Citizenship by Marriage

Eligibility Quiz

Application Process

You apply for Italian citizenship by marriage entirely online through the Ministry of the Interior's ALI portal, then attend an in-person appointment at either a consulate (if you live abroad) or a local police headquarters called the Questura (if you live in Italy). The process takes roughly 24–36 months from application to final approval, though in practice it often takes longer, especially outside Italy.

Before You Apply: Verify Your Eligibility

First, confirm that your marriage meets Italy's registration requirements. Your marriage must be registered with an Italian municipality (Comune). If you married abroad, your marriage certificate must be transcribed into Italian civil registers before you can apply. Contact the Comune where your Italian spouse has vital records, or ask your Italian consulate for help with transcription.

Also verify that you've met the waiting period:

2 years of continuous legal residence in Italy after marriage, or
3 years from your marriage date if you live abroad

These periods are halved to 1 year (Italy) or 1.5 years (abroad) if you have children together.

Step 1: Obtain Your Italian Language Certificate (B1 Level)

You must have a B1-level Italian language certificate (intermediate conversational ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). This is mandatory unless you qualify for an exemption—for example, if you've signed an integration agreement with Italian authorities, hold an EU long-term residence permit, or have a certified cognitive disability.

Enroll in a B1 exam at a recognized institution. The Ministry of Education (MIUR) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) recognize these institutions:

University for Foreigners of Siena
University for Foreigners of Perugia
Roma Tre University
Dante Alighieri Society
Italian Cultural Institute

Exams typically cost €100–300 and take several weeks to schedule. Your certificate must be valid at the time you submit your application.

Step 2: Gather and Prepare All Documents

Collect certified copies of every document listed below. All foreign documents must be officially translated into Italian by a certified translator and apostilled (a special certification for documents used internationally). This step typically takes 1–3 months and costs €200–500 for translation and legalization combined.

Core documents you need:

Birth certificate: Original long-form certified copy with all annotations, issued within the last 6 months. Must include complete information about your parents and circumstances of birth. Translated and apostilled.
Marriage certificate: Extract of the marriage act (estratto per riassunto dell'atto di matrimonio) issued by the Italian municipality where your marriage was registered, issued within the last 6 months. If you married abroad, you must have the certificate transcribed in Italian registers first.
Criminal record certificates: From your country of origin and from every country where you've lived since age 14. For U.S. applicants, this means an FBI federal background check plus state-level records from all states of residence. These are valid for about 6 months, so request them close to your application date. Translated and apostilled.
Valid passport or national ID card: Copy of your current passport or national ID.
Copy of your spouse's Italian ID or passport: Proof that your spouse is Italian.
Residence documentation: If you live in Italy, a residence permit or certificate of permanent residence (for EU citizens). If you live abroad, a certificate of residence issued by your local municipality.
Italian tax code (Codice Fiscale): Required if you live in Italy. You can obtain this from the local tax office (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Proof that your Italian spouse is registered with AIRE (Registry of Italians Abroad): Required if your spouse lives abroad.
Italian language certificate (B1): Your exam results from a recognized institution.

Step 3: Create an Account on the Ministry Portal

Go to the Ministry of the Interior's ALI portal at https://portaleservizi.dlci.interno.it/. You'll need to log in using SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale, Italy's digital identity system) or a CIE (Carta d'Identità Elettronica, electronic ID card). If you don't have SPID or CIE, you can register for SPID online through an Italian bank or certified service provider.

Note: The portal is currently available only in Italian. If you need help navigating it, consider consulting an immigration lawyer or using translation tools.

Step 4: Submit Your Application Online

Log into the portal and complete the online application form in all required fields. Upload scanned copies of all your documents. Pay the €250 ministry contribution fee and, if you live in Italy, the €16 electronic revenue stamp (marca da bollo). If you live abroad, as of January 1, 2025, you no longer need to pay the revenue stamp—just the €250 fee.

Keep proof of payment. You'll need it for your in-person appointment.

Step 5: Attend Your In-Person Appointment

After you submit your application, the Ministry will contact you to schedule an appointment. Where you go depends on where you live:

If you live in Italy: You'll be called to your local Questura (Police Headquarters). Bring all original documents for verification. You'll undergo identity checks and fingerprinting.

If you live abroad: You'll be called to the Italian Consulate in your country of residence. The process is the same—bring originals, verify identity, provide fingerprints. For U.S. applicants applying through the Los Angeles Consulate, preliminary document review happens via email before your in-person appointment is scheduled.

The appointment typically occurs 2–6 months after you submit your application, but this varies by consulate workload.

Step 6: Wait for Ministry Review and Decision

The Ministry of the Interior reviews your application. The official maximum processing time is 24 months, with possible extension to 36 months in exceptional cases. In practice, especially for applicants abroad, expect 2–4 years. You'll receive regular status updates through the online portal.

Step 7: Receive Your Citizenship Decree

If approved, the Ministry issues a citizenship decree. You'll be notified through the Ministry's website and the portal.

Step 8: Take the Oath of Allegiance

After the decree is issued, you have 6 months to take the oath of allegiance to the Italian Republic. This is the final step—without it, your citizenship is not complete.

Where you take the oath depends on where you live:

In Italy: At your local Comune (municipality)
Abroad: At the Italian Consulate

You become an Italian citizen at midnight on the day you take the oath. If you don't take the oath within 6 months, the decree becomes void and you lose the right to citizenship.

Fees

Item	Cost
Ministry contribution	€250
Electronic revenue stamp (marca da bollo)	€16*
Total government fees	€266*

*As of January 1, 2025, the revenue stamp is no longer required for applicants residing abroad, reducing the total to €250 for those applicants.

This does not include: translation and legalization of documents (€200–500), Italian language certification exam (€100–300), or optional legal assistance (€1,000–5,000+).

Total estimated cost (without legal help): €566–816
Total estimated cost (with legal help): €1,566–5,816+

Processing Time

Official maximum: 24 months from application submission, with possible extension to 36 months in exceptional cases.

Practical timelines vary significantly:

In Italy: Average 2–3 years
Abroad: Often 3–4 years or longer

Timeline breakdown from marriage to citizenship:

Waiting period: 2 years (Italy) or 3 years (abroad) before you're eligible to apply
Document preparation: 1–3 months
Application submission to consulate/prefecture appointment: 2–6 months
Ministry review: 24–36 months (officially); often longer in practice
Oath ceremony: 1–2 months after decree issuance

Total end-to-end: Approximately 4–5 years minimum from marriage to citizenship oath.

Factors that slow things down:

Incomplete or incorrectly translated documents
Consulate backlogs (particularly significant in the United States as of March 2026)
Complex cases requiring additional verification
International background check delays
Your consulate's workload

Document validity periods to watch:

Criminal background checks: typically 6 months
Marriage and birth certificates: must be recently issued (within 6 months of application)
Italian language certificate: must be valid at time of application

Eligibility Quiz

What's Happening

Today

Italian citizenship-by-marriage remains available to foreign spouses after 2 years of marriage in Italy or 3 years abroad (halved with children), requiring B1-level Italian language certification and a €250 fee, with processing taking 24–36 months, but faces potential restriction under pending Draft Law 1450/2025 that could limit eligibility to Italy residents only.

Mar 12, 2026

Italy's Constitutional Court rejected constitutional challenges to Law 74/2025 (citizenship-by-descent reform), declaring them partly unfounded and partly inadmissible; while this primarily affects descent claims, it signals the Court's deference to Parliament on citizenship restrictions.

imidaily.com ↗

Feb 19, 2026

Law 11/2026 entered into force establishing a centralized Citizenship Directorate in Rome; from January 1, 2029, citizenship-by-marriage applications will be processed by this central office rather than consulates, with annual caps on intake and extended 36-month processing times.

visahq.com ↗

Jan 1, 2026

Italy's 2026 Budget Law eliminated the €250 administrative fee for minors' citizenship declarations (Article 4 cases) and extended the filing window from 12 months to 36 months, effective January 1, 2026.

visahq.com ↗

Apr 8, 2025

Draft Law 1450/2025 was presented to the Italian Senate proposing to restrict citizenship-by-marriage exclusively to spouses residing in Italy, potentially eliminating eligibility for couples living abroad; still pending parliamentary approval as of March 2026.

boccadutri.com ↗

Dec 2020

Processing time for citizenship-by-marriage applications was reduced from 48 months to 36 months maximum, with a standard 24-month target, per Law 173/2020.

italiancitizenshipassistance.com ↗

Dec 2018

Italy introduced mandatory B1-level Italian language requirement for all citizenship-by-marriage applications submitted after December 4, 2018, significantly raising the integration threshold for foreign spouses.

boccadutri.com ↗

Application Process

Before You Apply: Verify Your Eligibility

Also verify that you've met the waiting period:

2 years of continuous legal residence in Italy after marriage, or
3 years from your marriage date if you live abroad

These periods are halved to 1 year (Italy) or 1.5 years (abroad) if you have children together.

Step 1: Obtain Your Italian Language Certificate (B1 Level)

Enroll in a B1 exam at a recognized institution. The Ministry of Education (MIUR) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) recognize these institutions:

University for Foreigners of Siena
University for Foreigners of Perugia
Roma Tre University
Dante Alighieri Society
Italian Cultural Institute

Exams typically cost €100–300 and take several weeks to schedule. Your certificate must be valid at the time you submit your application.

Step 2: Gather and Prepare All Documents

Core documents you need:

Birth certificate: Original long-form certified copy with all annotations, issued within the last 6 months. Must include complete information about your parents and circumstances of birth. Translated and apostilled.
Marriage certificate: Extract of the marriage act (estratto per riassunto dell'atto di matrimonio) issued by the Italian municipality where your marriage was registered, issued within the last 6 months. If you married abroad, you must have the certificate transcribed in Italian registers first.
Criminal record certificates: From your country of origin and from every country where you've lived since age 14. For U.S. applicants, this means an FBI federal background check plus state-level records from all states of residence. These are valid for about 6 months, so request them close to your application date. Translated and apostilled.
Valid passport or national ID card: Copy of your current passport or national ID.
Copy of your spouse's Italian ID or passport: Proof that your spouse is Italian.
Residence documentation: If you live in Italy, a residence permit or certificate of permanent residence (for EU citizens). If you live abroad, a certificate of residence issued by your local municipality.
Italian tax code (Codice Fiscale): Required if you live in Italy. You can obtain this from the local tax office (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Proof that your Italian spouse is registered with AIRE (Registry of Italians Abroad): Required if your spouse lives abroad.
Italian language certificate (B1): Your exam results from a recognized institution.

Step 3: Create an Account on the Ministry Portal

Note: The portal is currently available only in Italian. If you need help navigating it, consider consulting an immigration lawyer or using translation tools.

Step 4: Submit Your Application Online

Keep proof of payment. You'll need it for your in-person appointment.

Step 5: Attend Your In-Person Appointment

After you submit your application, the Ministry will contact you to schedule an appointment. Where you go depends on where you live:

If you live in Italy: You'll be called to your local Questura (Police Headquarters). Bring all original documents for verification. You'll undergo identity checks and fingerprinting.

The appointment typically occurs 2–6 months after you submit your application, but this varies by consulate workload.

Step 6: Wait for Ministry Review and Decision

Step 7: Receive Your Citizenship Decree

If approved, the Ministry issues a citizenship decree. You'll be notified through the Ministry's website and the portal.

Step 8: Take the Oath of Allegiance

After the decree is issued, you have 6 months to take the oath of allegiance to the Italian Republic. This is the final step—without it, your citizenship is not complete.

Where you take the oath depends on where you live:

In Italy: At your local Comune (municipality)
Abroad: At the Italian Consulate

You become an Italian citizen at midnight on the day you take the oath. If you don't take the oath within 6 months, the decree becomes void and you lose the right to citizenship.

Fees

Item	Cost
Ministry contribution	€250
Electronic revenue stamp (marca da bollo)	€16*
Total government fees	€266*

*As of January 1, 2025, the revenue stamp is no longer required for applicants residing abroad, reducing the total to €250 for those applicants.

This does not include: translation and legalization of documents (€200–500), Italian language certification exam (€100–300), or optional legal assistance (€1,000–5,000+).

Total estimated cost (without legal help): €566–816
Total estimated cost (with legal help): €1,566–5,816+

Processing Time

Official maximum: 24 months from application submission, with possible extension to 36 months in exceptional cases.

Practical timelines vary significantly:

In Italy: Average 2–3 years
Abroad: Often 3–4 years or longer

Timeline breakdown from marriage to citizenship:

Waiting period: 2 years (Italy) or 3 years (abroad) before you're eligible to apply
Document preparation: 1–3 months
Application submission to consulate/prefecture appointment: 2–6 months
Ministry review: 24–36 months (officially); often longer in practice
Oath ceremony: 1–2 months after decree issuance

Total end-to-end: Approximately 4–5 years minimum from marriage to citizenship oath.

Factors that slow things down:

Incomplete or incorrectly translated documents
Consulate backlogs (particularly significant in the United States as of March 2026)
Complex cases requiring additional verification
International background check delays
Your consulate's workload

Document validity periods to watch:

Criminal background checks: typically 6 months
Marriage and birth certificates: must be recently issued (within 6 months of application)
Italian language certificate: must be valid at time of application

What's Happening

Today

Mar 12, 2026

Feb 19, 2026

Jan 1, 2026

Apr 8, 2025

Dec 2020

Processing time for citizenship-by-marriage applications was reduced from 48 months to 36 months maximum, with a standard 24-month target, per Law 173/2020.

italiancitizenshipassistance.com ↗

Dec 2018

boccadutri.com ↗