Anyone with Italian grandparents get an EU passport?

[Giovanni]

My grandparents were both from Italy originally. My parents were born in Argentina but they moved to the United States. I am told I can get my Argentine passport because of my parents. Maybe I will do that later but the Argentine passport does not interest me as much as an Italian passport for the EU benefits. Has anyone gone through that process? How easy was it? Do you have someone to recommend that can help me?

 

[Wally]

My grandparents were both from Italy originally. My parents were born in Argentina but they moved to the United States. I am told I can get my Argentine passport because of my parents. Maybe I will do that later but the Argentine passport does not interest me as much as an Italian passport for the EU benefits. Has anyone gone through that process? How easy was it? Do you have someone to recommend that can help me?

Tons and tons of people here get Italian or Spanish passports. It is a pain to get all the paperwork for Italy. But we have friends that got it. Argentine passport could be important in the future and you can travel around or live in Mercosur counties. Well at least for now if Milei doesn't pull out of it.

 

[James Bond]

My grandparents were both from Italy originally. My parents were born in Argentina but they moved to the United States. I am told I can get my Argentine passport because of my parents. Maybe I will do that later but the Argentine passport does not interest me as much as an Italian passport for the EU benefits. Has anyone gone through that process? How easy was it? Do you have someone to recommend that can help me?

Definitely take the time to get both your Argentine passport and especially the EU passport. My girlfriend has one from Spain as her mom was born in Spain although growing up in Argentina.

Many benefits like free education, free medical care, discounted housing or even free if you can't afford it. Kids can go to college free or almost free.

 

[earlyretirement]

My grandparents were both from Italy originally. My parents were born in Argentina but they moved to the United States. I am told I can get my Argentine passport because of my parents. Maybe I will do that later but the Argentine passport does not interest me as much as an Italian passport for the EU benefits. Has anyone gone through that process? How easy was it? Do you have someone to recommend that can help me?

This is definitely worth doing. I will get around to getting my Argentine passport. I long since qualified for a while but saw no benefit before. I already have had permanent residency in Argentina for 20+ years. But my kids have their Argentine passports. I'll probably start that process once I move back to Buenos Aires full time.

Many of my American friends that qualify for an Italian passport are doing it now for all the reasons @James Bond mentioned. A very good friend of mine recently went through that process. He is American. I was amazed! He did it for himself and they let him add on all his adult kids at the same time. He has 2 adult kids that are out of college and 1 that is in middle school and they did it all at the same time! He got passports for all of them.

He raved about them. Here are the contact details of the person and company he used.

Antonia Manicone

Citizenship Consultant



MAZZESCHI | BUSINESS, IMMIGRATION & CITIZENSHIP LAW
Milano-Firenze Tel. +39.0577.926921 ext 769 | Taipei Office +886.2.77552120 | https://www.mazzeschi.it/
In case of emergency or after normal business hours, send an email to contact@info-mazzeschi.com

Here is the fee schedule they charged.

Legal fees

· Assistance with the process of acquiring Italian citizenship by filing the lawsuit in Court (main applicant): 7,000 € (+ tax*). Minors can be included in the claim for free, while for any additional adult, we apply a fee of 750 € each (+ tax*).

Legal fees do not include the following:



· Government fees for the lawsuit (approximately €1000 in total)

· tax codes (codice fiscale) application (all people involved in the lawsuit must have an Italian tax code; in the case of minor children, both parents also need to have a tax code)

· certificates procurement

· attested translations into Italian

· Transcription of judgment (see below)



Extra services

• Procurement of Italian certificates/documents (in remote locations for which it is necessary to carry out special research, we will inform the client in advance and agree upon additional fees, if necessary): 150€ + expenses + tax* for each certificate;
• Translation into Italian: 50€ + tax* per page (for a large volume of documents, we apply a discount)
• Attestation in Court of the translation of foreign certificates/documents: € 150 + expenses + tax
• Tax code (codice fiscale): 100€ + tax* per person.
• Transcription of the judgment: 250€ + expenses + tax

Payment terms

Payments shall be made as follows (in the case of 1 main applicant) :

1. 3,500 € (+ tax*) upon initiation (it includes: assessment already provided, providing the list of documents necessary for the lawsuit, documents check, assisting in amending name discrepancies and, in general, advising on any documents necessary for the lawsuit).
2. 3,500 € (+ tax*) upon filing the lawsuit at the Court (at this stage, government fees are also due - about € 1000). This includes drafting and submitting the deed to the Court and preparation of all ancillary legal documents (such as Power of attorney);

* Tax can be 4% or 22% (we shall confirm once we know if the payment is made by an individual in the EU, outside the EU or by a foreign/Italian company).

 

[MikeYoung]

This is definitely worth doing. I will get around to getting my Argentine passport. I long since qualified for a while but saw no benefit before. I already have had permanent residency in Argentina for 20+ years. But my kids have their Argentine passports. I'll probably start that process once I move back to Buenos Aires full time.

Many of my American friends that qualify for an Italian passport are doing it now for all the reasons @James Bond mentioned. A very good friend of mine recently went through that process. He is American. I was amazed! He did it for himself and they let him add on all his adult kids at the same time. He has 2 adult kids that are out of college and 1 that is in middle school and they did it all at the same time! He got passports for all of them.

He raved about them. Here are the contact details of the person and company he used.


Here is the fee schedule they charged.

Wow I heard you can't get it just from your grandparents. My grandma on my mom's side was from Italy. That means I could get a passport there??

 

[Piranha]

Wow I heard you can't get it just from your grandparents. My grandma on my mom's side was from Italy. That means I could get a passport there??

Yes but there are all kinds of rules and restrictions. But I think that you can do a lawsuit if they won't let you. My friend did that.


1. Direct Lineage: You must be in a direct line of descent from your Italian ancestor. This means your grandmother must have been an Italian citizen when your parent was born.

2. No Renunciation: Neither your grandmother nor your parent should have renounced Italian citizenship before your birth.

3. 1948 Rule: If your grandmother was born before January 1, 1948, she could only pass citizenship to her children if they were born after January 1, 1948. However, this rule has been challenged, and legal options may be available.

4. Documentation: You will need to gather extensive documentation, including birth and marriage certificates, and proof that your ancestors did not naturalize before passing citizenship to the next generation.

 

[Giovanni]

Definitely take the time to get both your Argentine passport and especially the EU passport. My girlfriend has one from Spain as her mom was born in Spain although growing up in Argentina.

Many benefits like free education, free medical care, discounted housing or even free if you can't afford it. Kids can go to college free or almost free.

Yes! This is why I want to get my EU passport for work opportunities. The benefits are so great for EU citizens.

This is definitely worth doing. I will get around to getting my Argentine passport. I long since qualified for a while but saw no benefit before. I already have had permanent residency in Argentina for 20+ years. But my kids have their Argentine passports. I'll probably start that process once I move back to Buenos Aires full time.

Many of my American friends that qualify for an Italian passport are doing it now for all the reasons @James Bond mentioned. A very good friend of mine recently went through that process. He is American. I was amazed! He did it for himself and they let him add on all his adult kids at the same time. He has 2 adult kids that are out of college and 1 that is in middle school and they did it all at the same time! He got passports for all of them.

He raved about them. Here are the contact details of the person and company he used.


Here is the fee schedule they charged.

Thank you for this! This is exactly what I needed. Do you know if they will do all the paperwork? My parents never did because they were missing a lot of paperwork and birth certificates and things. Do they help with this?

 

[earlyretirement]

Yes! This is why I want to get my EU passport for work opportunities. The benefits are so great for EU citizens.


Thank you for this! This is exactly what I needed. Do you know if they will do all the paperwork? My parents never did because they were missing a lot of paperwork and birth certificates and things. Do they help with this?

You're welcome. Yes, my friend said that was the most difficult thing with the paperwork but they got all the paperwork. I guess they go into old public records and things and get much of the things they needed. He raved about them. I think technically he was supposed to pay for the adult kids but they gave him a great deal and included all his kids. He is flying there soon to pick up all their passports. Sounded incredible.

 

[Wally]

Many of my American friends that qualify for an Italian passport are doing it now for all the reasons @James Bond mentioned. A very good friend of mine recently went through that process. He is American. I was amazed! He did it for himself and they let him add on all his adult kids at the same time. He has 2 adult kids that are out of college and 1 that is in middle school and they did it all at the same time! He got passports for all of them.

Wow! A 4 for 1 deal sounds great! I will pass along that lawyer to my friends that qualify for Italian citizenship. Sounds like a great company.

 

[twoofeverything]

I acquired Luxembourg citizenship by descent through my grandmother. The process was similar to the one described in this thread for Italian citizenship. I was fortunate to have a multi generation family tree to use as a guide to help obtain vital documents to prove lineage and I also used a consultant which was helpful with translations and navigating bureaucracy.
If you have European heritage, check with the relevant government for their process to acquire citizenship by descent.

 

[Betsy Ross]

I acquired Luxembourg citizenship by descent through my grandmother. The process was similar to the one described in this thread for Italian citizenship. I was fortunate to have a multi generation family tree to use as a guide to help obtain vital documents to prove lineage and I also used a consultant which was helpful with translations and navigating bureaucracy.
If you have European heritage, check with the relevant government for their process to acquire citizenship by descent.

That is great! How much did it cost to go through this process?

 

[twoofeverything]

That is great! How much did it cost to go through this process?

The consultant and vital documents cost about $2500 altogether. Round trip travel to Luxembourg from the United States to submit my application in person cost about the same. So, I spent about $5000 altogether.
I began the process in Spring 2023 and traveled to Luxembourg twelve months later. I was notified of my citizenship in October 2024. I probably could have shaved a few months off the time, but I wasn't in a hurry.

 

[Nasdaq]

The consultant and vital documents cost about $2500 altogether. Round trip travel to Luxembourg from the United States to submit my application in person cost about the same. So, I spent about $5000 altogether.
I began the process in Spring 2023 and traveled to Luxembourg twelve months later. I was notified of my citizenship in October 2024. I probably could have shaved a few months off the time, but I wasn't in a hurry.

Interesting. I believe my grandfather is from Luxembourg but we don't have any paperwork for him. I'm going to check this out. Thanks @twoofeverything. Second passports are all the rage now with many people wanting them.

 

[twoofeverything]

@Nasdaq There are a few different consultants to choose from. I used www.luxcitizenship.com as my consultant and there is also much information on Facebook and Reddit.

 

[earlyretirement]

I never really thought too much about having 2nd or 3rd passports but they are definitely valuable heading into the future. It would be amazing to have the ability to go to University free in some cities in Europe. My daughter has an Argentine passport and could go to University there free but I don't think they are desirable on a worldwide level competing against more top tier Universities.

However, it's a total sham what universities are charging these days for a good education. Some of the schools my daughter are interested in are $95,000 USD per year when you factor in all the various fees, room, board, etc. That is insane. She may also try to go to London which is much more reasonable vs. USA.

Glad to hear you got that @twoofeverything. Do you plan to live or work or study there in the EU?