“They don’t necessarily leave right away, but they like to have the option,” said Julie Schäfer, an immigration lawyer with Schlun & Elseven in Germany, who said she got 300 enquiries over one weekend after the Roe v. Wade decision, up from the usual 50.

Schäfer’s office has tripled in size this year, to six lawyers from two, because of the increased demand.

Multiplying Passports
While some Americans are becoming European citizens for political reasons, others are doing it for financial purposes.

Louis Reynolds, 47, is getting several passports, including an Italian one, for his business as a real estate developer. Working with a company that charged him $10,000 for the whole process, he found out that his great-great-grandfather, Luiggi Infante, was Italian, and that he was entitled to Italian citizenship as a result.

“It’s a great way to access the EU market, and it’s also fun to find out about your roots,” said the New Jersey-based developer.

The number of Americans seeking second citizenships quadrupled between 2020 and 2022, according to Canada-based citizenship firm Arton Capital, as the pandemic severely restricted travel. Twenty percent of Arton’s clients are now Americans, compared to just 2% two years ago.

“During Covid, Americans realized their passport — which didn’t allow access to much of the EU — couldn’t deliver the freedoms they were used to,” said Armand Arton, the company’s founder. “People seek citizenship by descent because they don’t have to pay anything, unlike investment visas,” he added, referring to “golden visa” programs, which offer residency to people who invest a certain amount in the desired country.

Finding Roots
While political turmoil at home and economic incentives were factors in Cindy Sheahan’s decision to seek Italian citizenship, learning more about her own history was a bonus.

After an initial consultation which showed she was eligible, the 61-year-old flew to Salerno to get documents related to her great-grandfather’s life and discovered a castle that shared her maiden name, Macchiaroli.

“I always knew I was a princess,” she said.