Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

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."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
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”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
×