Why We're Moving to Italy: Our Italian Citizenship Journey Begins

The websites that promise to walk you through Italian dual citizenship make it sound straightforward: gather your documents, submit them, wait for approval. And yes, that's the extremely condensed version of what has to happen but the reality is so much more complicated, and nobody warns you about that part.

Step one: Find your people

As Mr. Rogers would say, look for the helpers. In this case, that means finding the person, firm, or organization that's going to guide you through one of the more bureaucratically complex processes you'll ever attempt.

I did what anyone would do, I turned to Google. "How do I get Italian dual citizenship?" "Who helps Americans apply for Italian citizenship?" "What documents do I need?" The search results will surface two main types of help: US-based companies that work with attorneys in Italy, and Italian law firms you work with directly. The US-based companies tend to be more expensive but can answer questions faster given the time zone. I ultimately chose an Italian law firm, specifically because they had offices worldwide, strong Google reviews from Americans going through the exact same process, and they responded to my inquiry within two hours with a real, human reply. That last part mattered more than I expected.

One thing that doesn't get mentioned enough: all of this costs money. There's a retainer, ongoing legal fees, and government costs along the way. Budget for it.

Also worth knowing before you go too far down this road there is no guarantee of success. If you're serious about moving to Italy regardless of the citizenship outcome, have a backup plan. A retirement visa, a digital nomad visa, or an investor visa are all paths worth understanding ahead of time.

Does your lineage actually qualify?

This is where it gets complicated, and I can only speak to Italy specifically every country has its own rules.

The key question is whether your Italian ancestor renounced their Italian citizenship before or after the next generation was born. If they renounced after a child was born, Italy generally still considers that child an Italian citizen and by extension, their descendants may have the right to claim citizenship too.

Here's how it worked in our family: My great-grandfather Giuseppe came to the United States in 1920. Rosa followed in 1921 with their first two children. Giuseppe renounced his Italian citizenship before my grandmother Palma was born in 1922. Rosa, however, did not apply for American citizenship until 1950 well after both my grandmother (born 1922) and my mother (born 1944) came into the world.

That timing is everything. Because Rosa was still an Italian citizen when my grandmother and mother were born, the Italian government considers both of them to have been Italian citizens at birth. That's the thread that gives me the right to petition for my own citizenship.

The next step: gather the documents. And that is a whole post of its own.