Roots Recovered

1. Who We Are

Roots Recovered ("we," "us," or "our") is a Nevada company providing European citizenship-by-descent consultancy services to clients in the United States. We help Americans research, document, and pursue citizenship through ancestry in countries including Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and others. Our website is located at www.rootsrecovered.com.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and protect the personal information you provide to us in connection with your use of our website and services.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

2.1 Contact and Identity Information

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Mailing address

2.2 Identity and Travel Documents

• Passport or government-issued identification submitted in connection with a citizenship application
• Other official identification documents you choose to provide

2.3 Family Genealogy Documents

• Birth, marriage, and death certificates (yours and those of your ancestors)
• Naturalization records and immigration documents
• Family trees, lineage charts, and supporting genealogical records
• Any other historical documents submitted to establish a line of descent

2.4 Communications

• Emails, messages, and inquiries you send us
• Records of consultations and case correspondence

2.5 Website Usage Information

• IP address, browser type, and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on our site, and referring URLs
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 7)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, manage, and improve our consultancy services
• Assess your eligibility for citizenship-by-descent programs and prepare application documentation
• Communicate with you about your case, inquiries, and service updates
• Comply with legal obligations in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions relevant to your application
• Analyze and improve the performance of our website
• Respond to legal claims or regulatory inquiries

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with:

• Foreign government authorities, consulates, and civil registry offices, to the extent necessary to pursue your citizenship application
• Professional service providers such as translators, notaries, and attorneys engaged to assist with your case, who are bound by appropriate confidentiality obligations
• Technology and cloud service providers who host or process data on our behalf under written agreements requiring them to protect your information
• Law enforcement or regulatory authorities where required by applicable law or legal process

Any third parties with whom we share your information are required to use it only for the purposes for which it was shared and to maintain reasonable safeguards.

5. Transfer of Information Outside the United States

Because our services involve citizenship applications in foreign countries, your personal information, including identity documents and genealogical records, may be transmitted to and processed by government authorities, civil registries, and professional service providers located outside the United States. By engaging our services, you acknowledge and consent to these transfers as necessary to pursue your citizenship application. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any third parties receiving your information handle it responsibly.

6. How Long We Retain Your Information

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and meet our legal obligations. Our general retention periods are:

• Client case files, including genealogical and identity documents: a minimum of one (1) year from the conclusion of your engagement, reflecting the long-term nature of citizenship proceedings and applicable recordkeeping requirements
• Inquiry and marketing communications: up to three (3) years from last contact
• Website analytics data: up to twenty-six (26) months

After the applicable retention period, we securely delete or destroy your information.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate our site and understand how visitors use it. The types of cookies we use include:

• Essential cookies: required for basic website functionality
• Analytics cookies: used to understand traffic patterns and improve our site

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling cookies may affect certain website features but will not affect your ability to engage our services directly.

8. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, disclosure, or misuse. These include encrypted file storage, restricted access controls, and confidentiality obligations for all personnel who handle client information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Information

Our services are directed to adults and are not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If genealogical records you submit relate to a minor, that information is processed solely for purposes of the citizenship application and only on the basis of your authority to act on the minor's behalf.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Your Choices

You may contact us at any time to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your information, subject to our legal retention obligations
• Opt out of marketing communications

To make any of these requests, please contact us at legal@rootsrecovered.com. We will respond within a reasonable time.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the revised policy on our website with an updated effective date. Your continued use of our services after any change constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact us at legal@rootsrecovered.com or visit www.rootsrecovered.com.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on 1 April 2025.