# Italian Citizenship



## Grahamcarol

am new to the forum, so may have posted this on the wrong forum..please direct me to the correct one if I have.

My step-daughter in law was born in South Africa in 1985, her father born in Mauritius (around 1960) and her paternal grandmother born in Italy.

Does my daughter in law qualify for either citizenship or any access to EU countries.

If she does qualify what would my step-son (her husband) qualify for?

Many thanks


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## Joppa

Grahamcarol said:


> am new to the forum, so may have posted this on the wrong forum..please direct me to the correct one if I have.
> 
> My step-daughter in law was born in South Africa in 1985, her father born in Mauritius (around 1960) and her paternal grandmother born in Italy.
> 
> Does my daughter in law qualify for either citizenship or any access to EU countries.
> 
> If she does qualify what would my step-son (her husband) qualify for?


For your second query about citizenship, Italy does allow grandparent's nationality to be passed down, but under strict conditions. Basically, your stepdaughter's grandmother must have been an Italian citizen (not given it up) at the time of her father's birth. If that's the case, then her father will first have to establish his Italian nationality, and assuming that is successful (not an easy process as getting documentary proofs acceptable to the Italian authorities isn't straightforward), she can then apply for her Italian citizenship on the basis of her father. She will have to apply to her nearest Italian consulate for documents required, as they differ from consulate to consulate. Everything has to be officially translated into Italian and certified with an apostile, where appropriate. Apart from basic principle, there are a lot of details which can determine the success or otherwise of her application, and it will be a long drawn-out affair (many people requiring several years for the process). Her consulate can advise on this.
If she eventually obtains her Italian citizenship, they need to go and live in Italy or work for Italian government or organisation for several years before her husband can be naturalised. There may be a requirement to speak reasonable Italian. She also needs to check whether getting another nationality may affect her existing citizenship.


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## NickZ

Joppa said:


> . If that's the case, then her father will first have to establish his Italian nationality, a.


While she will need the documents to prove this he doesn't actually have to do anything. The person seeking recongition does all the work.

The documents aren't really that hard or unusual. In a case like this of just a few generations it's possible most are already in hand. Birth certificate. Marriages. If the grandmother still carries an Italian passport then things get even easier. She may even be already registered with the consulate.


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## Joppa

NickZ said:


> While she will need the documents to prove this he doesn't actually have to do anything. The person seeking recongition does all the work.
> 
> The documents aren't really that hard or unusual. In a case like this of just a few generations it's possible most are already in hand. Birth certificate. Marriages. If the grandmother still carries an Italian passport then things get even easier. She may even be already registered with the consulate.


Yes, but such cases are relatively few. In many cases, esp with regard to US citizens, the person concerned (i.e. the grandmother) had to renounce Italian nationality on becoming a naturalised US citizen (as the rule was then), so by the time their parent was born she was no longer an Italian citizen. I even knew of a case where the naturalisation took place between the birth of their first and second child, so while the descendants of the eldest child could claim Italian nationality, those of the subsequent children could not.

The OP's stepdaughter-in-law has to examine her ancestry very carefully to establish her eligibility for an Italian passport.


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