9 short answers to questions from relocation chats about Italy. Compiled from community experience and our own articles: figures and fees change, so verify the current details on official sites. This is not legal advice.
Updated: 2026-09-13
Per the community the guideline for non-EU citizens is about 10 years of continuous legal residence, for EU citizens about 4. The clock runs from registered residenza, not from the visa or the first permesso, so register your residence as early as possible. Check the current rules on interno.gov.it.
Per the community usually 1 to 3 years from the marriage date: living in Italy with the spouse shortens the term, living abroad extends it, and shared children halve it. A B1 language certificate (CILS, PLIDA or CELI) is mandatory - without it the application is not accepted. Verify exact terms on interno.gov.it.
Per the community no: Italy allows dual citizenship and does not require renouncing your previous passport - keeping it even saves bureaucracy. But the consequences also depend on the laws of your country of citizenship, including notification rules. Check the current requirements of both countries - this is not legal advice.
Per the community citizenship by residence and by marriage requires a certified B1 level - certificates from the recognized systems CILS, CELI and PLIDA are accepted. You can skip the exam with an Italian educational diploma, for example a terza media certificate from a CPIA. Verify the accepted documents list on interno.gov.it.
Per the community the right to the permesso UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo arises after about 5 years of continuous residence on a permit - with documented income, paid taxes and A2 language. It is a convenient but optional step: you can apply for citizenship without it, accumulating your 10 years through regular renewals.
Per the community and the press, the June 8-9, 2025 vote proposed cutting the naturalization term from 10 to 5 years: about 64% of voters said yes, but turnout missed the quorum of half the electorate, so the result did not count. The old guideline of about 10 years stands. Watch for legislative changes.
Per the community a naturalization decision usually takes around 24-36 months (24 months plus up to 12 for extra checks), and the whole journey from filing to passport is described as one and a half to four years. Our calculator helps estimate your personal timeline from residenza to the oath. These are community estimates, not a guarantee.
Free Italian courses and the A2 test for the accordo di integrazione are run by the state CPIA - adult-education centres present in every province. Enrolment is free: you bring ID, a codice fiscale and a permesso or ricevuta. A catalog of CPIA by city and an exam comparison is at /cpia. This is not citizenship: that needs B1.
Since 2018 citizenship requires level B1, and any of the certificates CILS, CELI or PLIDA at that level qualifies - people choose by centre convenience and session dates. The free A2 test via a CPIA does not count for citizenship. As an alternative to B1 the terza media diploma is sometimes accepted. See /cpia for the certificate comparison.
This theme also has 2 community questions from the chats, answered by members: Community questions: Citizenship
Not legal advice. Where the answers come from
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