As I might have mentioned, I am in the process of getting a second passport. With the lunacy going on in the USA, it would be foolish of any trans person not to have an escape route out of the USA if the worst were to happen. (Given the similarities of 2024's USA to 1932's Germany, it's not as far fetched as many middle of the road Americans might think.) To do this, in my case, one has to have a grandparent born in a particular country, then prove that you have a right to citizenship via "Overseas Births". This means the following:
- Get a copy of one's grandparent's birth certificate from the country of origin.
(My brother mailed away to the appropriate people, and got a certified copy of this document.) - Get a copy of the birth certificate that shows one's parent qualified to be a citizen via overseas birthright. (I was charged to take care of this.)
- Get a copy of my birth certificate, showing my father (or mother) was my parent by blood.
(This would show that I qualify for citizenship via Overseas Birth.)
Steps 1 & 3 didn't take much time. However, Step 2 took 14 weeks, as New York City and New York State had to be involved with this process. Now that I have proof of my lineage, I can proceed to the next step - beginning the process of filing paperwork to get citizenship via overseas birth.
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Italy, Ireland, and the United Kingdom are 3 countries which allow for citizenship via overseas births. However, the UK only provides for patrilineal overseas birth citizenship. Yet, having an Irish passport allows one to BOTH reside in the European Union and the United Kingdom, as Ireland and the UK have treaties that were in effect before the EU was established. From what I understand, Germany and Russia also have forms of overseas birth citizenship, but I won't comment on them here.
I also may qualify for a third passport based on my mother's lineage. If I were to get that, I could travel (and possibly live) anywhere in the British Commonwealth. Right now, I am focused on getting my 2nd passport based on my father's lineage, as it gives me the most freedom to travel if needed....
Keep your fingers crossed.
