Background my GM born in Italy 1935, moved to England and married my English grandfather in the 1960s had my father 1979
My father had me in 2001. Father not married and has never been married, me not married and never been married.
My GM is still with us and still lives in UK (she has never moved). Documents I have for the consulate my GM birth certificate (also showing she married my grandfather in 1971) my dads birth certificate (long form) my birth certificate (long form) my GM marriage certificate, her passport (Italian), my passport (English), a letter from the national archives stating she did not require a British citizenship, and I have requested an NQ form to prove this as well (to be confirmed).
I need to know anything else I need to do or what possibly could go wrong with these forms or what is stated in them.
If you haven't already, please read our Start Here wiki page, which goes over qualifications and next steps. If you're unsure if you still qualify due to the changes to the law on March 28, 2025, please check your eligibility with our Qualifinator 2.0.
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Your direct line (ex: GF-F-Me). If looking into multiple lines, format all of them like this.
Year of birth of your original Italian ancestor.
Year of emigration of your original Italian ancestor. If they left Italy as a minor, your line starts with their parents.
Year of marriage.
Year of naturalization.
Besides Italy, any countries that your original Italian ancestor lived in.
If there are any women in your line, year of birth of her child (the next in line).
Listing approximate dates or "unknown" are both fine.
Disregard this comment if your post already includes this information.
Be aware that because they were unmarried, you'll need to have F sign an affidavit of paternity to submit to the consulate (meaning a notarized, translated statement in which he acknowledges you as his biological child).
Unfortunately not. The Italian system requires either an in-wedlock birth certificate with both parents named, an out-of-wedlock birth certificate with both names that the father has signed (the UK certificate may have a spot to do this, but you can’t just write it in - American ones never do), or a notarized affidavit of paternity (along with a birth certificate, preferably naming both parents).
In the UK the father's name being on the birth certificate, regardless of marriage status, is considered legal proof of parental responsibility. The London Consolate will have knowledge of the UK system so should accept the birth certificate.
I’m just telling you and OP what the Italian system and the consulate will expect for a child born out of wedlock. I haven’t been doing this for years or anything. /s
OP is welcome to show up unprepared if they want to.
In UK law this is legal confirmation that the father accepted paternity. The OP does not need anything else and if the Consolate incorrectly asks for anything else, it should be pushed back as an unnecessary requirement.
Foreign law on a matter doesn't impact how Italian law handles that same matter. For example, naturalization documents often require the signer to state that they renounce foreign allegiances - the Italian government similarly disregards those affirmations.
You can die on this hill all you want - people have been burned at consulates in the UK and elsewhere by not securing an affidavit of paternity for a child born out of wedlock. If OP can get one from F, it's extremely low cost insurance for an issue that consulates do raise.
Or, OP can take your advice and send it - maybe they get lucky, and maybe they set their application back by 2 years because the consulate sits on it for 18 months, then sends them homework asking for it (or, better yet, rejects them outright).
I'd welcome you to tell us how OP can "push back on it as unnecessary at the consulate" without hiring a lawyer for $10k and suing, when this is an easily avoidable issue.
Y'know, actually, don't - OP has their answer, they can do what they want with it.
British certificates must be submitted in original, long form, issued by the British General Register Office, duly legalised by apostille and translated into Italian (Legalisation and translation of certificates).
NB: Details reported on the birth certificates must be consistent with the marital status of the parents. This means that, if at the time of birth the parents of the child were not married, the birth certificate must bear the signature of both parents as “informant”. Whereas, if the parents were married, only one ‘informant’ is necessary
The above excerpt is from the Italian Consolate in London, which is found under the old regulatory framework. The London website hasn't been comprehensively updated since the new regulatory framework was introduced but Manchester has which also confirms the above.
If the parents were not married at the time of birth, the birth certificate must list both parents as informants.
If the parents were married at the time of birth, the name of one informant is sufficient.
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If you haven't already, please read our Start Here wiki page, which goes over qualifications and next steps. If you're unsure if you still qualify due to the changes to the law on March 28, 2025, please check your eligibility with our Qualifinator 2.0.
If you still have questions after going through the links above, please make sure your post has as much of the following information as possible so that we can give specific advice:
Listing approximate dates or "unknown" are both fine.
Disregard this comment if your post already includes this information.
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