My father is Italian and lives in Italy. My brother and I were born in South Africa (out of wedlock) and were adopted by South African people 45 years ago - separate families, we only got to know of each other 5 years ago. We now want to apply for Italian Citizenship without compromising our father's privacy - we have visited him a few times, have regular contact but he has a family there and does not want them to know about us. According to the Italian Consulate we can't apply if we were not registered under his surname. Could anyone kindly advise?
Regards
Liesl Bekker
Italian Citizenship
Re: Italian Citizenship
Unless your Italian father acknowledges you as his children, there is no way you can claim your Italian citizenship. It is not necessary for you to share his surname, but it is necessary that he inform his comune that you are his children. Once he does so, your path should be easier.