Brexit is closing in on the UK without a realistic strategy and Britain now faces an uncertain future with regard to Brexit despite the number of hours spent debating it, the number of column inches written about it and political bluster surrounding it.   For Britons with an Italian heritage now would be a good time to consider dual nationality particularly as British citizenship alone will not provide the previously held advantages.   Fortunately, Italy does not place the type of demanding or limiting restrictions seen in other countries to obtaining citizenship.  Italy will allow an individual to achieve Italian citizenship if they can demonstrate direct descent regardless of where the descendant is or was domiciled, nor is the Italian connection limited to parents only.   Grandparents can bestow citizenship on their descendants.  Marriage to an Italian citizen and residency in Italy for ten years can also deliver citizenship.

The reasons most people seek Italian citizenship are the ability to continue to travel around Europe unrestricted, this may be for a variety of reasons, simply to be able to visit Italy and other countries within the European Union as a tourist or for business interests or other work-related reasons.   For investors and entrepreneurs there is a significant advantage to having dual citizenship if the European Union is a target market.  Investors are not restricted when purchasing foreign securities or any other tangible assets and can invest in real estate, Eurobonds or unit trusts.  Likewise, an entrepreneur can start a business within the European Union without the restrictions likely to apply to an individual who only has British citizenship.

Any ambitious commercially minded British entrepreneur will be anxious not to miss the business opportunity on their door-step and will very likely step into the gaps left by businesses that cannot easily travel across the borders.  The eventual terms on which the UK will leave the EU are still clouded at the moment.  What is not in doubt is that The UK is about to step out of the EU trade zone and despite the grace period there will be little time to develop new strategies, which may be far from cost-effective and burdened with tariffs, to make any attempt to continue trading as non-EU without the flexibility to cross borders without restriction. 

In times of change there is always a commercial opportunity and new links will have to be forged and the face of many traditional industry sectors may for forced to change.  In order to take advantage of the new order the first step is having access; everything else can be managed in stages. 

The application process to become an Italian citizen is reasonably lengthy and despite what some organisations may assert it is not possible to shorten the process. Giambrone has a remarkable immigration team who have managed to overcome some considerable hurdles in the past to achieve Italian citizenship for our clients.  Our lawyers employ relentless tenacity to ensure that all applications are processed as speedily as possible and to do not get overlooked.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.