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
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×