Welcome to our regular look at everything you need to know about life in Italy for The Local’s readers from the US. This newsletter is published monthly and you can receive it directly to your inbox before we publish by going to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or following the instructions in the newsletter box below.
A large number of The Local’s readers tell us that they have, or are planning to apply for, Italian citizenship.
Most say that they’ll be applying via the ancestry route, which is especially common among our American readers, whether they live in Italy, the US, or elsewhere in the world.
There are plenty of benefits to becoming an Italian citizen - and therefore a dual national - and few possible drawbacks.
But it’s not an easy process. And it’s certainly not cheap, with some readers from the US telling us they’ve spent $15,000 or even more in total between apostilles, translation fees, consulting fees, flights, accommodation in Italy, and hiring local consultants on the ground.
It doesn't always cost that much, but even those who face lower costs often report that getting all the required documentation together feels like an uphill battle.
So, particularly if you already have Italian residency, is having Italian citizenship worth the trouble and expense?
To help make it easier to decide whether dual nationality would be right for you, we’ve outlined the pros and cons to having Italian citizenship and how this differs from simply being an Italian resident (although you can, of course, be both).
What are the benefits of having Italian citizenship vs residency?
One common question we get from readers considering applying for Italian citizenship, via ancestry or any other route, is whether and how this could impact their tax obligations. Is getting Italian citizenship such a good idea from a financial point of view?
There is a common misconception that having dual nationality would make you liable to pay tax in both countries - or, at the very least, more Italian tax than you are currently paying.
The good news is that in Italy, unlike in the US, taxation rules are not based on your citizenship.
The Italian tax and citizenship experts we spoke to were clear that obtaining Italian citizenship in itself should not affect your tax obligations in Italy.
If you become an Italian tax resident, however, you need to pay Italian taxes regardless of your nationality. Find the details in our article below:
Will Italian citizenship mean I have to pay tax in Italy?
Once you’ve decided that Italian citizenship would be the right choice for you and you’ve begun the application process, the time this takes varies enormously depending on how you apply and where you file your application.
Readers in the US filing applications via ancestry at their local consulate have told us there’s a common problem: increasingly long wait times for an appointment to become available.
This has been an issue for years at some consulates. But some applicants tell us booking a slot is now "next to impossible", and immigration lawyers say this is an issue they’re seeing more and more often in the US, as well as in South America and the UK.
Debi Holland, a dual US-Italian citizen in Chicago, said the city's Italian consulate "is booked for two-plus years".
She told us how she "tried for months to get an appointment and gave up" before ultimately travelling to Italy to complete the process.
Another reader reported: "The Los Angeles consulate has a SEVEN year waiting list for applications."
"Don’t waste your time; hire an attorney in Rome," they advised.
We looked at the issue of backlogs at Italian consulates abroad and how applicants are getting around the problem:
'Next to impossible': How backlogs are delaying applications for Italian citizenship
If you have a question about life in Italy as an US national, or any tips to share based on your own experiences, get in touch with either one via our short survey HERE.
Thanks for reading and please get in touch with us by email if you have any feedback on this newsletter.
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