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Immigrant children on hijacked school bus to get Italian citizenship

Children on the school bus hijacked near Milan last week are to be awarded Italian nationality, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Wednesday, while indicating that they would have to wait until they're 18 to apply like anyone else.

Published: 27 March 2019 17:29 CET
Immigrant children on hijacked school bus to get Italian citizenship
Some of the children who helped stop the bus hijacking attend an award ceremony in Rome. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP

The dramatic police rescue of 51 children on a bus hijacked by their Italian driver of Senegalese origin on March 20th has gripped Italy and rekindled debate about its citizenship laws.

“If there are children who are not Italian citizens, we have studied this question and we will complete the process so that they can become Italian,” Salvini said after meeting five of the children and some of the police who saved them in Rome.

READ ALSO: What does it mean to be a 'New Italian'? The question facing a divided Italy


Matteo Salvini takes a selfie with some of the children by the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Photo: AFP

Salvini, the head of the anti-immigration League party, stressed that Italian nationality would be awarded “without any variation in the law, since the law exists and works, we do not change it”.

Children of foreign parents who are born in Italy can only apply for citizenship when they reach 18.

It is not known how many of the children are concerned, but 14-year-old Ramy, born in Italy to Egyptian parents, and 13-year-old Moroccan Adam played key roles by calling police during the hijacking.

As some Italians and Ramy suggested changes to the citizenship law, Salvini had earlier told the boy: “Get elected and then you can make the law.”

The previous centre-left government said it would change the law to make it easier to grant citizenship to foreigners born in Italy but the law was never passed, largely due to opposition from the League. 

READ ALSO: Italy bus hijacker says he 'heard voices' of drowned migrant children


Photo: Flavio Lo Scalzo/AFP

Salvini has said he will try to take away the Italian nationality of the arrested bus driver, which he acquired by marrying an Italian, thanks to a tough anti-immigrant decree which became law last year. 

He also paid homage to a 13-year-old Italian boy who offered himself as a hostage while his friends were “in panic, crying and praying.”

“He is a young Italian so I can't even give him double-Italian nationality,” Salvini said. 

READ ALSO:

According to the most recent data, Italy naturalised 146,000 foreigners in 2017, more than any other European Union country, including 54,000 minors who became adults.

Nationality is a sensitive issue in Italy which is undergoing a birthrate crisis. Legally resident foreigners represent 8.5 percent of the population, rising to 9.7 percent of children under 10, 13 percent under five and 14.5 percent of children born last year.  

READ ALSO: Immigration to Italy: a look at the numbers


Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

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ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP

What are the pros and cons of having Italian dual citizenship?

For most international residents looking to stay in Italy for the long term, having dual citizenship is a bonus. But are there any drawbacks? Here's what the experts say.

Published: 24 May 2024 11:27 CEST
What are the pros and cons of having Italian dual citizenship?

Obtaining Italian citizenship and becoming a dual national is an attractive idea for many.

Not only does dual citizenship grant access to rights in Italy that residents don’t have, it also allows you to keep your rights in your home country (as long as your country allows dual citizenship.)

There are three main routes to obtaining Italian citizenship: naturalisation, ancestry, or marriage. The ancestry route, known as jure sanguinis or ‘right of blood’, is by far the most popular way to obtain Italian, or dual, citizenship.

READ ALSO: An expert guide to getting Italian citizenship via ancestry

The Local spoke to Elze Obrikyte, Senior Associate at Giambrone Law, and Jason LoPresti from Italian Dual Citizenship about the advantages and disadvantages to be aware of.

The benefits:

Freedom of movement

If you have Italian citizenship, this eases travel to not only Italy but to and within the Schengen zone for third-country nationals. You also benefit from freedom of movement rules allowing citizens to live and work in any of the 27 European Union member states. 

“Being an Italian citizen allows you to enjoy all the rights of European nationals without any particular restrictions,” says Obrikyte. 

“Italian immigration is rather strict, even if the new digital nomad visa will allow for more flexibility, but on the whole it is not easy for a third country national to transfer to Italy.”

“Getting dual citizenship eliminates this.”

Voting rights

Often living solely as a resident in Italy does not grant you access to vote in local and national elections. Obrikyte says this is ‘extremely important’ for dual nationals as they should have a say in what happens in their country. 

READ ALSO: Italy grants citizenship to more people than any other EU country

LoPresti adds that dual citizens do not have to be residing in Italy to vote in national elections. They can live elsewhere and vote via mail (circoscrizione estero).

Tax benefits

While foreigners who are not resident in Italy can buy property, dual citizens who are not resident in the country can purchase a house with lower taxation rates. They have the same rights in this case as people residing in Italy.

“It is a definite bonus when buying,” says Obrikyte. 

READ ALSO: Five surprising things to know about applying for Italian citizenship via ancestry

Such reductions include less in VAT (IVA) and registration tax for a first home purchase.

Italian citizens or foreign citizens resident in the country pay a two-percent registration tax and four percent VAT, which is lower than the rate paid by non-residents. Italian citizens do not have to be living in Italy to be eligible for this rate.

Many people – US nationals in particular – are worried about double taxation if they obtain dual citizenship, but tax experts are clear that obtaining Italian citizenship in itself should not affect tax obligations in Italy and that tax treaties usually apply.

Employment opportunities

Having the right to live and work in Italy (or another EU member state) visa-free is a major advantage, the experts point out.

“Imagine you work for an international company in your home country and your ideal position opens up in Italy,” LoPresti says. “Of course the employer may favour someone who already has Italian citizenship as they won’t have to apply for a work visa.”

And should you want to apply for a job in the public sector in Italy, these are only open to Italian citizens.

“I think not only would this be advantageous in terms of work for the new Italian passport holder,” says Obrikyte, “but it would also be advantageous to them in a sense of belonging as they’d be part of working directly for the state.”

Italy, passport

Having Italian passport brings numerous advantages for third-country nationals. Photo by Cristian Sorto / Getty Images

Advantages for children

“One big thing which must not be forgotten is how having Italian citizenship may benefit future generations,” says LoPresti.

“Passing this along to your offspring and their offspring would be extremely beneficial.”

READ ALSO: Will my children get an Italian passport if born in Italy?

Unlike citizenship of some countries, such as the UK, Italian citizenship can be passed onto an unlimited number of generations – regardless of which country the future generations are born in.

The drawbacks

Renewing passports

“Renewing one passport is tricky enough,” says LoPresti. “Imagine having to renew two. Now that is a fair bit of work.”

Renewing an Italian passport is not known to be particularly quick or easy: Italy in 2024 introduced a priority line after waiting times for renewals rose to as much as ten months.

Time and effort

While applying for Italian citizenship by descent is the most popular option, it’s not always straightforward and waiting times are increasingly long.

“If you are deciding to go down the route of jus sanguinis, be prepared for the amount of documentation you will have to provide,” warns LoPresti. 

READ ALSO: Who is entitled to Italian citizenship by descent and how to apply for it

He adds it usually takes the longest to clear and carries the most requirements compared to other routes to Italian citizenship, particularly as documentation has to be from two countries rather than one.

High costs

Applications for Italian citizenship are not cheap, particularly if you need the help of a legal professional, which is very often the case.

“To do it properly with a lawyer may cost thousands,” says Obrikyte. 

For LoPresti, the amount depends on several factors: “The type of case an individual has, the package they are choosing, and the number of applicants (family members) they are adding to their application all amounts to the overall cost.

READ ALSO: Revealed: How much it really costs to get Italian citizenship via ancestry.

“The average cost to complete the services professionally is about $6,000-$13,000,” he adds.

“However, many people apply as a group with other family members in the bloodline so they can split and share the total costs, which can drastically reduce their cost per person.”

Either way, the experts agree that there are very few disadvantages to getting Italian dual citizenship. Despite the cost and time involved in applying, being an Italian citizen comes with numerous advantages, particularly if you want to live in Italy long-term.

Find more information in The Local’s Italian citizenship section.

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