through. After all, is completed and you obtain your dual citizenship, I highly suggest you take a trip to the home of your ancestors. Walking down the same streets your ancestors once did is a once in a lifetime experience. Seeing a street sign with your name on it is shocking. It is literally the experience of a lifetime. Buona Fortuna!
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