Citizenship via marriage in Italy

almare · #1 (**permalink**) 4th August 2012, 02:23 AM

Hi all,

I've read many of the posts, but so far haven't come across our situation. I am a US citizen, married to an Italian for 24 years and resident in the US. Our daughters are dual and plan to live in the EU (one already in uni there.) We had registered everything at the consulate here in the US, but I have never requested citizenship. We would like to move to Italy so that daughter #2 can go to int'l high school then university. Italian husband would look for work or open a shop; I would either pursue my PhD with some part-time work or look for a full time job. There are two potential positions that I know of now but I do not currently have the right to work, correct? We would have funds to live somewhat frugally for at least a year when we arrive, and he owns a house but not where we would want to live.

What is the best way to proceed? Realistically, how soon would I receive citizenship once we apply in the event that I have work and it takes him longer (I am highly skilled and fluent in Italian, he is a self-employed artisan so his market is weaker in this lovely global economy.) I have seen both 6 months or 2 years given (+ the usual extra time everything takes in Italy!) And once we've applied, is it a problem if he spends some time at the house he owns to make much needed repairs there to rent it out?

I appreciate any help and guidance you can give!

NickZ · #2 (**permalink**) 4th August 2012, 04:48 AM

[QUOTE=almare;860267There are two potential positions that I know of now but I do not currently have the right to work, correct? [/QUOTE]

If you both come you can work.

How long for citizenship? You said everything was registered. I'd ask the consulate and see if what if any extra paperwork they want. Collecting any documents will be the main holdup.

almare · #3 (**permalink**) 4th August 2012, 08:33 AM

Thank you for your reply, NickZ.

I'm wondering about the time frame if we go to Italy and make the application for citizenship directly there. I think I've seen others say that it took 6 months for an already married spouse to do that there, versus the 2 1/2 years al estero or the 2 years in Italy for newlyweds. Hope that makes sense! And does he have to prove he can support me, a non-EU spouse, on entry? Would money in an account help if that is the case?

Thanks for any help you can give!

NickZ · #4 (**permalink**) 4th August 2012, 08:51 AM

Are you asking for the waiting time after marriage or the processing time?

The waiting period after marriage is longer abroad but at 24 years of marriage you're well past that date.

My worry with you applying in Italy is collecting any requested documents. It'll be far easier for you to get US documents while you're in the US .

I don't think he needs to prove income but the requirement is very low. Less then €6k. Cash always works -)

candace · #5 (**permalink**) 21st August 2012, 11:04 AM

Hello. I am married to an Italian and have been living in Italy for 4 years. We will celebrate 2 years of marriage in January, and I have already started the process for citizenship. There is a lot to be done, and most of it must be done in the U.S. I have engaged a company to do most of the work for me. Google this company, and take a look at their site: ICAPBRIDGING2WORLDS It has excellent information about citizenship for someone married to an Italian.

They are going to gather my documents, have them translated officially with the required apostille, request my FBI background check, etc...and I will just have to fly back to the U.S. and deliver the package to the Consulate.

Because you do not live in Italy, you are only required 5 years of marriage to request citizenship. And the time it takes to obtain it depends on how well the documents are done, and how quickly someone looks at everything. There is no set time. It could take 3 months, or it could take years. The best you can do is to make sure that the documents you submit are correct and complete, and that you submit everything they need the first time.

It doesn't matter how you will be supported when you move. You can come for 90 days and, during that time, apply for a residence permit (it is good for 5 years when you are married to an Italian citizen), then a work permit. You will have to go back to the U.S. and surrender your passport to the Consulate while you wait for your first residence permit, but that should only take 2-5 weeks.

Also, you did not mention if your marriage was ever registered in your husband's local Comune here in Italy. One of the requirements for citizenship is to have a copy of the marriage registration from the Italian Comune where your husband is registered (anagram). If you registered your marriage with the Consulate in the U.S., you should verify whether or not it was registered officially in Italy.

As for your husband, he can come to Italy as often and for as long as he would like, and do whatever he wants to do! He can work, fix the house, find a job, open a business, buy a boat! He never lost the right if he never gave up his citizenship so it is as if he has lived here for his entire life. You can also come for the first 90 days. If you don't want to apply for residence, you would have to leave for 30 days, then you could return for another 90 days (and keep doing that). That only thing you could not do....is work during those 90-day periods.

I hope this is helpful. It is difficult to find information, but I am an expat who has had to deal with it all! ICAP is going to make my life a little easier. I am on a 5-year residence permit now, but we may move and getting citizenship will just make our lives easier when we return.

I hope this was helpful.

Good luck to you!

[QUOTE=almare;860267]Hi all,

I've read many of the posts, but so far haven't come across our situation. I am a US citizen, married to an Italian for 24 years and resident in the US. Our daughters are dual and plan to live in the EU (one already in uni there.) We had registered everything at the consulate here in the US, but I have never requested citizenship. We would like to move to Italy so that daughter #2 can go to int'l high school then university. Italian husband would look for work or open a shop; I would either pursue my PhD with some part-time work or look for a full time job. There are two potential positions that I know of now but I do not currently have the right to work, correct? We would have funds to live somewhat frugally for at least a year when we arrive, and he owns a house but not where we would want to live.

What is the best way to proceed? Realistically, how soon would I receive citizenship once we apply in the event that I have work and it takes him longer (I am highly skilled and fluent in Italian, he is a self-employed artisan so his market is weaker in this lovely global economy.) I have seen both 6 months or 2 years given (+ the usual extra time everything takes in Italy!) And once we've applied, is it a problem if he spends some time at the house he owns to make much needed repairs there to rent it out?

I appreciate any help and guidance you can give!

Francisca Verdooren · #6 (**permalink**) 22nd August 2012, 07:02 PM

Hello,

First you have to make sure your marriage is registered with the local comune (town hall) where your husband is officially registered as a resident.

Then when you come to Italy, on a visitor's visa, you have to immediately start the procedure of applying for a permesso di soggiorno (stay permit) and your carta d'identita (identity card). This should take (officially) 4 to 6 weeks, but mine took 3 months. Once you receive these documents, you can work, even if you are not a citizen.

But to apply for the stay permit and id card, there are some documents you need to have translated and validated (for example by the Italian embassy in your country or an authorised notary). I suggest you ask your husband's local comune in Italy or the Italian embassy in US for exactly what documents they need because it may vary from comune to comune or from country to country. But for sure, they need the marriage certificate (if not married in Italy), your birth certificate and a police clearance report.

If you live in Italy, you can apply for citizenship 2 years after getting the permesso di soggiorno. I was told by my local comune that if you don't live in Italy you can apply for citizenship 3 years after getting the permesso di soggiorno, but honestly I'm not sure about this, because some people say it's 5 years. Maybe it depends on where you are from.

Hope this helps.
Good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by almare

Hi all,

I've read many of the posts, but so far haven't come across our situation. I am a US citizen, married to an Italian for 24 years and resident in the US. Our daughters are dual and plan to live in the EU (one already in uni there.) We had registered everything at the consulate here in the US, but I have never requested citizenship. We would like to move to Italy so that daughter #2 can go to int'l high school then university. Italian husband would look for work or open a shop; I would either pursue my PhD with some part-time work or look for a full time job. There are two potential positions that I know of now but I do not currently have the right to work, correct? We would have funds to live somewhat frugally for at least a year when we arrive, and he owns a house but not where we would want to live.

What is the best way to proceed? Realistically, how soon would I receive citizenship once we apply in the event that I have work and it takes him longer (I am highly skilled and fluent in Italian, he is a self-employed artisan so his market is weaker in this lovely global economy.) I have seen both 6 months or 2 years given (+ the usual extra time everything takes in Italy!) And once we've applied, is it a problem if he spends some time at the house he owns to make much needed repairs there to rent it out?

I appreciate any help and guidance you can give!

Fastbunny · #7 (**permalink**) 22nd August 2012, 08:22 PM

Hi Almare,
My situation is simular to yours; but I have a question for you regarding your children's education. My husband and I want to arrange a simular situation for our son (now 13). He is an Italian citizen and is speaking reasonably good Italian. He will graduate from high school in 5 years. How would I go about enrolling him in International high school then university? I'd appreciate any advice you can give to me. Thanks!

almare · #8 (**permalink**) 23rd August 2012, 04:42 PM

Thanks for your detailed reply, Candace. I guess I'm surprised that your residence is in Italy but you have to return to the States and submit your documents to the Italian consulate, rather than submitting them (translated and apostilled) directly in Italy. I had once pulled everything years ago intending to apply to Philadelphia but missed the 6 month window due to tardy documents from Italy. The US ones had expired and I just never did it again. When I originally posted a couple of weeks ago I had a pending job offer which would have required moving quickly, but I ultimately declined it. I think we're now looking at moving July 2013, and I was wondering if I should start the process here or wait until we get there, having already obtained the US documents and getting the Italian ones on arrival from his comune (marriage and kids were registered there years ago.) But if that's not possible, I'd better get started on it now, go in on a spousal/familial visa, and rely on the PdS until citizenship comes through. To be honest, with a daughter in UK university paying overseas fees I'm hoping to avoid any extra expenses like coming back for a consular visit if I can!

candace · #9 (**permalink**) 23rd August 2012, 04:57 PM

Yes, it was surprising to me also that I had to go back to the U.S. It's some agreement that was made between the countries. Since you have changed your timing, I would highly consider moving forward with your citizenship application now. If you get lucky, you could have your dual citizenship before your move next July. It could happen. Check that website info that I sent to you. Some documents have 'expiration dates' and I believe one of the required documents from the Comune has one such date. Go ahead and get whatever you need from Italy now (or you have a family member that can get it for you that could be faster), and at the same time move forward with the translations of your U.S. documents. The last thing is the FBI/police background because it is only valid for 6 months.

I hope that the process is really fast for you!

Candace

almare · #10 (**permalink**) 23rd August 2012, 05:25 PM

My younger daughter understands Italian, but does not speak and write well enough yet to go to an Italian high school. She would be moving next year as a HS sophomore, so her best option is to go to an English speaking international school with Italian as her second language. If we had gone this year, I would have considered putting her in a state or parochial school, but in terza media (8th grade) rather than 9th grade so that she could learn Italian and the curriculum well enough to handle 5 years of Italian high school (she's young anyway for her grade and coming out of a very rigorous private girls' school.) American and many IB programs in international schools are 4 years like in the US. If you're interested in international schools you might google international baccalaureate world schools and search on Italy.

Italian state schools are going through some very drastic reforms that I am not qualified to speak about, but the people I spoke with in March at several schools were very helpful and due to the influx of so many stranieri most (at least in the larger cities) seem already practical in helping newcomers adapt. We did find that the better public licei were over-enrolled and not accepting new students after the enrollment period ended in, I believe, February for the following school year and were not accepting wait list applicants. Other schools offered to register her on the spot to save her a place if we came. There are also new European schools which teach classes (usually science, history, drama) in English or French which are very interesting as well. It really depends on where you are going.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fastbunny

Hi Almare,
My situation is simular to yours; but I have a question for you regarding your children's education. My husband and I want to arrange a simular situation for our son (now 13). He is an Italian citizen and is speaking reasonably good Italian. He will graduate from high school in 5 years. How would I go about enrolling him in International high school then university? I'd appreciate any advice you can give to me. Thanks!