Introduction:
This case concerned several applicants, descendants of an Italian ancestor born in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the late 19th century, who emigrated to the United States but never renounced his Italian citizenship. When the family sought to obtain recognition of their citizenship through consular channels in the United States, they faced years of waiting and administrative inaction. Consequently, they turned to the Italian judicial system for justice.
Outcome:
The Court of Reggio Calabria recognized the applicants as Italian citizens jure sanguinis, ordering the Ministry of the Interior to register and annotate the decision in the relevant civil status registers. The judgment reaffirmed that citizenship by descent is a permanent, imprescriptible right, not subject to arbitrary time limits or consular inefficiencies. Legal costs were fully compensated due to the exceptional administrative backlog affecting consular offices.
Challenge:
The main obstacle was the inefficiency of the “Prenot@mi” consular system, which left applicants unable to even schedule an appointment for years. Despite multiple attempts through the Italian Consulates of Philadelphia and Los Angeles, all efforts were met with automatic responses stating that no booking slots were available. This administrative impasse effectively denied the applicants their right to a timely recognition of citizenship.
Action:
The applicants’ legal team demonstrated the uninterrupted transmission of citizenship through the paternal line, supporting every generational link with duly apostilled and translated documents. They also proved that the Italian ancestor had never naturalized as a U.S. citizen. The Court analyzed both national and constitutional principles, reaffirming the validity of judicial recourse when administrative procedures become unreasonably delayed.
For the privacy of our clients, all names are fictional, and any identifying details in the judgements have been obscured.