Italian B1 for citizenship: CILS, CELI

Italian citizenship needs B1, not A2: which certificates count (CILS, CELI, PLIDA, IT), where to sit the exam, cost benchmarks and how to prepare legally.

For Italian citizenship - both by residence (naturalisation) and by marriage - the language bar is B1, not A2. Level A2 covers the integration agreement and the long-term permit, but a citizenship application backed by an A2 certificate does not meet the language requirement: these are different levels and different exams. Below: which certificates are accepted, how booking works and how to prepare. This is not legal advice - requirements are revised periodically, so verify the level and the list of documents on interno.gov.it before you apply.

In brief: community data

B1, not A2: per the community citizenship needs a confirmed B1; A2 remains the requirement for the permesso and the long-term permit and does not count towards citizenship.
Four recognised systems: per the community CILS, CELI, PLIDA and the IT certification are accepted; take the B1 cittadinanza variant where it exists, not a plain post-course B1.
Not everyone has to sit it: per the community holders of the Italian long-term permit, holders of an EU long-term permit from another member state and holders of an Italian school diploma often do not need a separate certificate - check your own case.
Cost and timing are benchmarks: per the community a B1 cittadinanza session costs a few tens of euros and is not held every month; a suitable date is sometimes awaited from a few weeks to a couple of months.
Legal preparation can be free: the exam boards publish official past-session papers themselves, and adult courses at CPIA are free in a number of regions.

Which certificate is accepted

The language requirement is met by a certificate from a recognised Italian certification system. According to the community there are four of them and they carry equal weight - there is no "best" one, people choose by whichever centre is closest and has the earliest session:

CILS (Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera) - Universita per Stranieri di Siena. This is the acronym most often searched together with "B1 cittadinanza", and it has a dedicated format for the citizenship application;
CELI (Certificato di Conoscenza della Lingua Italiana) - Universita per Stranieri di Perugia, with its own citizenship variant;
PLIDA (Progetto Lingua Italiana Dante Alighieri) - Societa Dante Alighieri, a wide network of centres including ones abroad;
IT - the certification of Universita degli Studi Roma Tre, which serves the same purpose on a par with the others.

The key nuance people trip over most often according to the community: you need the "cittadinanza" variant where it exists. A plain B1 sat "for yourself" after a language course, or a school certificate at level B1, may not be accepted at the application desk. So when booking, ask the centre directly which exam you are sitting: B1 standard or B1 cittadinanza. The same logic exists one level down, where A2 integrazione and A2 standard are distinguished.

The second common trap is the accreditation of the centre. Not every language school is authorised to examine for citizenship purposes: the exam is run by centres accredited by one of the systems above, and each system has its own network. According to the community people simply search for "esame B1 cittadinanza" plus their city name and ring round the nearest venues, checking the session date and the exam type.

Separately, the exemptions people ask about most. According to the community a separate certificate is often not required from:

holders of the Italian long-term permit (permesso UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo) - they already proved the language at A2 when obtaining it; see the breakdown of the EU long-term permit;
holders of a long-term permit issued by another EU country;
people with a diploma from the Italian school system - according to the community even a lower secondary certificate (terza media), which adults obtain for free at an evening school attached to a CPIA, is counted;
applicants by descent (jure sanguinis), who do not prove the language at all.

This is a community benchmark, not a closed list: the set of exemptions and accepted documents is refined from time to time, so verify your own case on interno.gov.it before assembling the file.

I had a B1 from an ordinary language course and was sure the language box was ticked. It turned out the domanda needs the cittadinanza variant, and I had to sit it again. The advice is simple: before paying for an exam, ask the centre exactly one question - is this B1 cittadinanza or not?

Marina, community memberpersonal opinion

Sitting the exam: booking, format, cost

According to the community the mechanics look like this.

Where to sit it. The exam is run by accredited centres of the chosen system: language schools, university centres, branches of the Societa Dante Alighieri, and in a number of regions sessions are also held at CPIA, the provincial adult education centres. In big cities the choice is wider; in small ones it is sometimes easier to travel to a neighbouring province than to wait for a local session.

How to book. According to the community the order is usually: pick a system and a centre, find out the session calendar, submit an application (often through a form on the centre's site or in person), pay the fee and turn up on the day with an identity document. Booking closes in advance, weeks before the session, so "turn up and sit it tomorrow" is not an option.

Format. At B1 four basic skills are tested, familiar from the QCER scale:

listening - short recordings from everyday situations: announcements, dialogues, messages;
reading - straightforward texts with comprehension questions;
writing - simple written tasks such as a note, a letter or a short account of yourself;
speaking - a conversation with the examiner and a description of a situation or a picture.

The exact number of sections, the duration and the pass mark differ between systems and between a standard B1 and the cittadinanza variant, so take the precise format from the chosen board's own site rather than from other people's stories.

Cost and timing - as a benchmark only. According to the community a B1 cittadinanza session costs roughly a few tens of euros and is usually cheaper than the full B1 exam; the amount differs between centres and regions. Sessions are not held every month, so a suitable date is sometimes awaited from a few weeks to a couple of months according to the community, and the certificate itself is not printed instantly after the exam. This is a benchmark - check the current details with the centre.

And a practical detail people learn late according to the community: the certificate with a wet stamp on the official form may be asked for twice - once when filing the domanda and again after the decree, before the oath. It is worth ordering the right number of originals at once and keeping them. If your filing depends on a date, do not sit the exam at the last minute: allow time both for the session and for the form to be issued.

How to prepare

The search "download a CILS B1 textbook" is one of the most frequent in our data, so straight to the point: we do not host or recommend pirated copies of coursebooks - they often carry an outdated format, and a legal alternative exists and is free.

What works according to the community:

official past-session papers - the main free resource. The exam boards publish sample tasks on their own sites (in Italian usually called prove d'esame or esempi di prove) together with audio files and sometimes the marking criteria. This is the most honest way to learn the format: you practise on exactly what you will see in the exam. Look for the samples section of the system you booked with - CILS, CELI, PLIDA or IT;
adult courses at CPIA - free or nearly free in a number of regions; some centres run preparation aimed specifically at the citizenship language exam. How CPIA enrolment works is covered in detail in the article on Italian A2 and CPIA courses;
evening school for adults (serale, terza media) - longer, but it ends in an Italian school diploma which according to the community may itself satisfy the language requirement;
lessons with a teacher - paid, but the fastest way to close a weak spot: most often speaking and writing, which are hard to pull up alone;
official publisher coursebooks bought legally - the major Italian educational publishers have series aimed specifically at certification preparation; look for a recent edition matching your system;
everyday practice - according to the community B1 does not build up without live speaking practice: even a couple of Italian conversations a week move the level more than grammar drills alone.

A useful benchmark on pace: if A2 is reached in about four to six months of regular study according to the community, the road from A2 to B1 usually takes a comparable stretch again. Pace is individual, but planning the exam "in a month from scratch" is not something the community recommends.

For the whole month before the exam I worked through the official sample papers from the board I had booked with: first calmly, then against the clock. I never needed a secret textbook - the format simply stopped being a surprise, and on the day I was just doing familiar tasks.

Igor, community memberpersonal opinion

B1 versus A2

It helps to keep the two thresholds side by side so you do not pay twice for the wrong exam:

Level	What it is for	Where people usually get it
A2	accordo di integrazione on the first permesso and the permesso UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo (long-term permit)	courses and the exam at a CPIA, and also the certification systems
B1	cittadinanza - citizenship by residence (naturalisation) and by marriage	accredited CILS, CELI, PLIDA, IT centres (cittadinanza variant)

Two practical things follow. First, an A2 certificate will not do for citizenship - it has to be retaken at the higher level. Second, if you are already looking towards citizenship, it makes sense to pick a route that clears the B1 bar from the start: either aim directly at B1 cittadinanza or go via an Italian school diploma.

Where this fits next:

Italian A2 for a permit: free CPIA courses - the lower bar, why A2 is needed and how to reach it for free;
Italian citizenship and passport: all routes - where B1 sits in the wider package of requirements (residence, income, documents);
Italian citizenship by marriage - the fastest route, where the B1 certificate is still mandatory;
The EU long-term permit - the status that according to the community often removes the need for a separate certificate at the citizenship stage.

To work out which year your application opens and by when you need the certificate in hand, use the tool:

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

My conclusion after two exams: plan the language around the goal, not around "whenever it comes up". If the goal is citizenship, A2 is only an intermediate stop - you should count back from B1 and from the filing date, so the printed form arrives in time.

Svetlana, community memberpersonal opinion

Italian A2 for a permit: free CPIA courses - how A2 differs from B1 and how to study for free.
Italian citizenship and passport - the full overview of grounds and requirements.
Italian citizenship by marriage - timelines and the mandatory B1.
The EU long-term permit - when the certificate may not be asked for.
Citizenship timeline calculator - when filing opens up.

Official sources

interno.gov.it - Ministry of the Interior: the language requirement for citizenship, the list of accepted certificates and the procedure for filing the domanda.
portaleimmigrazione.it - the immigration portal: statuses and the requirements for the permesso and the long-term permit.
The exam boards as the issuing bodies: Universita per Stranieri di Siena (CILS), Universita per Stranieri di Perugia (CELI), Societa Dante Alighieri (PLIDA), Universita degli Studi Roma Tre (IT) - check with them for the session calendar, fees, the list of accredited centres and the official sample papers.
The prefettura for your place of residence - receiving citizenship documents and the oath.

Frequently asked questions

What level of Italian is required for Italian citizenship?

According to the community, citizenship by residence (naturalisation) and by marriage require confirmed Italian at level B1, not A2. A2 is the bar for the permesso and the long-term permit, and an A2 certificate does not satisfy the citizenship language requirement. Verify the exact level and the list of accepted documents on interno.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

Which B1 certificates are accepted for citizenship?

According to the community, certificates from the recognised Italian systems are accepted: CILS (Universita per Stranieri di Siena), CELI (Universita per Stranieri di Perugia), PLIDA (Societa Dante Alighieri) and the IT certification (Universita Roma Tre). What matters is taking the citizenship variant - B1 cittadinanza, where such a variant exists - rather than any school B1 earned after a language course. Verify the current list on interno.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

Can you apply for citizenship without a language exam?

According to the community, yes in certain cases: a certificate is often not required from holders of the Italian long-term permit (permesso di lungo periodo), holders of a long-term permit from another EU country, and people who hold a diploma from the Italian school system (even terza media from a CPIA evening school). Applicants by descent (jure sanguinis) do not prove the language at all. This is a community benchmark and the exemptions are revised from time to time - verify the current rules on interno.gov.it.

How much does the B1 cittadinanza exam cost and how long is the wait?

According to the community, the benchmark is roughly a few tens of euros per B1 cittadinanza session, usually noticeably cheaper than the full B1 exam; the amount differs between centres and regions. Sessions are not held every month, so waiting for a suitable date can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months according to the community. This is a benchmark - check the current schedule and fee with the accredited centre itself.

Where can I get a textbook or materials to prepare for CILS B1?

The honest and legal route is the free official past-session papers (prove d'esame) on the exam boards' own sites: CILS, CELI, PLIDA and IT publish sample tasks and audio. We do not host or recommend pirated copies of textbooks. On top of that, the community uses CPIA courses, lessons with a teacher and official publisher coursebooks bought legally.

How does the B1 cittadinanza exam differ from a standard B1?

According to the community, B1 cittadinanza is a separate, shorter format aimed specifically at the citizenship application: some teachers describe its difficulty as close to an advanced A2. Other participants feel no difference at all, so opinions diverge and it is safer to prepare for a full B1. Verify the format, the sections and the pass mark with the exam board - this is not legal advice.

Related materials - Italian citizenship

Next stepDocument-pack assemblerPick a motive and questura: the exact allegati list with apostille/translation flags and the blanks.