So Why?

So why go through all this?

In my case, I live in the Chicago area and have been doing a lot of computer consulting for a company in the UK.  (Which is odd because most of our clients are actually in the US.)  BUT, the company has stated that there are advantages for them if I am a member of the European Union.  AND, I do qualify to become a member since I do qualify for Italian dual citizenship.  More about the qualifications in another blog.  Also, I am the type of person who does things just because I can.  I feel life is too short to not try a lot of things that come across my plate.  There’s a whole story about my central air unit needing a recharge and how I handled it.  I may write about that in the future while I’m waiting for my next-January Consulate meeting…

So let’s go through some of the advantages and disadvantages of doing this dual-citizenship thing.

Before I do this, let me cover my fat behind (notice that I didn’t say “ass” because I want to keep it clean and not say the word “ass” in my blog) by stating that the following information is mostly from what I have collected from the internet.  I have also done some checking with sites in Italy to confirm some of these, but don’t take my word for all this.  Do your own research and make your own decisions based on that.

Advantages

Living in Italy (not my intent, but my wife and I may eventually want a place somewhere in Europe too):

• Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world to live in (my opinion)
• The cost of living (outside the tourist areas) is much lower than in the US
• It’s listed as a good place to retire
• They have a Universal Heathcare System!  (no waiting for the Government to get a comprehensive plan in place)
• You actually become part of the European Union (one of my desires for my work.)
• You can freely visit, live, and work in Italy, France, England, Germany, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Portugal, Austria, and the Netherlands
• You can buy European stocks, bonds, offshore mutual funds, securities, and exclusive real estate
• If you work long enough in Italy, you may collect a pension along with your Social Security
• State college tuition is free, and apparently there is also free education available at all academic levels.  Certain  taxes may be present for universities.
• You can open a Business in Italy with less hassles

Byproduct:

• You wind up having the option to hold two passports
• Possible benefits in property succession (inheritance)

Possible Disadvantages of Dual Citizenship

• If you get into trouble in Italy, and entered using an Italian passport, your home country can do very little to help
• The “foreign” citizenship might hinder or jeopardize your chances of getting or keeping a security clearance in your home country
• Until 2003, you could be called for military duties in time of war (or at other times.) Everyone getting an Italian citizenship was expected to fulfill their military duty.  In the case of a US citizen getting a dual Italian citizenship, this means if you have already served in the US military, or you were 45 or over, you did not have to serve in the Italian Military.  If you were older than 26, and under 45, you may have had to serve in the Italian Military, but may not have been required to if you filled out some paperwork. If you were 18 to 26 years old, you were required to complete your military service, unless you entered Italy as a student.  Apparently in 2003, this mandatory military duty requirement was withdrawn.  It’s apparently an all-volunteer duty now.  You may want to check this yourself if you’re doing a dual-Italian citizenship and are young, or have young kids.
• Some may call dual-citizenship un-patriotic, although the reason most people would  get the dual Italian citizenship, I should think, would have nothing, whatsoever to do with the dislike of your birth-country!

Things I have learned regarding the dual Italian citizenship

(Again, be sure what I say here is correct before acting on it!  I don’t want to get yelled at about giving the wrong information.  I get yelled at enough at home.)

• Regarding working in either country, you pay taxes to the country you work in.  BUT the US also has tax rules that make things a bit more complex.  I may do a blog just on this subject when I have nothing else to talk about.  (For example, there are issues such as a $70,000 rule, paying the US the difference in tax between what you paid Italy and what you would have paid the US, and all sorts of other complex tax issues.)  In the meantime, check with your accountant or legal person and don’t listen to me.  (Nobody else does…)
• You can vote in Italy and the US (check with your home country if you’re not from the US).

Ok, Citizenship.

As I stated before, by qualifying for and becoming an Italian citizen (dual citizen), you do not automatically lose your US citizenship.  Note that I said US citizenship.  From what I’ve been able to determine, this also applies if you are a citizen of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.  And this applies if you are getting your dual citizenship due to jure sanguinis. Jure Sanguinis (no, not a dirty word) means Italian citizenship through your family’s Italian bloodline. Literally it means “the law of the blood.” If you are a citizen of other countries, check with the Italian Consulate for your country.

In the US, you can only lose your citizenship if you specifically and formally renounce your US citizenship in writing.

But that’s not what I’m talking about in this blog. Remember, I call it DUAL citizenship. So my idea is to ADD an Italian citizenship to my current library of one.

So that’s the beginning of the framework of information.  I’ll describe the Jure Sanguinis in much more detail a bit later.

For now, ciao!  (wow, my first Italian phrase!)