Want to apply for Italian citizenship? How to trace your Italian ancestors

Oct 02, 2024

Want to apply for Italian citizenship? How to trace your Italian ancestors

With more than 80 million individuals around the world potentially eligible for Italian citizenship, Italy stands out as a nation deeply linked to international emigration.  This strong connection to Italian heritage presents a great opportunity for many to rediscover their roots and potentially to obtain citizenship.

Where to find information about your ancestors

To start your genealogical exploration, numerous resources can help you in tracing your Italian lineage, among them Ancestors Portal (cultura.gov.it), Archivi e Alberi Genealogici Gratuiti (familysearch.org), Ancestry® | Genealogia, alberi genealogici e documenti di storia della famiglia.

If you have an ancestor from the Trentino region, you can find valuable information in the online database provided by the Trentino regional government at NATI TRENTINO with all data about the individuals born in the territory from the year 1815 to 1923. The database contains the names of more than 1,300,000 persons (20,951 family names)

To assist individuals with Italian ancestry in tracing their family histories, the Italian government has recently launched a project called ITALEA . The website offers a genealogy consultation to find out information about your family of origin.

And abroad

In U.S.A., information about immigrants can be found in Immigration Records | National Archives while for those who have ancestors emigrated to UK, a useful website where you can obtain information for free is Immigration and immigrants – The National Archives. In Australia, you can consult Immigration and citizenship | naa.gov.au , in Canada Immigration records (canada.ca), in Brasil Consultar registros de entrada de estrangeiros do acervo do Arquivo Nacional (www.gov.br) and in Argentina CEMLA – Centro de Estudios Migratorios Latinoamericanos.

Pathways to Italian citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis)

Any child born to an Italian parent is also an Italian citizen, no matter where the child is born.  If you have an ancestor who was born in Italy, you might qualify for citizenship, considering several factors, including the birth dates and places of your parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents, also noting that none of your ancestors should have renounced their Italian citizenship.

Is there a generation limit to obtain citizenship?

While there is no strict generational limit, it’s important to know that Italy became a unified Kingdom on March 17, 1861. Consequently, the oldest ancestor from whom citizenship can be derived must have acquired Italian citizenship on or after this date.  There are other key dates influencing eligibility, such as:

• 1912: If your ancestors naturalized before this year, citizenship cannot be passed down to future generations.
• 1948: Children born to an Italian mother prior to this date did not automatically acquire Italian citizenship. Those affected by “1948 cases” must pursue legal action in the Italian courts.
• 1992: Prior to this date, Italian law did not allow dual citizenship, leading to automatic loss of Italian citizenship if an individual became a citizen of another country.

Italy’s territory changed since 1861

It is also important to know that since 1861, Italy has annexed, acquired and lost several part of its territory. Venetia was annexed in 1866.  The Papal States (in central Italy) and Rome were annexed in 1870 (in fact between 1865 and 1871, the capital of Italy was Florence!). Trento and Trieste were annexed after WW1, together with the cities of Pola (Istria) and Zara (Dalmatia). The city of Fiume (in Croatia) was annexed only in 1924.  After WW2, Istria, Dalmatia and the city of Fiume were lost to the former Yugoslavia.  Italy has also possessed for some time colonies, such as Eritrea and Somalia (1890–1945), Ethiopia (1936–1945) Lybia (1912–1945) and the island of Rhodes (1924-1943).

Benefits of Italian Citizenship

1. No tax obligations unless you take residency in Italy
2. Right to settle and work in Italy and all European Union countries
3. Fast track lines when you enter the European Union
4. If you choose to reside in Italy, you can register with the Health National System (HNS)
5. HNS Registration in Italy allows the right to emergency healthcare in all EU countries
6. Right to pass on automatically citizenship to any of your children under the age of 18
7. Right to vote for Italian and European Parliament elections
8. Consular protection from the embassy of any other EU country in a country outside the EU

This article was written by Giuditta De Ricco and Ginevra Gaggelli.

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