When a foreign citizen is recognized as Italian citizen, his/her name, exactly as it appears on the birth certificate issued by the relevant foreign authority, must be registered by the Civil Registry Officer in Italy without any changes or variations.
As a result, the name registered with the Italian authorities will correspond precisely to the one stated in the foreign birth certificate (issued by the country of origin of the new Italian citizen).
However, it could happen that the generalities indicated in the foreign birth certificate do not match with the one stated in the foreign passport, raising a discrepancy between the name registered in Italy and that on the foreign passport.
For example, a woman in the US by marrying her husband, will change her last name; she will lose her maiden surname, acquiring the one of her husband’s.
In Italy, the same wife after the marriage maintains her maiden surname and does not add or replace her last name at birth.
Ex. Ms. Rachel Green after her marriage will replace her last name with Geller, therefore her US passport will show Ms. Rachel Geller; while, in Italy she remains Rachel Green therefore her Italian passport will show her maiden name, regardless her married one.
In case of mismatch of generalities between foreign and Italian documents, having been recognized Italian, the new-Italian citizens have the right to ask for the adjustment of their name, following the Italian laws currently in force.
Since in many Countries outside Italy, variations on the name at birth are not registered on the birth certificate because they are not considered so crucial, these kinds of discrepancies can arise later.
Ex. Edgar’s birth name in his birth certificate is Edgar Allan Poe, and his generalities in his Italian documents are Edgar Allan Poe but his foreign passport says Eddie Poe. As a result, the new Italian citizen Mr. Edgar Allan Poe may find out that the name he is commonly known by (Eddie Poe) does not align with the one in the Italian registry.
This can cause identification issues, especially because documents such as passports, ID cards, and residence permits may show different names.
The procedure for obtaining an Italian passport requires the registration of the birth certificate with the relevant Italian municipality and the AIRE registration. In order to align the documents, it is necessary to submit a request for a change of name or surname to the appropriate Italian Consulate (or to the municipality if residing in Italy). The application will be forwarded to the Prefecture, and if approved, the competent authorities will issue a new birth certificate to be associated with the foreign passport.
It’s worth noting that this process is not mandatory, although we always recommend having the same generalities on each document in order to avoid any kind of issue.
These procedures can sometimes be complicated; a new Italian citizen trying to align his/her personal details might struggle to navigate the process alone.
If you are interested in pursuing this path, please do not hesitate to contact citizenship@mazzeschi.it to receive further information and assistance.
This article was written by Giuditta De Ricco and Diletta Furesi.
This article is posted by Mazzeschi Web Content Manager. Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@mazzeschi.it. Follow us on social media @StudioMazzeschi to receive the latest updates.
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