You definitely need to make an appointment with the consulate. No walk in's. I did not go to the consulate to obtain citizenship. The hard part was obtaining my grandfather's birth certificate from 1888 in a small town in Italy. Had to go there and get it. Then, had to get his marriage certificate in NYC but the church no longer existed. NYC didn't have a record because they misspelled his name when he was processed on Ellis Island. Finally, with that obtained, I had to submit papers to make my father a citizen. This was all done by mail. Once that was done, I submitted my papers, along with the proof that my father was a citizen. A few months later, I received a birth certificate in my name, from my grandfather's small town, even though I was born in NYC. There was no involvement with the Italian consulate to do this.

Perhaps that is something you could do with the help of the Houston consulate. I just did it by mail for my father, then myself, and once I became an Italian citizen, submitted paperwork to obtain citizenship for my wife and three children.

The citizenship is established when you receive an Italian birth certificate. I have my wife's at hand. It says, Comune di Calabrito, Provincia di Avellino, Certificato di Nascita. Then it gives her name and date of birth, and says, E' nata a El Paso - Stati Uniti D'America. Then it's dated, and says, Calabritto 17.02.2009. It's stamped and signed. So despite being born in Texas, she has an Italian birth certificate, as do I. A birth certificate is proof that you are an Italian citizen.

Once you have the birth certificate, you just take it to the consulate and it's no harder than getting a U.S. Passport. It took less than an hour to process my two sons and me, and we received the passports in the mail a few weeks later.

You may be going a different route than I did if you are going to the consulate for help in getting an Italian birth certificate - the document that makes you an Italian citizen. I didn't get involved with the consulate until I obtained my citizenship, and just had to obtain a European Union/Italy passport.

There are advantages, not just ease in getting through customs in Europe. I have a medical problem and need frequent blood tests. There's something that is sort of like a social security card that you can obtain as a citizen, and you can get free medical care. Sometimes I stay in Italy for several months, and I don't have to worry about getting a visa. I may take a job there, and citizenship is practically a requirement for work. It makes everything easier. And it's really an EU passport, so some benefits are valid across most of Europe.