An inch at a time…

And hopefully forward…

Today brings some more information that begins to show me I need to be in this for the long haul.

It looks like not only do I need to get all sorts of certified and “apostilled” (yes, I’m getting better at the spelling of this word) documents, but must also pay a professional translator to translate them into Italian.  This is one instruction directly from the consulate.  And they even state “professional translator”.   So I’ll need a slightly larger bankroll.  I figure around 8 documents to translate (no, not every one has to be translated) times about $50 each, so this adds around $400 to the tab.  So now I’m thinking around $600 total.  (Until something else unforeseen comes up).

Today’s project was to make all sorts of backup copies of forms I’ll be sending out to request certified versions of what I’m sending.  Ya know, as time goes, I’m going to become an expert in copying, filling out forms, mailing, opening mail, stapling, more mailing, more wheel spinning…  maybe I’ll be ultra-qualified to work for the Government in their Red-Tape department.

I expect the notarized affidavit to come in tomorrow from my Father stating that he never renounced his Italian citizenship.

I also spent some time doing a bit of research on professional translators.  Prices range between $30 and $350 per translated document.  What a range.  I’d much rather just run them through Google’s translator but I’m guessing that wouldn’t be considered a professional translator. (Then again, who’d know?)

It’s also been interesting reading through some of the documents I have… like my Grandfather and Grandmother’s Application for Marriage License.  This is not the only form that is pre-printed with the term “Color, White”.  It just goes to show how times have changed.  This form was from 1926.  You’d never see that today!

So my wife and I have decided that the next thing will be to mail for my Grandfather’s birth certificate.  Yes, this one will come from Italy.  Fortunately it’ll be the only document I need from there.  The rest will be from the US.

I promise I’ll soon give more background and the ways to qualify and gain dual Italian Citizenship.  But for now, here’s a list of what I need (there are different lists, depending on how you qualify):

1. My paternal Grandfather’s Birth Certificate (from Italy)
2. My paternal Grandmother’s Birth Certificate (from US)
3. My Grandparents’ Marriage Certificate (from US)
4. My Grandfather’s Certificate of Naturalization (from US)
5. My Father’s Birth Certificate (from US)
6. My Mother’s Birth Certificate (from US)
7. My Parents’ Marriage Certificate (from US)
8. My Birth Certificate (from US) (Hey!  I have this!  But I still need to get an apostillized copy) (is apostillized even a word?)  (I apostille, he apostilles, we apostilled, they all apostilled, we have been apostilling… not sure…)
9. A notarized letter signed by my Father, stating that he never renounced his Italian citizenship (from US)  (hopefully this is arriving in the mail tomorrow)
10. I also need a document that states that my Grandfather never renounced his Italian citizenship either, but he’s dead, so I have to take a blank form to the cemetery and rub it on his grave.  (Not really.  But I need to state this in a letter)
11. My Grandfather’s death certificate

Good luck…  And these all have to be certified.  And then all of the US forms relating to my Father’s side (Grandfather and Father) have to be (here it comes again…) apostilled by the Secretary of the state in which they were issued (except the naturalization form) (that doesn’t have to be apostilled.)

(This is so much fun I could just shit…)