Caterina Ranieri
Introducing
Caterina Ranieri
Attorney
Caterina’s journey toward Italian citizenship began in 2010, when she discovered she was eligible to be recognized as an Italian citizen. Her mother Anna, born in Italy, immigrated to the United States in 1958 at the age of 17. After working tirelessly, Anna became a U.S. citizen in 1963, then returned to Davoli (CZ), Italy, in 1964 to marry Caterina’s father, Giuseppe. Six months before the birth of Caterina and her twin brother, Vincenzo, the couple returned to the U.S.—marking the start of Caterina’s unique transatlantic story.
Because her mother had already naturalized as a U.S. citizen by the time Caterina was born, it initially seemed she wouldn’t qualify for Italian citizenship. However, her father had not yet become a U.S. citizen at the time of her birth, allowing Caterina to pursue citizenship through jure sanguinis—the right of blood.
Determined to reclaim her heritage, Caterina began gathering the necessary documents, securing Apostilles, and arranging translations to prepare her application for the Italian Consulate in New York City. By 2012, her application was approved. In June 2013, Caterina and her three children proudly received their Italian passports. Through this milestone, Caterina honored her heritage while embracing the opportunities of modern identity.
Growing up, Caterina and Vincenzo spoke an Italian dialect at home, typical of children of immigrants. Entering school, the twins struggled with English and relied on each other as the only familiar faces in a new environment. At one point, school administrators even advised their parents to speak only English at home.
Like many first-generation children, Caterina adopted a nickname to help others pronounce her name more easily—but later reclaimed her full name in honor of her grandmother.
These early experiences gave Caterina a deep understanding of the challenges faced by children of immigrants. Her personal journey inspired her to help others navigate similar paths. Today, Caterina’s firm has helped hundreds of clients obtain essential New York State and U.S. federal documents, including name change petitions—often used to reclaim family names altered over generations. Caterina works with American clients of many nationalities including Italian, Irish, Greek, Croatian, Hungarian, German, etc.
Her story was proudly featured by the National Italian American Bar Association, where she is an active member.
She has also been featured on Spectrum News for her work in dual citizenship.
