Italian Dual Citizenship Changed My Life FOREVER

[@michaelpedicinjr]

Where can I find the real estate podcast? Name?

[@RafaelDiFuria]

You can find it on KZbin and on most podcasting apps The names of the podcasts are: The Italian Real Estate Podcast The Italian Citizenship Podcast Ask The Italian Lawyer The Italian Real Estate Podcast and Ask The Italian Lawyer both will have topics on real estate, but Ask the Italian Lawyer will have other’s as well

[@gigisummer109]

I feel really privileged to be an Italian citizen through JS and I agree with you that it`s important to spend some time living in Italy, It only seems right and respectful to learn more about the country which has recognised us as citizens.

[@pdemp5780]

I was recognized August 2022. My wife decided to do some not so good things so we got divorced and last month (August 2024) I moved to Paris for work. Hope to live in Italy at some point but it surely has changed my life since it gave me a new opportunity

[@JohnCash001]

I'm a big fan. I started the process in February and will be applying in Italy next year.. I can't wait. After spending years visiting I know it is a better place for me than the U.S., my only regret is not knowing it was even possible much earlier. I could have got this 15 years ago but didn't know about it. Even more recently I thought it was close to impossible to get. Now I know it is very doable for me and I have no broken ancestral lines. Grazie mille.

[@paolovincis7239]

I hope that by obtaining Italian citizenship you will learn the language (I mean, seriously), and what being an Italian really means. I know you will enjoy many advantages when possessing one of the strongest passports in the world but, you know, it's also a form of respect for your ancestry and the culture you should be eager to reconnect.

[@timlinator]

I received my Italian citizenship/passport recently and used it just last month on a visit to Italy. Not my first visit there but my visit there using my Italian passport.

[@RafaelDiFuria]

Congratulations! That really is awesome! What a feeling to be able to enter Italy the first time as a citizen :) I remember the feeling the first time that I did :) Something nice about coming home :)

[@timlinator]

@@RafaelDiFuria I was nervous because I don't speak Italian though learning now. Fortunately passport control in Italy and most EU countries is automated.

[@PaulFromCHGO]

I remember last summer when I came to Rome with my Italian passport. This was the first time I ever came to Europe. I went through the citizenship line and passed wave after wave after wave of people standing and waiting in the foreign line! It must have been well over an hour wait for them to get through the queue to customs! Meanwhile, my kids and I walked past all of that with like 4 other people off the plane who were also Italian citizens. What a great feeling and great first impression!

[@timlinator]

@@PaulFromCHGO nice and I only had to scan my passport no human interaction.

[@robertrosini762]

Visiting Italy for my first time next week. My appointment in Detroit is shortly after I return. Thanks for all the great content!

[@PaulFromCHGO]

Nice! I went through Detroit as well with my kids. Since we had to bring our US Passports, as soon as we were done, we hopped into Canada for dinner and some sightseeing before returning home. Long day, but very worth it!

[@RafaelDiFuria]

Enjoy your trip to Italy! There’s nothing like the first trip there! Have fun making memories! Where do you plan to go?

[@RafaelDiFuria]

@Paul that’s some great thinking! Great to get a little extra out of the trip!

[@robertrosini762]

@@RafaelDiFuria Just did a few days in Rome. Tomorrow I go to Abruzzo for four days to see where one of my Italian grandfathers was from! My Raffaele side.

[@jerryriccio5680]

I have dual citizenship and I am selling my condo in the US to move to Italy.❤🇮🇹❤️

[@sisko212]

Don't be crazy... Think twice before to do it...

[@RafaelDiFuria]

There’s a point to each side, for example renting out an apartment could be a good way to fund an apartment in Italy… but i would say try before you buy in italy, Give it at least a couple of years before making a purchase.

[@jerryriccio5680]

@@sisko212 I have spent alot of time travelling throughout Italy over the years. My father and mother were the only two to emigrate to America from Italy. Dad's dream was to return back to Italy to build a house in his small town. He never made it, he died in an automobile accident in New Jersey while going to work. I was 2½ years old and my mother was pregnant 5 months with my brother when he died. I was a history major in college and studied Italian Medieval and Renaissance history. I studied the Italian language while in school in the States and I can speak and write Italian. The Italian culture is too rich...the church's, museums, art, architecture, the piazza's, food, is what brings me joy. Italy stimulates all my senses and besides most of my family lives in Italy. The cost of living in the US has become almost prohibitive. My HOA fees on my condo are close to $400 per month, medical insurance almost $300 per month. I want to live my father's dream as well as mine. Someone, once said, “Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.” ❤️🇮🇹❤️

[@nsallesm]

You can live at any country of the European Union and EEA. There are better countries!

[@PersonalNotPrivate-rl8dv]

I finally got my EU passport very recently because my father was an EU citizen, so I didn't have to apply per se. Anyway, I know what you mean. I have been much more attuned to what is going in Europe since then.

[@alangangli584]

UE passport doesn't exist

[@italianspoken]

I love how you promote the Italian-American culture and compare the two in a positive light- having it change your life and sharing the lifestyle. Thanks for sharing!

[@PaulFromCHGO]

Having EU citizenship has certainly changed my outlook on life not just for myself but my children as well. I grew up in Chicago's little Italy neighborhood and so I was never too far from the culture. All 4 great grandparents on my paternal side were from southern Italy and this helped me to gain Italian citizenship by descent. But soon after I obtained Italian citizenship, I found out that Austria relaxed their citizenship laws in 2020 for Nazi persecuted descendants of which is the case for my maternal side, so I went for it and also got Austrian citizenship. Why go for 2 EU citizenships? Brexit victims came to mind but it also gives me more rights so now I can live in either Italy or Austria with zero restrictions, even if I could no longer work for some reason. The rest of the EU might ask financial questions and I cannot retire yet, so no passive income yet. So after visiting both Italy and Austria and staying over the summer for 3 months in the EU, my family and I are now planing to move to the EU soon after my youngest kid finishes high school and the plan is for my children to attend University in the EU instead of paying the price of a house for an education in the US. Also, maybe I too can now go for a degree I never could afford to get in the past! Despite working in IT for over 30 years, since I never could afford a University degree, it has cost me in terms of lower salary with brutal hours and on-call while getting passed over for promotions or other jobs. So for me, I hope to gain more meaningful employment with a much better work / life balance or since I will have healthcare access, maybe I can take a risk and start a business now! I could never, ever take that risk in the US as I would have to pay over $2500 / month for private health care insurance plus co-pays and deductibles for my family if I wanted to be self employed. So as you can see, having this precious EU citizenship promises a better life for my children and I. I am grateful to have it and to some degree, I don't really look at myself as a future expat... more like I am returning my bloodline back to Europe where it always belonged.

[@italianspoken]

Love your story and I agree- it's so valuable to have the EU citizenship not only for the tangible benefits like education but also like you said "returning your bloodline back to Europe." As someone who is extremely passionate about our heritage, I could not be more happy for you and think everyone should connect with their roots!!

[@relocatetoEUROPE]

Getting Italian citizenship made me more secure that having lived here 23 years Im now an Italian citizen. Also I can travel around Europe with my ID card.

[@gracerosella]

I have dual citizenships via JS, I recently visited Italy and spent some time in the villages my parents come from. ( And a couple of the large cities like Rome and Naples). All I can say is it felt so familiar, It felt like home. I loved it. I hope to spend some time there.

[@robertpeterson1497]

Great episode. Thank you! I lived in Spain for a couple years, and in addition to what you said, what I gained was perspective on life. I learned that there are other ways to live that are completely different than here in the U.S. Other ways to think about things. It was mind opening and life changing.

[@anonymous6594]

Have you ever considered renouncing your U.S. citizenship? If not, why not? Please do a video.

[@pumuckl0]

I would like to know this as well. I am considering renouncing my US citizenship and it would be good to hear his thoughts.

[@RafaelDiFuria]

It’s a complicated topic, and possibly one that I might not get into unless I would complete the process. Has the idea crossed my mind? yes.. Would I? That’s a tricky one. I can see the benefits and downsides. Regardless if I would or not, at this moment in time it’s not even a consideration for me… It’s simply just too expensive and time consuming for me to consider.

[@PaulFromCHGO]

@@RafaelDiFuria Although I have considered renouncing my US citizenship, I would want to make absolutely sure I am thriving in the EU first. After I have been living there for at a minimum of 4 years, then at that point I would start to ask questions like what would happen to my US Social Security / IRA / 401K / Property or other financial stuff before pulling the trigger. I would not want to "shoot myself in the foot" and see what the pros and cons are. But again, it's not even worth asking yet until you know for sure you are still doing ok after living in the EU for no less than a few years!

[@paestum70]

Why does that have anything to do with claiming an ancestral citizenship? Trying to understand your logic... it's a strange question. Why can't one have both, or three? If your Mom is Italian and your father is Australian and you were born in the US, why not get all three? Perhaps that's the better question.

[@pumuckl0]

@@paestum70 There are several reasons why this is relevant to people getting a second citizenship. First, it's up to your original country of citizenship whether you can be a dual citizen. For example, Germany up until recently did not allow dual citizenship for most people, so they would have had to renounce their German citizenship unless the government granted them special permission to have both. Second, while the United States allows dual citizenship, it is one of only two countries in the world that taxes their citizens based on citizenship rather than residency (Eritrea is the other). For those of us that are American with a second citizenship, we have to file/pay U.S. taxes regardless of where we are living. In my case, I have three citizenships (United States, Australia and soon to be Italy) and I have lived in Australia full-time for 12 years. I only travel to the U.S. to visit family, and I never plan on living there again but I still have to file/pay taxes and disclose all of my foreign accounts and investments and it can be extremely complicated if you own a business abroad. It also makes things like collecting retirement or inheritance from the U.S. very difficult if you have a second citizenship and are living abroad full-time because both countries will try to tax it. There are also people called "accidental Americans" that were born in the U.S. or born to an American parent but have spent their entire lives abroad as a citizen of another country, not knowing that they had obligations to the Unites States that whole time. Rather than dealing with all of this bureaucracy, many people that never plan to return to the U.S. consider giving up their U.S. citizenship. Sorry for the long-winded reply, but it's complicated 😄

[@pavek]

Just adding a fun fact about italian public university. You obviously need to pay the get the exam and the final diploma. However, if your goal is just "to learn" and not to get the paper, most of the courses are absolutely free to attend. Just remember to sit on the last rows and leave the seat just if there's no room for the students. I was studying engineering and once I brought a friends of mine, which stopped its studying career before university to a course of Psycological Science. We even sit in the from row because the room was almost empty. Once questioned we even admitted we were just auditors and the teacher didn't bother us at all.

[@huapehucristovao2214]

My grandfather came from Monte Cassino, I love the italian food and the people, so I ended up with three citizenship and would not renounce any of them, because I am a piece of each of them.

[@RafaelDiFuria]

That’s really awesome that you can feel. Belonging with all three of your countries! If you don’t mind my asking, I’m curious what the other two are?

[@A_Corte]

Recently got my dual citizenship (just need to get my passport) and I'm wondering what I'll do with it outside of continuing to visit Italy. Maybe I won't seriously use it until retirement, but I love knowing I have the option and it also inspires me to keep practicing my Italian.

[@joecolletti]

Rafael, I just discovered your channel and really enjoyed this video. A few years ago I looked into JS citizenship-- my bisnonno came from Sicily-- but gave up because of the two-year wait for a consulate visit, and the impossible website lottery to even set that appointment! Do you know much about traveling to one's ancestral commune in Italy, and running the process there? I've heard different things about the amount of time it takes, and the restrictions on travel while doing it. Grazie mille! :)

[@YogaBlissDance]

If you hire someone in Italy I'm pretty sure it's faster and yes go there yourself if you can- that is the fastest.

[@RafaelDiFuria]

Hey there Joe :) Welcome to the channel! Feel free to email me Info(AT)RafaelDiFuria(DOT)com or you can go to my website and use the webform, and I’ll be more than happy to share a recommendation with you. Also just so you know, it’s possible to do it from almost anywhere in the country, so you do have more options if you’re Loso interested in spending time elsewhere.

[@RafaelDiFuria]

@YogaBlissDance it can be but it depends on a number of factors. But generally speaking it is much faster than the process in the US. It’s not totally necessary to hire someone but personally in wouln’t do it any other way… but I’m quite picky, there are a lot of options but maybe only one option that I’d personally choose.

[@grantog123]

I wish I could move somewhere because of my ancestors.

[@jenniferlindorff9710]

I just found out about the “minor child” ruling from last year and now I don’t think I qualify for citizenship. From what I understand the consulates are potentially still allowing this. But the Boston consulate is impossible to get an appointment with. So… I’m sad, but life will go on. It was great to hear your perspective.

[@klasicpao]

Ciao Rafael, can you tell me where in your postcasts say something about what to do after being granted Italian citizenship? I was just recognized Italian citizen by the M. of Interior and I wanted to know all the steps to follow. I am currently in the US and planning to leave for Europe in a couple of years. Thanks in advance!

[@RafaelDiFuria]

Ciao 😁 I’ve actually got a playlistwith 77 videos so far in it called “You’re and italian citizen now… what’s next?” Here’s the link: kzbin.info/aero/PLyMrEud0Cd5_nMdIkxfrpoYyaU_MKWWY

[@richardpaz1919]

I wish I could do this, but my Italian ancestor didn't recognize his daughter so there's no "proof" that he's the dad sadly.

[@pennypeyton1908]

My husband's father and mother were born in Italy, therefore, the children, aka, my hubby, were first born Italian-Americans. Are "we" eligible for dual citizenship based on our family line??

[@acaviness7579]

What is your best guess Re whether or not the JS rules will change limiting to 3rd generation and so forth?

[@RafaelDiFuria]

Possible? Yes. Likelihood? Questionable Like I’ve been saying for years though, there is no time like the present to get started, we know the door is open now so it’s important to get the application in under the current rules. There theoretically should be a level of security for those who already made a submission to be treated under the current rules/laws.

[@acaviness7579]

@@RafaelDiFuria I have been busy gathering docs and Apostilles! Thanks!

[@catedarpino7050]

Rafael, In regards to the hospital care for your burned hand, you could have gotten medical care , even if you were not an Italian citizen. I've had the misfortune of needing emergency care in Italy 2 times and I did not have to pay even 1 Euro,, so you would have gotten medical care regardless of your residency or citizenship status.

[@Quincyq15]

I can’t seem to get an appointment in Philadelphia for couple years now. I have a direct line to citizenship.what other options do I have?

[@robertpeterson1497]

Can use a lawyer in Italy, or go through a commune. My wife is going through a lawyer and she is close to having hers now after about two years.

[@Quincyq15]

@@robertpeterson1497 thanks. I’ll try finding a lawyer.

[@RafaelDiFuria]

@Quincyq15 If you need any recommendations feel free to contact me you can use the form on my website or you can email me at Info(AT)RafaelDiFuria(DOT)com

[@HopeLaFleur1975]

So my husband was born in Italy and he wants to reclaim his citizenship. He came to Canada as a baby. But they are giving him a hard time. Any suggestions 🤷‍♀️

[@andreadimatteo1036]

Alto Adige is not a region of Italy. I try to explain to you. Trentino Alto Adige is a region of Italy, of course. Trentino is the province of Trento, Alto Adige is the province of Bolzano. If you talk about Alto Adige you are speaking about the province of Bolzano, it is not a region, it is a province. In that case you are right telling that the majority of the population speaks german, or better the local version of german (and the standard german learnt at school). Viceversa if you talk about the region as a whole, the Trentino Alto Adige, it has 1.043.000 inhabitants (538.000 in Trentino and 505.000 in Alto Adige). The italian speakers are 95,8% in Trentino and 26% in Alto Adige. In total there are 515.000 italian speakers in Trentino and 131.000 in Alto Adige. The sum is 646.000 italian speakers in Trentino Alto Adige, that is the 62% of the total population.

[@PaulFromCHGO]

Thank you for the clarification! I was wondering why I was seeing things about "Alto Adige" and "Trentino Alto Adige" and was a bit confused. This helps! Grazie mille!

[@johnatyoutube]

Do European countries feel to you like states feel to us in the US?

[@Susan.I]

What do I need to get dual citizenship? My grandparents left Sicily around 1905.

[@rivobravo]

You should visit the website of local Italian embassy or consulate for instructions, more often than not it is a time consuming process so hiring a service provider might be useful. Since your grandparents are from Sicily, the city hall (anagrafe office) keeps registry of your grandparents and the rectory of local parish. You may be able to visit the website of city hall and/or parish. The more information you have the better, maybe you can get in touch with some distant relatives. Last but not the least on Google you can click "pagine bianche of (hometown) and this search may give you phone numbers and address of local residents.

[@pumuckl0]

The starting point is birth, marriage and death records for all family members in that part of your family tree (you back to them). Then you need to find immigration and census records showing their arrival and when/if they renounced their Italian citizenship. If they renounced their Italian citizenship before their children were born, then you likely would not be eligible. There are some other things but that's where you need to start.

[@RafaelDiFuria]

@Susan if you email me I can share some info that should get you started in the right direction you can email on the form on my website or Info(AT)RafaelDiFuria(DOT)com

[@bobbyc4495]

Why are you living in Portugal ?

[@RafaelDiFuria]

Episode 220 should be able to answer that question kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHTPk6F3nJKdqposi=DetiMQwe0ZcZqgTg

[@teddydavis2339]

Americans romanticize Europe so much. After living in 5 different European countries, I learned to love and appreciate the US. I ignore politics as much as I can. I try to focus on positive aspects of the US. I'm determined to love it.

[@nsallesm]

Overall the US is a better country to live compared to most of the European Countries.

[@nicolettastrada5976]

@@nsallesmok

[@dooley-ch]

@@nsallesm When kids have to worry about their own mortality every time they go to school, that is a terrible country to live, when people can't get basic medical care they need that is a terrible country to live in, When people can't afford to pay for the education that will allow them to achieve the ambitions that is a terrible country to live in..... wake up and stop being the stereotypical Dumb American for heavens sake.