Questions to Ask Your Citizenship Service Provider

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this series. As a recap—and for those who missed previous articles—we’ve talked about:

• Deciding whether to DIY your Italian citizenship or hire support
• Knowing the risks of choosing the wrong service provider
• Recognizing green flags in citizenship assistance providers
• Understanding required documents to confirm citizenship eligibility

Now, we’re wrapping up this series and putting a bow on everything. Right in time for the holidays, too.

Equipped with all this information, there’s one lingering question most people have at this point…

How do I know if I’m picking the right provider?

There are two key parts of evaluating this:

1. You ask questions
2. They ask questions

What you should ask

The questions below are designed to help you find the service provider that’s right for you and your case. These aren’t “gotcha” questions to trap them into saying the wrong thing. In fact, reputable service providers get “secret shopped” by competitors all the time (trust us, we know), and starting a professional relationship looking for a reason not to trust them is a quick way to end that relationship prematurely.

Additionally, these questions aren’t designed to test their knowledge of Italian citizenship laws. If you have doubts about a service provider’s understanding of the laws applicable to your case, you’re better off choosing someone else or DIYing it.

What don’t you do?

Most service providers can easily answer what services they do provide. Being able to readily answer what services they don’t provide indicates they know their areas of strength and the areas that are better handled by someone else.

PRO TIP: Very few service providers can honestly answer that they do everything. Even well-established, full-service providers have cases or scenarios that aren’t their strong suit.

What items will I need to do myself?

The citizenship process requires collaboration. And while your service provider should be leading the way, there are parts of the process that you have to take responsibility for.

The important thing is to understand what parts of the process they are doing and what parts you are doing. Creating this clarity in advance avoids putting yourself in a difficult position down the road where you didn’t realize what wasn’t covered and now you have to either pay more money or rapidly become an expert in something you didn’t expect.

What professional partners do you have?

Obtaining your Italian citizenship is accompanied by related necessities, which often depend on where and how you’re applying. If your service provider doesn’t offer some services, they may have recommendations for trusted resources or professionals. A few common examples are…

• Tax professionals
• Language classes
• Purchasing a vehicle
• Document retrieval
• Banking
• Purchasing real estate

Your provider doesn’t have to have recommendations for every category. It’s important you know what gaps you’ll need to fill yourself.

What are the steps in your process?

The legal process of obtaining Italian citizenship is (mostly) standard. How each service provider guides their clients through that process is not. And that’s actually a good thing. Not every provider is a good fit for every person or case.

You’re looking to discover two things by asking this question:

1. That they have a clear process
2. Whether that process fits you and your case

To be clear, you’re not asking for a granular, step-by-step manual of how they run their business. You’re actually hiring them so you don’t have to do that.

What you are asking is to understand how they get you from where you are now to the desired end result, whether that’s Italian citizenship recognition, document retrieval, or something else.

If they can’t communicate a clear process now, they likely don’t have one.

How do you verify my eligibility?

This is the only question in the list that actually does have a right answer: proof of naturalization or non-naturalization is required to make a definitive determination. We covered this in great detail in our article about authoritative Italian citizenship documents if you’d like to read more.

Service providers can certainly answer hypothetical questions about possible scenarios related to eligibility. This is an important part of understanding your case so they can create a plan of action.

When exploring possibilities, it’s important to note that the certainty of the information you provide determines the accuracy of the information you receive. For example, if you tell a provider that your Italian-born ancestor naturalized before the next person in line was born, they’ll likely tell you that line is not eligible. However, if you don’t actually have the documents, it’s possible they never naturalized and you could actually be eligible. This is why it all comes down to the documents.

How do you decide which line to pursue?

Every service provider has their reasoning for prioritizing some lines over others. It could be cost, expertise, timing, legal processes involved, risks, or dozens of other factors. Some providers have flexibility and will collaborate with you to determine the preferred line, while others may be more strict about selecting which line to pursue.

Again, there’s no right or wrong approach. The important thing is that you understand why they prioritize a certain way and that it fits with what’s possible and important for you.

What is your recognition success rate?

If you’re looking for an Italian citizenship assistance service provider, this is an important question.

Why?

Because every case is massively important to the individual applying, which means it should be massively important to the provider. If a provider doesn’t know (or won’t tell you), it’s likely because it’s not a good number or because they don’t keep track.

What is an acceptable recognition rate?

Only you can decide that. You have to balance all of the factors—cost, timeline, risk, process, etc—and arrive at the decision that makes sense for you.

At the time of publishing this article, our recognition success rate is 100%. And while we work incredibly hard to ensure we never see the day when a case is denied, we’ll still answer “99.9%” honestly and proudly if that ever does come.

How much do you charge?

This doesn’t have a “right” answer. Some providers have fixed rates, others (like us) custom quote every case based on the intricacy and needs of the case. Some providers are expensive, others are cheap. Some providers give you a full package price, others break down separate line items. Some will give you pricing up front, others need the case to be at a specific point before they give specific pricing.

The important thing is that you know what to expect and when to expect it.

When and how do I make payment?

This is another question that’s simply about setting expectations so you know how to plan. Some providers charge the full amount up front, others charge based on milestones. Some may have online payment portals, others may have more manual methods of sending payment.

PRO TIP: Wire/bank transfers are a very common form of payment in the EU. While this may raise the “scam alert” flag for some countries (looking at you, America), don’t be alarmed if your provider suggests this.

How do you obtain and store my personal information and documents?

Obviously, your provider will need access to a lot of personal documents and information. This is an important question for two reasons:

1. You need to know how you’ll logistically provide these documents to them
2. You want to make sure they are managed with care and confidentiality

Depending on where your provider is located and where/how you’re applying, there may be specific regulations around how your provider collects documents. Don’t be surprised if they ask you to provide documents through cloud storage services or secure forms.

What they should ask

This list is short…

Whatever they want

You’re actually not looking for them to ask any specific questions. What you’re looking for is how they go about understanding your case.

• Do they ask questions to understand your line of eligibility or do they make assumptions?
• Do they make premature eligibility decisions without the full context?
• Do they set expectations as they go or do they leave gaps?
• Do they ask any questions at all or do they put the responsibility on you?
• Do they communicate clearly?

You’re looking for a service provider who will grasp the intricacies of your case and lead you to the next strategic step. And while there will be times when you’ll need to be proactive, your service provider should lead the way and you shouldn’t feel like you’re steering the ship.

Go with your gut

Even if every answer to these questions sounds good, it’s possible something just doesn’t sit right with you in the end. Don’t ignore that. Even if they’re cheaper, faster, or friendlier, it’s better to choose the provider that’s going to get the job done right the first time. Because you might not get a second chance.

Just like you need to trust your provider, your provider needs to trust you. Asking questions is how that trust is built. Without it, there’s going to be a lot of friction along the way. You are entrusting them with a great deal. They understand this and are trusting you to let them do their best work. If you don’t feel that mutual trust, it’s worth reconsidering your options.

What’s next?

Start researching. Ask for recommendations. Search for service providers for your type of case. Visit their websites. Read reviews. Explore what they offer.

Where do you start with The Italian Passport? Easy. Our process starts with our Italian citizenship eligibility quiz.