Second passport?

[I Shrugged]

Anyone looked into Italian ancestry passports as featured on CBS a year ago?

[vnatale]

Anyone looked into Italian ancestry passports as featured on CBS a year ago?

This seems fairly detailed regarding it.

https://www.italyheritage.com/genealogy/citizenship/

My father came here from Italy in 1927 at the age of 13. Don't know when he became a U.S. citizen but would it be fair to assume he became one at least by the time he joined the Army in World War II (his new country against his own country)?

I don't see how it would apply to me, even though I'm 100% Italian with him on the fraternal side and my mother's parents on the maternal side.

Vinny

[WiseOne]

Interesting possibility - there are advantages to being an EU citizen even apart from the US going down the tubes.

I checked out the page. There is a complex set of requirements but I may qualify. You have to be able to claim Italian descent through the paternal line (if before 1948), AND as long as the most recent ancestor with Italian citizenship did not become a naturalized US citizen until after the birth of the son who was your ancestor.

It would take some sleuthing to locate the required birth certificates and naturalization papers, but I bet it would be possible especially through one of the many existing geneology services.

Anyone know of other countries who allow something like this? It's a bit like the Israeli "right of return" - for which I decidedly do not qualify.

[Mark Leavy]

...
I checked out the page. There is a complex set of requirements but I may qualify.
...

It would take some sleuthing to locate the required birth certificates and naturalization papers, but I bet it would be possible especially through one of the many existing geneology services.

WiseOne, I would start that search in a heartbeat if I thought I might qualify.
Having an EU passport has a ton of benefits other than just surviving the collapse of US society. Which, while possible, is pretty remote.

The ability to stay in the Schengen Zone for more than 3 months at a time would be at the top of my list.

[Kriegsspiel]

Anyone know of other countries who allow something like this? It's a bit like the Israeli "right of return" - for which I decidedly do not qualify.

Ireland.

You are automatically an Irish citizen if one of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth and was born on the island of Ireland. You don’t need to apply to become an Irish citizen in this case.

You can become an Irish citizen if:

One of your grandparents was born on the island of Ireland, or;
One of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, even though they were not born on the island of Ireland.
In these cases, you can become an Irish citizen through Foreign Birth Registration. link

[Libertarian666]

...
I checked out the page. There is a complex set of requirements but I may qualify.
...

It would take some sleuthing to locate the required birth certificates and naturalization papers, but I bet it would be possible especially through one of the many existing geneology services.

WiseOne, I would start that search in a heartbeat if I thought I might qualify.
Having an EU passport has a ton of benefits other than just surviving the collapse of US society. Which, while possible, is pretty remote.

The ability to stay in the Schengen Zone for more than 3 months at a time would be at the top of my list.

Yep. And in fact you can actually reside in Switzerland with an EU passport, at least at present. That would be a good enough reason for me, assuming my project takes off and I can afford it.

[WiseOne]

Hmmm - tech are you hinting you might consider a move to Switzerland?

I jumped on Ancestry.com just to see what it could do during a free trial. Long story short: I absolutely qualify for the Italian ancestry passport if I can track down the birth certificates and naturalization papers (none showed up on Ancestry.com). They key finding was a US census report for the year after my grandfather's birth indicating that my great-grandfather was not yet a naturalized US citizen. The census report 10 years later showed that he was, so it happened sometime in the interim.

p.s. totally worth it to sign up and pay for a month or two to get the information. The records they've gathered together are incredible. Unfortunately, finding the Italian birth certificate may be impossible since the ancestor in question was born in 1865.

p.p.s. The census reports from the first half of the 1900s (and maybe longer) all had citizenship questions. WTF??? Why can't we have that now again?

[Libertarian666]

Hmmm - tech are you hinting you might consider a move to Switzerland?

I love Switzerland. It's just too expensive to live there for most people.

I jumped on Ancestry.com just to see what it could do during a free trial. Long story short: I absolutely qualify for the Italian ancestry passport if I can track down the birth certificates and naturalization papers (none showed up on Ancestry.com). They key finding was a US census report for the year after my grandfather's birth indicating that my great-grandfather was not yet a naturalized US citizen. The census report 10 years later showed that he was, so it happened sometime in the interim.

p.s. totally worth it to sign up and pay for a month or two to get the information. The records they've gathered together are incredible. Unfortunately, finding the Italian birth certificate may be impossible since the ancestor in question was born in 1865.

This is where a genealogist comes in. They have ways of tracking things down.

p.p.s. The census reports from the first half of the 1900s (and maybe longer) all had citizenship questions. WTF??? Why can't we have that now again?

Let me guess: because it's RAYCISS?

[vnatale]

Hmmm - tech are you hinting you might consider a move to Switzerland?

I jumped on Ancestry.com just to see what it could do during a free trial. Long story short: I absolutely qualify for the Italian ancestry passport if I can track down the birth certificates and naturalization papers (none showed up on Ancestry.com). They key finding was a US census report for the year after my grandfather's birth indicating that my great-grandfather was not yet a naturalized US citizen. The census report 10 years later showed that he was, so it happened sometime in the interim.

p.s. totally worth it to sign up and pay for a month or two to get the information. The records they've gathered together are incredible. Unfortunately, finding the Italian birth certificate may be impossible since the ancestor in question was born in 1865.

p.p.s. The census reports from the first half of the 1900s (and maybe longer) all had citizenship questions. WTF??? Why can't we have that now again?

Until now I had no idea you were Italian.

You read and interpreted what was there far deeper than I did. I thought it was referring to only my father. But if it refers to my father being the son of my grandfather then, of course, my grandfather was not yet a naturalized US Citizen at the time of my father's birth because that would have been an event that occurred years before anyone came to the United States and while they were all Italian citizens.

Vinny

[dualstow]

...
It's a bit like the Israeli "right of return" - for which I decidedly do not qualify.

Marry a nice Jewish boy?

[Mountaineer]

...
It's a bit like the Israeli "right of return" - for which I decidedly do not qualify.

Marry a nice Jewish boy?

That is a most unPC comment. You should have said marry a nice resident of Israel LGBTQXYX+ mammal.

[StinkyToes]

I've been looking into all this with help from one of the Forum members.

If you qualify by descent, that is a wonderful option.

If not, here are some of the countries that have come up in my readings:

Argentina: Retiree visa is pretty easy to get. After just 2 years of residency in Argentina (physical presence required), can apply for naturalization. Must speak Spanish at intermediate level. An Argentinian passport gives you the right to live in work in most South American countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.

Panama - Fairly easy to obtain permanent residency (virtually no physical presence requirement). Can apply for naturalization 5 years later.

Belize - Very easy to obtain permanent residency. Physical presence requirement of 30 days per year. Can apply for naturalization 5 years later.

Bulgaria - can buy citizenship for about $440,000. The process takes about 18 months for the primary applicant, then another 6-9 months for kids, followed by several more years for the primary applicant's spouse. No language requirement, no minimum stay requirement. Upon receiving citizenship, can live and work anywhere in the EU. Very low personal income tax rate. Free health care.

St. Kitts and Nevis: Can buy a passport for $150,000 for a family of 4.

Antigua and Barbuda: Can buy a passport for $100,000 for a family of 4.

St. Lucia: Can buy a passport for $100,000 for a family of 4.

If you want a second passport as quickly as possible, it seems that the Caribbean islands are good choices. They are offering discounts currently because there has been virtually no tourism this year. If you can wait a little longer and don't mind living abroad, Argentina would be a good choice. I think that getting to intermediate level in Spanish after two years of residency would not pose a major problem. If you can spare the money, Bulgaria seems like a great option. And if you don't mind waiting 5 years to naturalize, Panama and Belize seem worthy of consideration.

[WiseOne]

You offering dualstow?

Vinny - I'm as American as it gets i.e. a mongrel. 1/2 Palestinian, 1/4 Polish, 1/4 Italian. The 1/4 Italian just happens to be precisely what is required for the Italian passport (patriarchal descent). Feels a little like cheating but hey, I didn't make the rules.

[dualstow]

You offering dualstow?

Vinny - I'm as American as it gets i.e. a mongrel. 1/2 Palestinian, 1/4 Polish, 1/4 Italian. The 1/4 Italian just happens to be precisely what is required for the Italian passport (patriarchal descent). Feels a little like cheating but hey, I didn't make the rules.

Well, my wife doesn't want to live there, so if you don't mind being on standby.

[vnatale]

You offering dualstow?

Vinny - I'm as American as it gets i.e. a mongrel. 1/2 Palestinian, 1/4 Polish, 1/4 Italian. The 1/4 Italian just happens to be precisely what is required for the Italian passport (patriarchal descent). Feels a little like cheating but hey, I didn't make the rules.

Don't think I've ever prior met anyone with that mix!

I used to proudly say that I was this thoroughbred 100% Southern Italian. But also quickly adding that I was 100% culturally American with 0% Italian culture in me.

Prior to last year I knew zero of Italy's history. So, I finally read a book on the entire history of Italy. I had not prior known it was a far younger country than ours (around 1850, 1860). I'd just automatically assumed that being in Europe that it'd be far older.

Then the biggest revelation was reading that Italy is least pure of any country on Earth! There have been more countries in and out of Italy prior to it becoming a country than any other country. Therefore, while I may be 100% Southern Italian what is my real countries' background if it goes way back?

I've discussed this with my cousin on mother's side. She said that Ancentry. com put her at 100% Southern Italian so it seems services like that are not sophisticated enough to go far enough back?

Vinny

[dualstow]

I mean, look at Sicilians. They have a very rich and diverse history and ancestry.
Yeah, technically Italy was unified late after the period of city-states, but there’s this thing called the Roman Empire.