Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

This entrepreneur helps Americans get Italian passports. Business has boomed during the pandemic

This entrepreneur helps Americans get Italian passports. Business has boomed during the pandemic

Marco Permunian helps Americans acquire Italian passports. Business has never been better, the entrepreneur says.

A charged political atmosphere in the United States and the country's coronavirus response has contributed to a surge of interest among Americans who want to claim Italian citizenship, according to Permunian, the founder of Italian Citizenship Assistance (ICA).

"I have never seen anything like this in my decade-long career," says Permunian, whose agency helps foreigners obtain Italian passports.

Permunian, who has a clientele that is 95% American, says that requests for his service increased by up to 400% compared to last year as the coronavirus pandemic exploded in the United States. That comes on top of increased interest following the divisive 2016 US election.

"Currently, we have a team of more than 60 people working in our firm, in both our Italian and US offices," he says. In order to keep up with demand, his agency has had to nearly double in size in just a matter of months.

Italy could benefit if the new passport holders decide to relocate. The country has one of the lowest birthrates in the world and a stagnant economy, and it
has in recent years offered tax incentives to foreign workers and retirees who become residents, as well as the super rich.

Becoming Italian


People born in the United States are automatically US citizens. But that principle doesn't apply to most countries in Europe, where citizenship is inherited through parents or family.

That means some Americans who descend from immigrants are eligible to become Italian citizens. The main requirement is that the family member who immigrated from Italy to the United States did not become naturalized before the birth of the next person in the line of descent.

If an applicant qualifies for citizenship, it can take up to two years to secure a new passport.

Jim Cavallaro, a professor and the executive director of the University Network for Human Rights, is a recent Italian citizen and client of Permunian's. He and his daughter began seriously pursuing Italian citizenship after President Donald Trump was elected.

"In 2016 and 2017, with the current administration, I began to see worrisome signs of decay of the institutional integrity of the democratic processes in the United States. I began to be concerned; I thought this is a country which is very polarized ... in which I think the national priorities have skewed off course," says Cavallaro.

The benefits


Some Americans are attracted by benefits of Italian citizenship including universal health care, affordable university tuition and the right to work and reside anywhere in the European Union. The passport also means better travel opportunities.

According to the Passport Index, a passport ranking website run by advisory firm Arton Capital, an Italian passport now means easy access to 133 countries. Coronavirus travel restrictions mean that an American passport, once among the most powerful in the world, temporarily grants holders easy access to only 97 countries.

Italy was hit hard during the early days of the pandemic and cases are rising once again — accompanied by tighter restrictions. But the country succeeded in bringing the virus under control over the summer months, and the government's response hasn't been heavily politicized.

Romance novelist Kristen Helmstetter and her family started the process of obtaining Italian citizenship before the pandemic. Now living in Italy, they were able to see the difference in how the two countries were handling the virus during a trip back to Arizona in February.

"We were grateful to come back to Italy when we did. We were given the choice and we chose to come back to Italy knowing that ... there was a global pandemic."

For some, the pandemic has become a time to rethink assumptions once taken for granted.

"There are decisions about how a state should be run that I think are becoming more and more clear to people in the United States and people are beginning to question, is this the best place in the world to live? And I think the answer increasingly ... not necessarily," says Cavallaro.

Permunian believes more doors open with two passports.

"An Italian passport can open up many business opportunities in Italy and the rest of the Europe," he says. "Many employers see having a team member with two passports as a great asset which can lead to possibilities some can only dream about."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
×