Obtaining Italian Citizenship by Descent in Canada

Applying for Italian Citizenship in Canada

If you are interested in applying for Italian citizenship in Canada, it is important you are aware that specific documents are required to support your application. However, the exact documents needed for you to apply for an Italian passport will depend on your type of application (descent/jure sanguinis/marriage/naturalization). You will also need to know about specific stipulations which can delay or impede the process.

But what does this mean exactly?

Well, it means that obtaining Italian dual citizenship from Canada is not exactly difficult but there are rules which can prevent an individual from proceeding with a particular ancestral claim. For example, females born prior to 1st January 1948 and ancestors who renounced their right to Italian citizenship cannot qualify as an ancestral tie. However, there are specific situations where you can still qualify under what is called “1948 Case” if you fall into this category. If you live in Canada and are unsure if you qualify, contact us at (213) 277-8705 to schedule a free consultation. We will do all the background research for you and your family and tell you if you qualify for dual citizenship free of both charge and obligation.

If you have direct and unbroken ancestral ties to Italy, you can likely obtain Italian citizenship by descent in Canada with little complications. In fact, it’s our job to ensure a smooth process for our clients, while ensuring every piece of documentation is sufficient to ensure the quickest possible route to obtaining an Italian passport.

Now lets examine how you can apply for Italian citizenship from Canada and what you should know about the application process in general.

About Applying for Italian Dual Citizenship from Canada

You might have heard about Italian citizenship jure sanguinis in Canada. This refers to an Italian law which enables people to claim dual citizenship through ancestral ties. To clarify, ‘Jure Sanguinis’ is synonymous with ‘by descent’. Whether this ancestor is your a parent, grandparent, or great grandparent, jure sanguinis is often the easiest way to obtain Italian dual citizenship from Canada.

As for why so many Canadians apply for dual citizenship, there are many benefits of having an Italian passport which includes enabling you to live, work and travel freely in any country of the European Union. Moreover, Canadians can take full advantage of the excellent health and education infrastructure in Italy, while exploring the opportunity to work or travel anywhere else in the entire European Union.

Proving that You Qualify for Italian Dual Citizenship

That being said, you must be able to prove these ties with documentation and the Italian consulate is not responsible for providing assistance in this respect. In other words, the responsibility is on you to identify legitimate ancestors and go about sourcing the necessary documentation to support your application.

The consulate cannot help individuals in terms of proving the legitimacy or their claims or ancestral ties. Although every situation is different, this will mean that you need to compile birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates for everyone down the line from your ancestor born in Italy as well as various other supporting documents depending on your specific type of application.

In the case of applying for Italian citizenship through marriage in Canada, you may not need to contact or involve your ancestors but certain documentation is still required. If you are applying for Italian citizenship by marriage in Canada, you will need to wait 18 months before applying for dual citizenship through marriage as you will only qualify for this process after three years of marriage.

With this in mind, applying for dual citizenship is often a very complex process. However, we are here to help so please contact us if you have any questions. With many years of experience and knowledge, we can help fast-track the process and take away much of the inconvenience that applicants seem to find difficult.

Identifying Your Right to Italian Dual Citizenship as a Canadian

If you think that you qualify for dual citizenship through descent, through a parent, grandparent or great grandparent, we can retrieve the necessary documents anywhere in the world.

Steps to Italian Dual Citizenship in Canada

1. Identify Your Ancestor Born in Italy (Unless applying for Italian citizenship by marriage in Canada)
2. Gather Supporting Documentation for your Application
3. Apostille and Translate Your Documents
4. Make an Appointment at Your Local Italian Consulate
5. Attend the Application Interview

Step number three refers to a couple of very important requirements – translation and apostilling. Simply put, you must contact a professional translator to re-word these documents and this individual must be fully-approved by the consulate. As for apostilling the documents, this is a set in which the Canadian government will give a second seal of approval to your documents.

What You Should Know About the Application Process in Canada

Due to the high demand, it can take 3-18 months to get an appointment at your local consulate and this is precisely why you should apply as soon as possible to avoid longer wait times. In this sense, you can save time and focus on obtaining the necessary evidence and documents to support your application.

When it comes to the actual submission, we cannot emphasize the importance of accuracy and ensuring every last detail is sufficient for the review process. The Italian officials will reject your application if it is not accurate.

This review process is fairly quick and typically within one month, you can even find yourself filling out an application for an Italian passport. However, you need to wait for approval of your citizenship before you can apply for this all-important travel document.

We Assist People in Canada Looking to Apply for Italian Citizenship

If you need assistance, we are always more than happy to help with the application process. Contact one of our IDC team members if you have any questions or if you would like to know if you qualify.