Argentines who have Italian ancestors can accessItalian citizenship by meeting certain requirements. But it is very common that when you start to find out in the family nucleus for the documents of that grandfather or great-grandfather to start the process they find limited information or directly with no registration of their birth in Europe.
Given this situation, the possibility of processing dual citizenship should not be immediately ruled out because there are different paths, which will involve more or less expenses and time, to obtain these registrations.
According to experts on the subject, if the Italian ancestor existed, it undoubtedly has to be registered in some document in Italy, and if it cannot be proven in some other way.
Because of the war or floods in Italy, the birth certificate of the Italian grandfather or great-grandfather may have been lost. Photo: Archive
Who can become an Italian citizen?
Living on Italian soil for more than 10 years, for family reasons, political asylum or "iure sanguinis", that is, blood ties, means that all descendants of those born on Italian soil can apply for recognition of citizenship of the European country. Whether you are a grandparent or great-grandparent, you can be recognized as long as you document that you are a direct descendant.
There is no generational limit that prevents applying for recognition of Italian citizenship. That is, it can also be obtained by a great-great-grandfather or ancestor even more distant.
What documents must be submitted and where is the procedure done?
Applications for citizenship must be made in the place where you reside. For example, at the Italian consulate of any country in the world where you live.
The procedure is free and can be done by anyone without intermediaries.
It is necessary to present in a folder the birth, marriage and death certificates of both our ancestor and each one until reaching the applicant for citizenship. Without them, the process cannot be initiated. In addition, the certificate of non-naturalization of the Italian relative must be presented (Find out how to do it in the following link).
If the Italian ancestor existed, it must be recorded in some document in Italy. Photo: Archive
What to do if there is no record of your grandparent's or great-grandparent's birth certificate?
In many cases there is no precise information about the relative born in Italy and it is difficult to find the necessary items. But it is important to know that yes or yes the certificates must be presented to start the process, especially the birth of the Italian ancestor.
It could happen that the documents were lost in the middle of war or climate disasters. They may have burned in a fire or disappeared in floods. In these cases, what can be done is the reconstruction of the record.
It is a procedure that is done to prove that the birth certificate existed at some point. As explained by Eliana Diehl, CEO of ArgentApp, a platform that helps put together a plan to move to Europe: "this task is in charge of the Italian commune or municipality where the act was located."
But for this it will be essential to have the data of the place in Italy where the relative was born. Here are some possible options for obtaining this information:
tag. Talking to older family members and taking the time to ask questions and talk with them can be very productive in gathering information.
Getting agendas, photos of past eras, intimate diaries, letters and personal documents, can also serve as triggers to obtain key data about the date and place of birth.
tag. Local records. It could be consulted in police registers (where the Italian made his driving licence), electoral registers (if he voted), mortgage/property registers, civil registers, registers of Italian Associations, union registers, labour registers or registers in cemeteries.
tag. Disembarkation records of Italian immigrants. Another very valuable source is the landing records of Italian immigrants, especially the lists that the captains of the ships delivered to the ports of arrival.
In the Museum of Immigration there is information available that contemplates the period from 1882 to 1950, and has a database developed by the Center for Latin American Migration Studies. There you can access very valuable information about the Italian ancestor who arrived at the port of Buenos Aires.
Museum of Immigration contact information: (011) 4317-0285. Av. Antártida Argentina S/N, 1104 CABA. By mail: museodelainmigracion@migraciones.gob.ar.
The birth certificate of the Italian ancestor must be presented to start the process to obtain dual citizenship. Photo: Archive
How to ask for the reconstruction of the birth certificate of the Italian grandfather or great-grandfather?
Having the data on the date of birth, or at least the year and place of origin, will help to know which Italian commune or municipality to contact to request the reconstruction of the birth certificate of the Italian ancestor. Here is the complete list.
Diehl explained that the request for the certificate must be sent by mail through a model letter that you can access by clicking here. And also add scanned copies of other records that have been obtained from the person, for example, marriage and / or death, to corroborate the data and verify that that person exists or existed.
With these documents, the record is reconstructed and a receipt must be sent that will serve to initiate the process of recognition of citizenship.
LN
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