Italian citizenship: articles and tools

This section is a high-level overview of how Italian citizenship and permanent residence work: by which paths people obtain Italian citizenship (cittadinanza italiana) and how the ladder of statuses leads to it from a permesso to permanent residence. This is not legal advice but a guide based on community experience and official sources. The rules on citizenship in Italy change regularly, so be sure to verify any timeline, requirement and list of documents on the current official resources before applying.

Three main paths

In community discussions three grounds for citizenship come up most often. Each has its own requirements, timelines and submission procedure.

• By residence (naturalization). The most common path for those who moved to Italy on a permesso and lived here for many years. For citizens of non-EU countries, long continuous legal residence, confirmed income and knowledge of the Italian language are usually required. More is in the article Citizenship by residence.
• By marriage (per matrimonio). For spouses of Italian citizens the waiting period is shorter than for naturalization, but there are also requirements regarding language and the continuity of the marriage and cohabitation. More is in the article Citizenship by marriage and continuous residence.
• By descent (iure sanguinis). If among your ancestors there were Italian citizens, citizenship can be passed down "by blood". This is a separate and fairly complex procedure with checking of documents and genealogy; it is handled through a consulate (esteri.it) or, if you have residence, through the comune. According to the community this used to be the fastest path: members with Italian roots described obtaining it within months and without a language exam. But since 2025 the circle has been narrowed (DL 36/2025 -> L. 74/2025): per the community you now need a parent or grandparent born in Italy, not just any ancestor; verify the current conditions on esteri.it and interno.gov.it before building plans on it.

My wife turned out to have Italian roots - by jure sanguinis everything went surprisingly fast and without language exams. When I tell acquaintances who have been dragging out naturalization for ten years, they do not believe it. But this is only if the documents on the ancestors are in order, otherwise the genealogy turns into a separate quest.

The ladder of statuses: from a permesso to permanent residence and citizenship

For citizens of non-EU countries (including citizens of Russia) citizenship is the finale of a long ladder of statuses, not a separate door. According to the community the typical sequence looks like this:

• Schengen visa C (short-term, usually 90 days out of 180) - for trips, not for moving.
• National visa D - a long-term entry visa for a specific ground.
• Permesso (permesso di soggiorno) - a residence permit, which is arranged already in Italy and regularly renewed; in parallel you arrange residenza (registration) in the comune.
• Permanent residence (permesso di soggiorno per lungo periodo) - permanent residence. According to the community it is given after about 5 years of continuous permesso with residenza and paid taxes. The status itself is permanent; only the card is renewed (per the community every 5 years for adults) - more in Permanent residency in Italy: permesso UE. Verify the current conditions on portaleimmigrazione.it.
• Citizenship (cittadinanza) - according to the community, for non-EU citizens usually after 10 years of residence.

An important detail that is often confused: permanent residence is a convenient but not mandatory stage. According to the community, if permanent residence is refused, you can keep renewing ordinary permessi for up to 10 years and then apply for citizenship. For permanent residence a language level of A2 is enough, whereas for citizenship B1 is already needed; those who already have Italian permanent residence or that of any EU country usually do not need to re-confirm the language separately.

We were refused permanent residence, and at first I panicked. It turned out to be no big deal: you keep renewing your ordinary permesso, accumulate the same years, and by the ten-year mark you still reach citizenship. Permanent residence is about convenience, not a mandatory condition.

What almost all paths have in common

Despite the different grounds, according to the community almost everywhere the same requirements appear:

• Language. For naturalization and for citizenship by marriage, confirmed knowledge of the Italian language is required (according to the community people aim for level B1, confirmed by a certificate from a recognized system, for example CILS, CELI, PLIDA, IT). Verify the current required level and the list of recognized certificates on interno.gov.it. According to the community an important nuance: for citizenship they accept precisely the B1 cittadinanza certificate, and only a few authorized systems are entitled to issue it (each with branches across cities), whereas for an A2-level permesso the choice of centers is wider. People usually sign up like this: they search for "esame B1 cittadinanza" plus their city and call around the nearest points.
• A clean record. The absence of serious problems with the law is taken into account - both in Italy and in the country of origin; a certificate of no criminal record is usually requested.
• Confirmed income. For naturalization, as a rule, you need to show stable income over the last few years (based on returns).
• Online submission. According to the community applications by residence and by marriage are submitted through the Ministry of the Interior portal, and the final stages (checks, the giuramento oath) go through the prefettura at your place of residence.

The most important thing: continuous residenza

In community discussions this converges on a single point: for citizenship by residence the key is not the date of the visa and not the first permesso, but continuous residenza. The count of the period runs precisely from registration of residenza in the comune, which is why residenza is arranged as early as possible and no gaps are allowed. Each new permesso must be reported to the comune on time so that the residenza data is not interrupted.

The main thing I understood: the citizenship clock ticks from residenza, not from the first permesso. I know a person whose right to apply itself was pushed back because of a two-month gap in registration - he did not update the permesso data in the comune on time. If you are thinking about citizenship, push the registration through and do not lose a single month.

The second common trap according to the community is discrepancies in documents. For a citizenship application the basic document is considered to be the birth certificate (it is often surrendered - make a copy in advance). All Italian documents must match it, and a mismatch in codice fiscale series (for example, different historical codes) has already blocked people's applications. The codice fiscale builder helps you make sense of the code itself.

A separate variety of the same trap according to the community is the different transliteration of the first name and surname in different documents (for example, X and KS, or the spelling in the foreign passport versus the marriage certificate). For the Italian system two different transliterations are formally two different people, and at submission this surfaces: members described preliminary refusals because of the fact that the surname in the passport did not match the surname in the marriage certificate. The working solution according to the community is a consular certificate la stessa persona (that the different spellings belong to one person); it is cheap (an order of 20 euro was named) and is immediately issued in Italian. The same certificate is used to bring the codice fiscale together at the anagrafe and the tax office. When obtaining a new foreign passport, according to the community it is worth asking, by a separate request, to keep the previous transliteration - otherwise the documents will diverge again.

Another practical document according to the community is the certificato storico di residenza (a historical registration certificate): it is exactly the one that shows the continuity of residenza over the years. It is issued at the anagrafe by appointment (appuntamento) and for a separate marca da bollo; members advise also requesting at once the certificato storico di permesso di soggiorno, if it will also be needed, so as not to go twice. At the same time, by community observations, for permanent residence such a certificate is usually not required - the questura checks the continuity itself.

Keep every Italian document strictly in accordance with the birth certificate. Discrepancies in codice fiscale series surface at the most inconvenient moment - at the citizenship application - and have really cost people months. Get the certificate of no criminal record from your country of origin last: it is valid for about half a year, and an expired one will have to be ordered again. This is personal experience, not the letter of the law - verify the current requirements on interno.gov.it.

During the preparation for submission a trifle almost knocked us out: in the foreign passport one transliteration of the surname, in the marriage certificate another. For Italians these are two different people. We made a la stessa persona certificate at the consulate, it cost peanuts and was immediately in Italian - and the matter was closed. If you have changed passports, check in advance whether the name is spelled the same everywhere.

Timelines, dual citizenship and common myths

On timelines the community warns: after the right to apply arises (for example, at the ten-year mark), the processing itself may drag on for several more years, whereas by descent (jure sanguinis) members describe processing as faster. The specific timelines depend heavily on the prefettura and the period - do not tie your plans to them. It is convenient to estimate the stages and horizons in the timeline:

About dual citizenship: according to the community Italy does not require renouncing previous citizenship upon naturalization, and this also saves time on bureaucracy. The final answer also depends on the laws of your country of origin. Verify on interno.gov.it.

A few persistent myths that the community regularly debunks:

• "Italy has a golden visa for investment leading to citizenship" - there is no such automatic path according to the community.
• "Buy real estate - get a permesso" - buying a home by itself does not give a permesso.
• "A child born in Italy to foreigners is automatically Italian" - no, jus soli does not apply in Italy; such a child receives the citizenship of the parents. According to the community he can claim Italian citizenship only by living in Italy continuously from birth to 18 and submitting an application within a year after coming of age.

The most common question from newcomers is about the "golden visa" and about real estate. There is no golden visa in Italy, an apartment does not give a permesso, and a child born here to foreigners does not become Italian. Citizenship is years of registration, taxes and the language, not a purchase. Better to tune in to a marathon right away.

A separate practical topic is banks sometimes refusing an account precisely because of Russian citizenship; what to do about it is covered in Banks and Russian citizens: opening an account.

In the context of timelines it is also worth keeping in mind the recent reform: according to the community a referendum to reduce the residence requirement from 10 to 5 years gained a majority of "yes" votes, but did not take effect because of low turnout (quorum was not reached), so the rule of 10 years for naturalization remains. Verify the current rules on interno.gov.it before calculating timelines.

Where to start

Citizenship is, as a rule, the finale of a long path, not the first step. First come the permesso, its renewals and continuous residence. So before the topic of citizenship it makes sense to deal with the basics:

• how a permesso works and is renewed - in the sections on permesso di soggiorno and post-arrival;
• how income is confirmed - in the section Money, taxes and daily life;
• what documents and legalizations will be needed - in the section Documents.

The route-matcher quiz helps you choose a suitable route at the start, and ready-made templates and forms are collected in the materials library.

The main rule of the section

The periods of residence, the required language level, the income thresholds and the list of documents in the laws on citizenship are periodically revised. Do not rely on figures from chats as the law: everything given here and in neighboring articles is a community guide that must be verified at the moment of submission.

Section articles

• Citizenship by residence (naturalization) - the periods of residence, the B1 language, income requirements and the submission procedure.
• Citizenship by marriage and continuous residence - the fastest path, requirements for the marriage, residence and documents.
• Permesso to EU citizenship in Italy - the ladder of statuses step by step: D visa, permesso, permanent residence, citizenship; where the counters start and the absence rule.
• Italy's 5-year citizenship referendum 2025 - what was put to the vote, the quorum and why the 10 years remain.
• Permanent residency in Italy: permesso UE - income, A2 language, the absence rule and what the permanent status gives.
• Italian B1 for citizenship - which certificates are accepted, how B1 cittadinanza differs from A2 and how to book the exam.

Related articles

• The permesso and the permesso di soggiorno - how a residence permit works and is renewed, without which the path to permanent residence and citizenship does not begin.
• Reunification and family status - how to bring over a spouse and children and how their status affects residence.
• Guides and step-by-step breakdowns - practical scenarios on moving, income and life in individual Italian cities.
• Documents and legalization - the birth certificate, the certificate of no criminal record, apostille and sworn translation for submission.

Official sources

• interno.gov.it - Ministry of the Interior: the section on citizenship (cittadinanza), online submission and the processing procedure.
• esteri.it - Ministry of Foreign Affairs: citizenship by descent and procedures through consulates.
• portaleimmigrazione.it - the immigration portal: the permesso, permanent residence (lungo periodo) and conditions for non-EU citizens.
• questure.poliziadistato.it - the questure: issuance and renewal of the permesso di soggiorno and residenza-related procedures.
• the prefettura at your place of residence - checks, the oath (giuramento) and the final stages of citizenship.

Frequently asked questions

What paths to Italian citizenship are there in general?

According to the community three are most often discussed: by long-term residence (naturalization), by marriage to an Italian citizen and by descent (iure sanguinis). Verify the exact conditions and the list of grounds on interno.gov.it and esteri.it - the rules change.

Do you have to renounce your previous citizenship?

Italy generally allows dual citizenship, but the final answer also depends on the laws of your country of origin. Verify the current details on interno.gov.it and in your country's legislation.

Where is the citizenship application submitted?

According to the community applications by residence and by marriage are submitted online through the Ministry of the Interior portal, and the decision and the oath go through the prefettura at your place of residence. Verify the current process on interno.gov.it.

From what point is the period of residence for citizenship counted?

According to the community the count runs not from the date of the D visa and not from the first permesso, but from registration of residenza (registration) in the comune. That is why residenza is arranged as early as possible and no gaps are allowed: even a short break can push back the right to apply. Verify the current details on interno.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

Is it mandatory to get permanent residence before citizenship?

No. According to the community permanent residence (permesso di soggiorno per lungo periodo) is a convenient but not mandatory stage: if permanent residence is refused, you can keep renewing ordinary permessi for up to 10 years and then apply for citizenship. Verify the process on portaleimmigrazione.it - this is not legal advice.

What to do if the name is written differently in the documents (different transliteration)?

According to the community this is a frequent cause of problems: for the Italian system different transliterations of a surname or first name (for example, in the foreign passport and in the marriage certificate) are formally two different people, and at the citizenship application this surfaces even up to a preliminary refusal. The working solution is a consular certificate la stessa persona stating that the different spellings belong to one person (according to the community cheap and immediately in Italian). When obtaining a new foreign passport it is worth asking, by a separate request, to keep the previous transliteration. This is community experience, not the letter of the law - verify the procedure on interno.gov.it.

Related materials - Italian citizenship

• Italian citizenship: paths and timelines
• Italian citizenship by marriage: B1, terms
• Permanent residency in Italy: permesso UE
• Italian B1 for citizenship: CILS, CELI

Next stepPR & citizenship timelineEnter your first-permesso year: see the years for PR (lungo periodo, 5 yr) and citizenship by residence or marriage.

Documents for this topic

• Official form Mod. 209 - application for permesso di soggiorno (Kit Permesso)
• Form «Comunicazione di Ospitalita» - notification of housing provision for a foreigner (art. 7 D.lgs 286/98)
• Module 2 (Mod. 209) - data form on work activity and income for permesso di soggiorno