The number one requirement to begin the process of reconstruction of Italian citizenship is to obtain the birth certificate of the ancestor in Italy. When you do not have any document or record beyond your name or surname, many prefer to start the search to obtain dual citizenship through an agent or travel to Italy themselves.
However, The process can be started online for freewhere anyone can access the birth certificate of their “Avo” – as the Italian grandfather, great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather is known -, until they get their turn to attend the consulate in Argentina indicated according to their address.
How to search for the birth certificate of an Italian grandfather or great-grandfather on the internet?
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The search will depend on the ancestor data that the applicant has.
There are several places to consult the records and start putting together the family tree. They are generally free, but some offer a paid service to speed up the search. The level of complexity of the search will depend on the data the applicant has: whether the place of birth is known or not, whether the surname is known, etc.
As a first step, it is suggested to consult the family in Argentina: uncles, aunts, grandfathers, grandmothers, any relative who may be linked to Italian roots. If you do not receive answers, the Italian civil registry can be consulted online on the most used sites: Family Search and Portale Antenati. Both have extensive databases based on the Italian civil registry and parish records. They offer different ways to locate the data of people born in Italy.
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The website of the Italian Ministry of Culture offers an extensive database.
Depending on the information that the person who consults it has, the system will display the information in image or transcript format. Another way is to search from the commune or parish at ancestrositalianos.com.
What to do after?
After completing the form fields, the user will be able to download digital copies of the games for free. This will allow you to know the ancestor information only, such as place of birth and date. However, the most important step is still missing: requesting the certified birth certificate from the corresponding Italian commune.
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The Family Search form.
Once the user has the online birth certificate in hand, with the data of the Italian grandfather, great-grandfather or even great-great-grandfather, they must send an email to the corresponding Italian commune. The box can be obtained through any search engine by searching the commune’s website.
In the email, which must be written in Italian, you must request the “plurilingual” birth certificate, that is, both in Italian and Spanish. Meanwhile, according to Italian regulations, it is the right of descendants of Italians to receive documentation by mail at no cost, but it is a process that can take several months, considering the bureaucracy and the distance between Argentina and Italy. The key is to be patient.