# Italian Citizenship Through Marriage: 2026 Requirements Guide > Italian citizenship through marriage in 2026: B1 language test, 2-3 year waiting period, €250 fee, documents, and step-by-step application. **URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/language-fun/italian-citizenship-through-marriage-2026-requirements-guide **Last Updated:** 2026-05-18 **Tags:** resources, culture, deepdive --- Foreign spouses of Italian citizens can apply for Italian citizenship (jure matrimonii) after two years of legal residence in Italy or three years of marriage if living abroad, provided they pass a B1 Italian language test, have no disqualifying criminal record, and pay the €250 government fee. The application is filed online with the Italian Ministry of the Interior and the statutory decision window is 24 to 36 months. *Last updated: May 18, 2026* ## Who Qualifies in 2026 Italian citizenship by marriage is governed by Articles 5 through 8 of Law No. 91 of February 5, 1992, with significant amendments from Law 132/2018 (which introduced the language requirement) and Law 173/2020 (which set the current processing timeline). Decree-Law 36/2025, converted into Law 74/2025 on May 23, 2025, restructured several Italian citizenship pathways, but the Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that the rules for citizenship by marriage remain unchanged. To apply, you must meet all of the following as of 2026: - Be legally married to, or in a registered civil union with, an Italian citizen. - Have completed the relevant waiting period (see next section). - Hold a valid CEFR B1 certificate in Italian (with limited exemptions). - Have no disqualifying criminal convictions. - Have the marriage properly transcribed in the civil registry of the competent Italian comune. - If living abroad, the Italian spouse must be registered with AIRE (Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all'Estero) through the relevant consulate. Same-sex couples are covered. Civil unions have been recognized in Italy since the 2016 Cirinnà Law (No. 76/2016) and are treated identically to marriages for citizenship purposes. Same-sex marriages celebrated abroad are transcribed in Italy as civil unions. One historical note: automatic citizenship for foreign women who married Italian men ended on April 27, 1983 with Law No. 123/1983. If you were married to an Italian citizen before that date, a simplified procedure may still apply, and you should contact your nearest consulate directly. ## The Waiting Period The minimum time you must wait before filing depends on where you live and whether you have children with your Italian spouse. | Situation | Standard wait | With children (biological or adopted together) | |---|---|---| | Foreign spouse legally resident in Italy | 2 years of residence after marriage | 1 year | | Foreign spouse residing abroad | 3 years from date of marriage | 18 months | The clock for residents in Italy starts from the date your legal residence is registered following the marriage, not from the wedding date itself. For applicants abroad, the count begins on the date the marriage was celebrated, provided it has been transcribed in the Italian civil registry. If you have a child or adopt one together during the process, the reduced timeline applies retroactively. You can amend your file rather than restart it. A pending legislative proposal, DDL S. 1450/2025, was assigned to the Senate's 1st Permanent Commission on April 23, 2025. In its current form it would eliminate the marriage pathway for spouses residing abroad after three years of marriage. As of May 2026 the bill has not been passed, but applicants outside Italy should monitor its progress and consider filing sooner rather than later if eligible. ## The B1 Italian Language Requirement Since Law 132/2018 took effect on December 4, 2018, every applicant must prove Italian language proficiency at CEFR level B1 or higher. The certificate must come from one of four recognized providers: - CILS (Università per Stranieri di Siena) - CELI (Università per Stranieri di Perugia) - PLIDA (Società Dante Alighieri) - Roma Tre University Or from an institution operating under an agreement with MIUR (Ministry of Education) or MAECI (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Certificates from unaccredited language schools will be rejected. B1 is described as the "threshold" level. You should be able to handle a doctor's appointment, follow a news segment on familiar topics, write a personal email, and describe experiences and plans. Typical preparation for a motivated learner with no prior Italian is 9 to 12 months of consistent study. Exemptions exist but they are narrow: - Holders of an EU long-term residence permit (permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo). - Those who have signed and fulfilled the Integration Agreement (Accordo di integrazione). - Holders of certain Italian school diplomas. If you are not sure whether you qualify for an exemption, assume you do not and book the exam. The certificate must be valid at the time of application submission. ## Document Checklist The online portal will guide you through uploads, but assemble these before you start. Anything not originally in Italian must be translated by a sworn translator and (for non-EU documents) apostilled or legalized through the relevant Italian consulate. - Marriage certificate issued by the Italian comune where the marriage is transcribed (long-form, atto integrale di matrimonio). - Birth certificate, apostilled and translated. - Criminal background certificates from your country of origin and any third country where you have lived since age 14. These must be issued no more than 6 months before submission, apostilled or legalized, and translated into Italian. - Valid passport (data page and any pages with relevant stamps). - B1 language certificate from a MIUR/MAECI-recognized institution. - Proof of payment of the €250 government fee. - €16 marca da bollo (revenue stamp) identifier. - Residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) if applying from Italy, or AIRE registration confirmation for the Italian spouse if applying from abroad. - Italian fiscal code (codice fiscale). Applicants residing abroad file using Modello AE; applicants in Italy file Modello A. ## Step-by-Step Application Process ### 1. Transcribe the marriage in Italy If you married outside Italy, the marriage must first be registered with the Italian comune of jurisdiction (typically where the Italian spouse is registered with AIRE). This can take weeks to months depending on the consulate's workload. You cannot file a citizenship application until this step is complete. ### 2. Obtain your B1 certificate Book a test session with CILS, CELI, PLIDA, or Roma Tre. Results typically come back within 60 to 90 days. Plan your study and test schedule before approaching the citizenship application itself. ### 3. Gather and legalize documents Request criminal records, birth certificates, and any other foreign-issued documents. Have them apostilled in the country of issue (if it is a Hague Convention signatory) or legalized at the relevant Italian consulate. Then have them translated by a sworn translator. Remember the six-month validity window on criminal records. ### 4. Pay the fees - €250 to the Ministry of the Interior, via PagoPA or bank transfer to "Ministero dell'Interno D.L.C.I Cittadinanza" (IBAN IT54D0760103200000000809020). - €16 marca da bollo, purchased from a tobacconist (tabaccaio) in Italy or generated digitally. Enter the stamp's serial number into the portal. Consular ancillary fees apply if you file from abroad. As an example, the Italian Embassy in Berlin's 2026 table lists €20 for authentication of signature, €24 for legalization of a translator's signature, €10 for certified ID copies, and €20 for translations of non-civil-status documents. Check your specific consulate's fee table because they vary by post and are republished quarterly. ### 5. File online The application is filed exclusively through the Ministry of the Interior portal at cittadinanza.dlci.interno.it. You will need SPID, CIE, or a consular login to access it. The portal walks through each section, and you upload PDF copies of all supporting documents. Save your application reference number; you will use it to track status. ### 6. Wait for the decree The statutory processing window is 24 months from submission, extendable up to 36 months, per Law 173/2020 (applicable to applications filed after December 20, 2020). You may receive requests for additional documents during this time, with a deadline to respond. Citizenship decrees are issued by the Prefect (Prefetto) of your province of residence in Italy, or for applicants abroad, processed through the Ministry and notified via the consulate. ### 7. Take the oath Once your decree is notified, you have 6 months to take the oath of allegiance (giuramento). Missing this deadline forfeits your right to citizenship. The oath is taken at the comune (if in Italy) or consulate (if abroad). A consular fee of €15 applies to the verbale di giuramento. You must bring a fresh long-form marriage certificate issued after the date printed on the decree. Italian citizenship takes effect the day after the oath. ## Fees and Processing Time at a Glance | Item | Amount (2026) | |---|---| | Government application fee | €250 | | Revenue stamp (marca da bollo) | €16 | | Oath statement (consular) | €15 | | B1 exam fee | ~€100-180 depending on provider | | Sworn translation per document | varies (~€30-80) | | Apostille per document | varies by country | | Statutory decision window | 24 months (extendable to 36) | | Oath deadline after decree | 6 months | Budget roughly €600 to €1,500 in total once translations, apostilles, and the language exam are included, even though the Italian government's direct fees are modest. ## Common Pitfalls That Delay or Sink Applications - Expired criminal records. The six-month validity window is strict. If your background check is older than six months on submission day, it will be rejected. - Wrong language certificate. Certificates from private language schools without MIUR or MAECI accreditation will not be accepted, even at B1 level. - Untranscribed marriage. Filing before the marriage is registered in the Italian comune is the single most common cause of immediate rejection. - Translation errors. Sworn translations must be precise. Mismatched name spellings between your birth certificate and marriage certificate cause delays. - Separation or divorce during the process. If the marriage ends at any point before the oath, the right to citizenship terminates. Constitutional Court Sentence No. 195/2022 (July 26, 2022) created a narrow exception: if the Italian spouse dies after the application has been submitted, the survivor may still complete the process. - Disqualifying criminal record. Italian convictions over 3 years' imprisonment, foreign convictions over 1 year for non-political offenses, and any conviction for offenses against the State will block the application. - Missing the oath deadline. Six months is shorter than it sounds, especially if you live abroad and the consulate is backed up. Book the oath appointment as soon as you receive the notification. ## Frequently Asked Questions Does Italian citizenship by marriage allow dual nationality? Yes. Italy permits dual citizenship, so you generally do not need to renounce your original nationality. Check whether your country of origin permits dual citizenship as well, since some countries impose restrictions on their side. Can I apply at my local consulate or do I have to travel to Italy? If you reside abroad, you file online through the Ministry of the Interior portal and the consulate handles document authentication, the oath, and notification. You do not need to travel to Italy unless personally invited. What if my spouse and I are separated but not divorced? Legal separation does not automatically terminate the application, but it raises questions. Practical advice: speak to an Italian immigration lawyer before filing or continuing a pending application during separation. Is citizenship by marriage faster than citizenship by descent? The pathways serve different people. Citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) has its own timelines, paperwork, and 2025 reforms. If you have Italian ancestry, see our guide on [Italian citizenship by descent requirements](https://migaku.com/blog/language-fun/how-to-get-italian-citizenship-by-descent-jure-sanguinis-in-2026). Brazilian descendants of Italian emigrants face specific choices between filing in Italy or at a consulate, covered in our [Italian citizenship for Brazilian descendants](https://migaku.com/blog/language-fun/italian-citizenship-for-brazilian-descendants-comune-vs-consulate) guide. Can children get citizenship through my application? Minor children of an applicant who acquires Italian citizenship by marriage do not automatically receive citizenship through that route. They follow separate procedures based on the Italian parent's citizenship status or residence. What if I'm considering Italy as part of a broader European move? If you don't qualify for Italian citizenship by marriage but want EU residence options, residency-by-investment programs in other EU countries may fit. Our analysis of [Portugal Golden Visa immigration options](https://migaku.com/blog/language-fun/portugal-golden-visa-changes-in-2026-what-investors-need-to-know) covers an alternative pathway. Will the proposed 2025 reform affect my application? DDL S. 1450/2025 is still under Senate review as of May 2026. Applications already filed under current law are protected by the rules in force at the time of submission. If you are eligible now and live abroad, filing sooner reduces exposure to any future tightening. ## A Word on Preparing for Italian Life The B1 language requirement is the part of this process you cannot outsource to a lawyer or a translator. Whether you live in Bologna or Brooklyn, you will need to read Italian forms, talk to officials at the comune, and pass a written and spoken exam. Once you have citizenship, daily life in Italy (or with Italian family, in-laws, and bureaucracy) is much smoother when you can hold real conversations in 大切な (no, that's not Italian; in *italiano*) on topics that matter to you. If you're preparing for the B1 exam or just want Italian to feel natural before you move, [try Migaku](https://migaku.com/signup): it turns Italian Netflix, YouTube, and news into structured study so the language you need for citizenship and for life starts to stick.