How to Obtain an EU Passport as a US Citizen Washington DC

Steps

1. Obtain from the nearest consulate the qualifications for reclaiming citizenship. This will allow you to determine if you are eligible.
2. While some claims for ancestral citizenship can be reclaimed only based on the the family name's line.(ie: paternal) This is not always the case. In Britain for instance one is able to claim ancestral citizenship through the maternal line. (Also applies for reclaiming Irish or Italian citizenship.)
3. Gather all vital statistic information from the United States so you can update the records in the European country of your ancestry. You will need the United States birth, death, and marriage records, for your ancestral claims and for yourself. This information will be used to update records in Europe.
4. Visit the National Archives in your state to get the vital records of each family member. The archive contains a record of everyone who ever applied for United States citizenship. Not only can you find out when your father or grandfather applied for citizenship but also where to find the actual paper application.
5. Find information for family members who were born in the United States at the municipal offices for their places of birth, marriage, and death. Include information for your children and your children's children as well.
6. Make sure that these papers are certified twice -- once to certify the validity of the signatures and again to certify that the certification itself is legal.
7. Be prepared to pay separately for every paper copy of any information you need.
8. Take these papers to the consulate in your state. Open a file to have these papers recorded in the town and country where your father or grandfather was born.
9. The consulate make take several months to complete the process. When it notifies you that it has, take all the paperwork to the consulate along with passport photos to get all family members their new passports.

Tips

• See the consulate first to establish the regulations pertaining to the particular country of origin. Laws vary in each country.
• The law might require that your father have been born while your grandfather was still a citizen of your ancestral country. If your own father was born in the United States while his father was still a citizen of a European country, then that citizenship passed along to your father. Because your father was an American citizen, he also had dual citizenship, as do you and your children.
• Irish descent? Those with an Irish-born parent are considered to be Irish citizens. You'll need a copy of your birth certificate and that of your Irish-born parent. You can then apply for an Irish/EU passport. Your children born after this time can be made Irish citizens by registering; those born before will need to go through the process just below.
• If one of your grandparents was born in Ireland, you can apply for (dual) citizenship, but the process can take as long as a year. Most people who apply on this basis will be accepted, but it is not guaranteed. Once you have received citizenship, you can apply for citizenship for any children you have in the future. Children born before you receive your citizenship will not be eligible.
• Irish citizenship will not affect your U.S. citizenship, or that of any other country that permits dual citizenship. You'll be entitled to live in Ireland or any other EU country with open immigration for EU citizens.
• Apply at your nearest Irish embassy or consulate. You'll also need a signed statement attesting that you are who you are -- there is a list of professions of people who can sign this: judge, police officer, bank executive, etc.

Warnings

• Be prepared to find out that you are not eligible for dual citizenship. Do not make any travel plans before you actually receive the passport.
• Dual citizenship is not required to travel to your ancestral country. It just means you have to abide by the rules of the country as pertains to an American citizen.

Sources and Citations

• http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html

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