US Document Retrieval

In general, you need an official copy issued for each of the following documents for every person in your family line:

• Birth certificate
• Proof of naturalization or non-existence
• Marriage certificate(s)
• Divorce certificate(s)
• Death certificate

In most cases, all documents must have an apostille and have been issued less than (6) months prior at the time of application.

As every case is different, there may be nuanced situations that require additional documents.

As each federal and state agency has their own processes, the turnaround time for documents can vary greatly. Some documents can be obtained within hours with a simple request, while others can take months or years and require court cases to obtain.

Eligibility for Italian citizenship through ancestry hinges on whether your Italian ancestor naturalized and, if so, when they naturalized. Your ancestor naturalizing does not automatically disqualify you; it depends on when it happened in relation to the next person in your family line. If your ancestor naturalized and the eligibility line is still open, that must be proven as part of your citizenship application. Official USCIS records are the only acceptable document in this scenario and you must wait for the document before applying.

If your ancestor did not naturalize, it may be possible to request a Certificate of Non-Existence (CONE) indicating that no naturalization records exist for that person. By nature, it’s more difficult to prove something did not happen than to prove it did. We evaluate the acceptability of CONEs for each case to determine if it’s possible to move forward.

The answer depends on the type of document, where it’s from, and what the discrepancy is. Some minor discrepancies may actually be a non-issue. Other discrepancies can be corrected through an amendment process. Still others may be able to be rectified through a One-And-The-Same (OATS) affidavit.

In the case of any discrepancies, we’ll advise you on the best course of action to ensure your citizenship application isn’t jeopardized.