I’ve long dreamed of living and working in Italy, with The Beloved being of good Calabrese stock and as the relatives are not getting any younger, I am conscious of time marching on.

I also think it’d be a fantastic legacy for mia moglie e La Regina to take up their rights to Italian citizenship ‘jure sanguini’ (’by blood’). It would allow them to live and work anywhere in Italy or the broader European Union - what an amazing, life changing opportunity; something that I find myself wanting to grasp as tightly as I can for them both. So I’ve officially set myself a quest - to do the research, find the documents and finally get things happening once and for all!

My starting point, as so often, is the exquisite writings of Michelle at Bleeding Espresso, who has again set the soul food standard from which to set forth.

There are lots of complicated qualification rules, but in simple terms, I think that both my guys qualify for Italian citizenship through my wife’s Italian bloodline; basically, one has to trace an unbroken line (no renouncement or loss of Italian citizenship) back to the last ancestor who was registered as a citizen in Italy.

My short thoughts on whether my wife actually qualifies for ‘jure sanguinis’…
1. Her father was an Italian citizen at the time of her birth and she has never renounced her rights to Italian citizenship
2. Her mother was an Italian citizen at the time of her birth, she (wifey) was born AFTER January 1, 1948 and has never renounced her rights to Italian citizenship

Taking that a step further for La Regina…her mother (wifey) was an Italian citizen (’jure sanguinis’) at the time of her birth, she was obviously born AFTER January 1, 1948 and has (equally obviously) never renounced her rights to Italian citizenship

There are some terrific websites that give guidance and step by step advice on the necessary paperwork, records and (I suspect) twists and turns that I’m about to confront. All part of the journey!

As an aside, my focus is obviously on the necessary steps from an Australian perspective. I’ll try to keep my writing as general as possible, but please forgive me if I take on an overly Australian slant.
If you are interested in pursuing this for yourself or someone close to you, I encourage you to check the requirements as they pertain to your own country.
Australian Government - Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Italian Consulate - Canberra, Australia