How I Got Italian Dual Citizenship (After Failing, Almost Quitting, and Waiting Years)

If you’re researching Italian dual citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis), let me just say this: buckle up. This was not a straight path. It was emotional, expensive, confusing… and absolutely worth it.

I started this journey in 2019. I was determined, organized, and convinced that if I just followed the steps, I’d be holding an Italian passport in no time.

Spoiler: That is not how it went.

Researching Italian Citizenship by Descent (2019)

In 2019, I needed to start gathering documents for my Italian dual citizenship application. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates—everything tracing back to my Italian ancestors. Before any of this even happened, I hit a major wall in my Italian dual citizenship journey.

I couldn’t even begin the Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) process because I didn’t actually know where my family came from in Italy. All I knew was “Calabria.” Just a region. No specific town. No comune. Nothing detailed enough to request official Italian birth records.

If you’ve ever tried doing Italian ancestry research, you know this is everything. Without the exact town, you can’t pull civil records. And without civil records, you can’t apply for citizenship. So, I was stuck.

Then one day, after some very deep digging, I had a breakthrough. I joined an Italian genealogy Facebook group and asked what felt like the most random, simple question: “What towns in Calabria sound like ‘Jusso’?”

“Jusso” was written on my great-grandfather’s older brother's World War I draft registration form. I assumed it was the town they were from. The problem? Jusso doesn’t exist. He must have written it phonetically. That Facebook group helped me decipher it—and that’s when everything changed.

I learned my family was actually from Gioiosa Ionica and a tiny mountain town above it called Grotteria. Suddenly, I had what I needed: the exact comuni. Now I could finally start searching town records in Italy. And I found them.

I located my great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother in the civil records. I was able to request their official Italian birth certificates and marriage certificate—the foundational documents required for an Italian dual citizenship application.

That moment was the real beginning of my journey. It wasn’t just paperwork anymore. It was proof. It was connection. It was real. If you know, you know: this document searching alone is a full-time job. But I was motivated. I had the dream. I was doing it.

My Failed Attempt to Get Citizenship in Italy (2022)

In 2022, I hired a company in Italy that was helping people apply directly in Italy instead of through their U.S. consulate. At the time, applying in Italy could be much faster than applying through your local Italian consulate in the United States. And up until ONE week before I arrived, that faster timeline had been working.

Unfortunately… it didn’t work out for me. Without going into details, the situation changed in that town, and my case was no longer able to proceed quickly. As a nurse, I couldn't afford to stay longer than what was originally planned, and I had to return home without ever even getting to apply for citizenship.

It was devastating. I lost time. I lost money. And I did not get any closer to achieving citizenship. But—there was one unexpected gift.

The Month in Italy That Changed Everything

Even though my application didn’t succeed there, I spent one full month living in Italy. That month reaffirmed everything for me.

It clarified:

• The type of city I want to eventually buy property in

• How speaking Italian was a new focus for me

• The reality of daily life in Italy beyond vacation mode

So while it felt like a failure at the time, it actually strengthened my long-term vision. I was quite annoyed for a while, but now I look back at that month as being my month-long life in Italy. No more sadness, no more anger, no more disappointment: nothing but positive vibes and good memories!

Snagging a Miami Consulate Appointment (With a 2-Year Wait!)

When I got home feeling defeated, I randomly checked the website for the Consulate General of Italy in Miami. And somehow—by pure miracle—I grabbed an appointment. For two years later. Yes. Two. Years! That’s about how long the wait times were for Italian citizenship through the consulate, and that's if you're even lucky enough to snatch an open appointment.

And honestly? During those two years, I kind of gave up mentally. I had already spent so much time and money. It felt impossible, and my heart was kind of broken. I shoved it to the back of my brain and forgot all about being an Italian Dual Citizen.

The Email That Changed Everything

About 1.8 years later, I received an email reminder from Miami: Your appointment is in 2 months. Cue internal panic! It was decision time. Give up? Or go all in? I swear my ancestors were whispering in my ear, telling me not to quit. So I scrambled.

Applying through a U.S. consulate is different from applying in Italy. I needed additional documentation. By this point, applications were fully mailed in—no in-person appointment required in Miami. I gathered everything and sent in my packet. But there was one major issue.

The Name Discrepancy Problem (The Biggest Hurdle)

If you’re applying for Italian citizenship by descent, listen carefully:

Every single name discrepancy must be addressed. If your ancestor’s name was:

• Giovanni on one document

• John on another

• Giovan on a third

• 1 letter missing in a middle name

You must fix it. You can:

1. Amend the documents, or

2. Obtain a “One and the Same” (OATS) court order proving they are the same person

I had no time, so I just tried submitting a notarized affidavit explaining the discrepancies, hoping Miami would accept it. After almost two years of waiting, they responded and listed out the "homework" I needed to do before they would accept my application, and the affidavit wasn't enough for them. I needed to amend all those documents or get an official court-ordered OATS. The OATS seemed easier, so that was my next step.

Hiring a Lawyer & Getting an OATS (2025)

Here’s the wild part. Two months before Miami emailed me about the "homework" I needed to give them, I had this persistent thought that I needed to hire a lawyer (maybe it was my ancestors whispering in my ear again). So I did. She began the legal process to prove that all the different name variations in my ancestral line belonged to the same people.

Hiring a lawyer cost me around $4,000 total. And honestly, at this point, I couldn’t even tell you the total amount I’ve spent on this entire process. Between ordering certified documents, paying for apostilles, getting everything professionally translated into Italian, the money I lost on my failed attempt in Italy, and the $330 consulate application fee—it adds up fast!

We presented evidence to a judge. And in December 2025, I received my signed One and the Same court order. This was the biggest hurdle in my entire application. I did the sign of the cross as my grandma would've done and immediately shipped all required documents to the Miami consulate. And now I would wait again. I was expecting at least another year or more of silence from the consulate.

The Email That Proved It Was All Worth It!

Two months later, on a random evening in my pjs, I opened up my email and there it was. The email I never thought I would get. The email that cost me thousands of dollars, years off my life, numerous gray hairs, and probably a stomach ulcer! They accepted my application, and I was officially recognized as an Italian citizen.

I cried. After ALLLLLL that work. All that time. All that money. All the almost-quitting moments. And trust me, I have left out numerous details about the process to save you the headache. I won’t even get into the multiple court orders I had to file with the New York Department of State—which I navigated completely on my own—just to obtain my Grandma and Great-Grandpa’s birth certificates. I remember being so overwhelmed trying to figure out the court order process that I threw my favorite mug across the room and shattered it. It was definitely a low point.

But I made it. And it still feels surreal.

Important: Major Changes to Italian Citizenship Law (2025)

It’s important to mention that in 2025, Italy made major changes to its citizenship law. Huge changes. I was incredibly fortunate because:

• I had already secured my consulate appointment

• I had already submitted my application

• I was essentially grandfathered in under the prior rules

Because of these changes, I can’t go into detailed “how-to” instructions here—and honestly, the process continues to evolve. But here is a basic breakdown of the changes as of 2025-2026:

• Only direct descendants—children or grandchildren—of Italian-born citizens are eligible.

• The ancestor must have been born on Italian soil.

• Applicants now must show that their Italian ancestor legally lived in Italy for at least two consecutive years.

• Italy is moving all citizenship applications to a single office in Rome, reducing consular involvement.

• These rules apply to applications submitted on or after March 28, 2025.

If you’re researching how to get Italian dual citizenship in 2026, make sure you are looking at the most up-to-date legal information, which seems to be changing monthly... maybe even daily! By the time you read this, the rules above may have changed.

What’s Next: Passport & My Kids’ Citizenship

So once again, I need to gather more documents, get apostilles and translations, and navigate the "what the heck do I do now?" portion of this process. My to-do list includes:

• Somehow snag a passport appointment (which feels impossible right now)

• Figure out how to ensure my children are properly registered and recognized

That will be a whole new chapter. I’ll update you when I get there.

Final Thoughts on Getting Italian Dual Citizenship

If you’re on this path and feel discouraged, here’s what I’ll say: There were multiple moments I almost quit. But something kept nudging me forward (I think it was my late grandma, telling me to keep going).

If you have not yet applied for citizenship and you fall under the new rules, it will hopefully be easier for you. You won't be dealing with documents that date back to the 1890's when so many people were illiterate and couldn't even spell their name correctly! You won't need to pay for so many documents, apostilles, and translations, and hopefully, you won't even need a lawyer.

This wasn’t fast.
It wasn’t easy.
It wasn’t cheap.

But it was worth it. And if your roots are whispering to you… listen closely. Start researching what you need to do now to get Italian Dual Citizenship. And if you're on Facebook, join the Dual-U.S.-Italian Citizenship page. I could not have done this without the help of the admins and thousands of people who have gone through the process. Their expertise is invaluable... and it's free! Buona fortuna!