How to get an EU passport, if not European.

[DaveNY]

I was born in the US however I also have an EU passport. Back in the early 1980s I applied for and received an Italian passport and Italian citizenship. Italy has something called citizenship by descent. This means that even if you were not born in Italy if you have ancestors who were Italian and you can document it, you can claim Italian citizenship. Having Italian citizenship is very helpful if you want to live and work in Italy or most anywhere in Europe.

I received my Italian citizenship back in the early '80s and I know this program was still operating about 6 years ago when a friend also received Italian citizenship. I know other countries also offer this option however I found that the Italian version was simple and while it took  time to do the paperwork, it was inexpensive (in the early 80s, don't know about today) and worked. No requirements to live in Italy, serve in their armed forces or pay Italian taxes while living abroad.

How does it work? My parents were hoarders of family photos and documents so it was no problem for me to trace my Italian lineage back to my maternal grandparents, born just outside of Naples, Italy. Since it was the early 80s there was no Internet so I had to go to the Italian embassy in the US and pickup and drop off documents and have an interview. All in all the process took about 20 months. I'm sure today with the Internet and email the entire process would be much faster. 

[Trenchcoat]

That is the ridiculous thing of the EU citizenship thing, you can get in in many EU countries by grandparent or even in som EU countries by great grandparent ancestry. If not then you can buy your way in buy purchasing residential property in many EU countries. If not then you can simply enter illegally as an illegal immigrant and claim asylum and likely never have to return. Its essentially an open immigration system, that is why the UK voted for Brexit and why Italy has just voted in anti-immigration & anti-EU parties. Its just damn irresponsibility of the EU that they act in this manner and what's more they just don't care how the peoples of the EU nations have to suffer as a result. I mean western Europe is one of the most traipsed part of the world so a lot of the world populace would qualify for citizenship even if they had no immediate connection, lol. The EU's days are numbered though, certainly in the UK at least.

[DaveNY]

That is the ridiculous thing of the EU citizenship thing, you can get in in many EU countries by grandparent or even in som EU countries by great grandparent ancestry. If not then you can buy your way in buy purchasing residential property in many EU countries. If not then you can simply enter illegally as an illegal immigrant and claim asylum and likely never have to return. Its essentially an open immigration system, that is why the UK voted for Brexit and why Italy has just voted in anti-immigration & anti-EU parties. Its just damn irresponsibility of the EU that they act in this manner and what's more they just don't care how the peoples of the EU nations have to suffer as a result. I mean western Europe is one of the most traipsed part of the world so a lot of the world populace would qualify for citizenship even if they had no immediate connection, lol. The EU's days are numbered though, certainly in the UK at least.

Trenchcoat I lived and worked in the UK for years, I watched the Bexit vote during the campaign and was amazed at the utter bullox that the leavers were saying as fact when they knew it to be false. The big red bus announcing that leaving the EU would save £350 million per week was rubbish. Nigel Farage knew this was BS.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-eu-referendum-nigel-farage-nhs-350-million-pounds-live-health-service-u-turn-a7102831.html

The fable that the UK could have an EEA type relationship with the EU, like Norway, and still be in total control of UK immigration is probably the biggest bit of idiocy the leavers peddled. Norway has the same rules regarding immigration as EU states even though Norway is outside the EU and only an EEA member.

There is zero change the UK will leave the EU and join the EEA and totally control UK immigration. It won't happen.

http://openeurope.org.uk/intelligence/immigration-and-justice/norway-and-switzerland/

[msmob]

Good..
Someone else WITH a clue about the folly of 'brexit'

[DaveNY]

Good..
Someone else WITH a clue about the folly of 'brexit'

Don't have UK citizenship so I didn't get a vote but when I was over there during the campaign and pointed out these facts to leavers and asked how the facts would be overcome no one would tell me. Most leavers thought because Norway was not in the EU that Norway had total control over their immigration. When I told them Norway still had to obey EU diktats on movement of EU citizens they were in disbelief.   

[Sting23]

This is quite common for most of Europe.  A few buddies of mine got UK right of abode because a grandparent was born there.
Could be considered unfair as no one chooses who their parents or ancestors are. 

as for Brexit, it was all propoganda.  My UK friends who voted were in utter disbelief at the results.  It was all the older folks 50 and up who voted to leave in the majority.  It's the youth who suffer as they expect to live for far longer.

Shows what a good "campaign" can do. 

[Trenchcoat]

Don't have UK citizenship so I didn't get a vote but when I was over there during the campaign and pointed out these facts to leavers and asked how the facts would be overcome no one would tell me. Most leavers thought because Norway was not in the EU that Norway had total control over their immigration. When I told them Norway still had to obey EU diktats on movement of EU citizens they were in disbelief.

The UK is not seeking a Norway/EEA relationship, it it seeking to be a member of any EU organisation like this its seeking an independent free trade agreement with the EU. As such it is looking for complete control over its immigration system. The EEA etc was touted during the referendum as a possibility if the UK left the EU but it was not the default option of the Leave campaign. It was put forward by the media, commentators and possibly a few within the leave camp. There were many things said on the remain side that have since been proven to be untrue. The leave side won despite the remain side having establishment backing and being seen as the status quo. The leave voters were not duped into voting leave they did so because of EU incompetence on matters such as immigration etc. The leave vote was across generations, there was plenty if young people that voted Leave as well it was not just old people.

[BillyB]

Shows what a good "campaign" can do.

Immigration and the lack of control was a big issue for many who voted for Brexit. The EU could've allowed UK to have more control over their immigration but didn't. The EU gambled and lost UK. The EU may not exist in the future. Other nations are thinking it's not worth it.

The UK takes in more immigrants than any other EU nation. Failing to compromise with those who considered immigration an issue led to an all or nothing vote. Brexit won by a couple of percentage points. Moby thinks the smart people voted against Brexit. Well then, the smart people lost. Guess they weren't smart enough.

I doubt someone can convince me America would be better off joining the EU. We're better off being independent. If the citizens of the UK work hard, they can be better off compared to having the EU hold their hands.

[JohnDearGreen]

I am eligible for a Slovak Expatriate Card, which would let me live and work there without a visa.  I even applied for a few jobs about 6 years ago, but got no response.

[msmob]

The UK is not seeking a Norway/EEA relationship, it it seeking to be a member of any EU organisation like this its seeking an independent free trade agreement with the EU. As such it is looking for complete control over its immigration system. The EEA etc was touted during the referendum as a possibility if the UK left the EU but it was not the default option of the Leave campaign. It was put forward by the media, commentators and possibly a few within the leave camp. There were many things said on the remain side that have since been proven to be untrue. The leave side won despite the remain side having establishment backing and being seen as the status quo. The leave voters were not duped into voting leave they did so because of EU incompetence on matters such as immigration etc. The leave vote was across generations, there was plenty if young people that voted Leave as well it was not just old people.

Even more Trench fantasy...

The UK doesn't  know what it wants ..opinion is varied and split

One only has to witness the government to know this

[Trenchcoat]

Even more Trench fantasy...

The UK doesn't  know what it wants ..opinion is varied and split

One only has to witness the government to know this

Mobe I think you are thinking that existence in the EU is the only positive reality. However by leaving the EU we will be able to make trade deals with countries internationally. Indeed many of the trade deals the EU habe struck was only done so largely due to UK involvement. The EU don't do themselves no favours in trade negotiations by being so difficult to reach agreement with. Luckily for them up till now we have been on hand to help out as we have extensive dealings with the EU so know what they are like. Truth of the matter is the UK will benefit by not relying too heavily on one market as if that market suffers a downturn we risk suffering it too with little where else to turn. For example over the last decade the trade we do with the EU has declined markedly largely as a result of the recession that hit much of the EU badly in 2007. In contrast think of the amount of trade we can do with a economic powerhouse like China. A no-brainer in my opinion.