# Confusion over whether I'm actually Italian or not...



## freddo (Jan 7, 2016)

So my story is rather unusual... my Italian (step) father legally adopted me so that I could gain his citizenship - but he left it late, so that the adoption proceedings hadn't (debatable) concluded before I turned 18.

I was issued an Italian passport at the time nonetheless, but never attempted to use it, since there was an issue with the proceedings, so now, 10+ years later and in Australia, I tried getting a new one at the consulate and ran into the same administrative problem. 

We are probably going to fight it in court since this seems to be a judicial (according the the Judge, I was adopted before 18) vs. an administrative thing.

Today I received a surprise in the mail - a letter from the Registry of Italians Resident Abroad (A.I.R.E.) (attached) saying that *since I was Italian, I needed to register my details and vote etc. *

So now I'm confused. Am I Italian? According to AIRE, I seem to be. According to Immigration(?) I am not, and will not be granted a passport.

Has anyone else run into something like this?


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Your commune seems to think you're an Italian citizen, yes. You can try using that correspondence to apply for a new/renewed passport again and see what happens.


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