Italian Dual Citizenship
Prepare yourself to gather a lot of documentation. I watch a lot of true crime tv so having to collect all of these documents of my previous family members is quite exciting for me. Most of the tips and mistakes that I learn along the way are on the Finding Genealogical Documents post. Here I just wanted to make some quick notes about the documents in the simplest terms.
I have read that consulates vary on their requirements, so it's important to find your consulate and find the requirements. I'm planning on getting more than the required documents to be extra prepared. For instance, I've read that I would only need my Great Grandfather's Certificate of Naturalization from the USCIS, but I found and ordered copies of his Petition of Naturalization and his Oath to become a US citizen in 1921. I actually found those by accident which I'll talk about how in Finding Genealogical Documents.
In my case (*your case will probably vary), I've needed to acquire birth certificates and applicable death certificates for everyone in my paternal line from me to my Great Grandfather. I also need birth and death certificates for all of their wives i.e. my mom, Grandmother, etc. And then all of the marriage certificates and licenses I can find between them. If there's evidence of any divorces (mis-matching last names on any women along the line) I would need any divorce decrees.
Of course all of these documents you'll need to get certified copies. And then count on returning all of those documents back to the states you got them from to get “Apostilles” on them from the issuing state's Secretary of State office.
Here's a screenshot of a program I threw together quickly that outlines my paternal line and has a box for all of the required paperwork. I made an interface that allows me to upload copies of the document and changes the color based on the stage I'm in with each document. This runs locally on my server, but if anyone is interested in this program, email me at "italy" at "freddythunder.com" and I will try to accommodate. It's been very helpful in getting my mind wrapped around all the documents. I plan to bring my laptop to my consulate appointment to show it - not sure if it would help.
Another thing that I've found useful was to get one of these cheap organizers (amazon links below). You may have noticed I put in a note at the top like this one:
I've read that you need to have the envelope from USCIS when you get any naturalization paperwork to help prove their authenticity. Since learning that, I've been keeping ALL my envelopes. Better safe than sorry. I was going to use a 3 ring binder and plastic pages, but some of the envelopes, including ones that I sent as SASE, are larger than those plastic pages, so these folders are ideal:
Italian Dual Citizenship Required Paperwork
Last Edited: 2022-07-24 20:36:34
Keep your envelopes!
Prepare yourself to gather a lot of documentation. I watch a lot of true crime tv so having to collect all of these documents of my previous family members is quite exciting for me. Most of the tips and mistakes that I learn along the way are on the Finding Genealogical Documents post. Here I just wanted to make some quick notes about the documents in the simplest terms.
I have read that consulates vary on their requirements, so it's important to find your consulate and find the requirements. I'm planning on getting more than the required documents to be extra prepared. For instance, I've read that I would only need my Great Grandfather's Certificate of Naturalization from the USCIS, but I found and ordered copies of his Petition of Naturalization and his Oath to become a US citizen in 1921. I actually found those by accident which I'll talk about how in Finding Genealogical Documents.
In my case (*your case will probably vary), I've needed to acquire birth certificates and applicable death certificates for everyone in my paternal line from me to my Great Grandfather. I also need birth and death certificates for all of their wives i.e. my mom, Grandmother, etc. And then all of the marriage certificates and licenses I can find between them. If there's evidence of any divorces (mis-matching last names on any women along the line) I would need any divorce decrees.
Of course all of these documents you'll need to get certified copies. And then count on returning all of those documents back to the states you got them from to get “Apostilles” on them from the issuing state's Secretary of State office.
Here's a screenshot of a program I threw together quickly that outlines my paternal line and has a box for all of the required paperwork. I made an interface that allows me to upload copies of the document and changes the color based on the stage I'm in with each document. This runs locally on my server, but if anyone is interested in this program, email me at "italy" at "freddythunder.com" and I will try to accommodate. It's been very helpful in getting my mind wrapped around all the documents. I plan to bring my laptop to my consulate appointment to show it - not sure if it would help.
Another thing that I've found useful was to get one of these cheap organizers (amazon links below). You may have noticed I put in a note at the top like this one:
Keep Your Envelopes!
I've read that you need to have the envelope from USCIS when you get any naturalization paperwork to help prove their authenticity. Since learning that, I've been keeping ALL my envelopes. Better safe than sorry. I was going to use a 3 ring binder and plastic pages, but some of the envelopes, including ones that I sent as SASE, are larger than those plastic pages, so these folders are ideal:
