If you are pursuing Italian citizenship Jure Sanguinis (Italian citizenship by descent), family ancestry is needed to prove to the Italian government that you indeed come from Italian lineage and fall within all of the requirements to qualify. Going on a genealogical adventure can help you obtain essential documents that you need to apply for citizenship within Italy.
If you are born of Italian descent, you may be entitled to apply for citizenship. However, the Italian government will need a long list of specific documents that can prove your eligibility for this application. Once you determine you qualify, the next step is gathering these documents before you can go through the rest of the process.
We can help you assess your needs and start your search for all the documents needed. Consult with one of our experts today!
In this article, we will show you how to request these important documents from Italy so you can start making a paper record of your Italian ancestry. Italian law requires that records from all of your ancestors’ major life events are needed from the original comune where they took place.
Why Genealogical Research is Needed
This kind of research can be beneficial, and often necessary, to determine where exactly your ancestors lived, so that you may narrow down the specific comune where their records can be found. Italy doesn’t have a centralized record-keeping system, but rather it is each province of Italy is responsible for keeping its system of records.
You need to research your lineage to find out which of these provinces holds the records. It’s good to know as much as possible about your ascendants before requesting any form of documents. This will make things much easier for you throughout the process, especially when you need to retrieve old documents.
Since Italian provinces and municipalities do not do this kind of research on their own, it is up to you to find out exact dates when your ancestors’ major life events happened so they can easily search for the records. If you don’t have specific information like an exact birth date, a birth month or year is still very helpful to know.
We have a team of genealogical research experts who can help you track down your Italian ancestors if you are having difficulty finding the proper documents in the acceptable format.
Processing Requests
Any time you are requesting these vital documents from the Italian government, it is important that they are written in Italian. Since it is the only official language of the country, it is the only language in which requests and documents will be accepted.
Don’t be fooled by clerks who are capable of speaking English or another language; they still will not be able to process your request unless it is already written in Italian. Many Italian officials and people who will be a part of your certification process may not speak English or may reject it immediately just because it’s not in Italian.
Associated Costs
If you are requesting the documents from within Italy, there are typically no costs associated with a request. However, to make things easier and to speed the process along, you should send along a self-addressed envelope and paid stamps with your request so the clerks can easily send the requested documents to you.
Looking for more information about your ancestors’ records? Want to find the specific comune where you can request their vital life information? The best way to find out more about their requirements is to contact these comuni directly. Some municipalities have their associated costs or translation requirements before they can help you.
If you do not speak Italian and you are having trouble communicating with the provinces directly, our language experts can help you out. Find out more information about the Jure Sanguinis process and how to get started here!
