We teach the language, not immigration law, and we will say so clearly: confirm your own case with your consulate or a lawyer. What follows is the language requirement as it stands, because that part we do know well.
The three routes
- By residency — ten years for non-EU citizens, four for EU. Requires certified B1 Italian, introduced by the security decree of December 2018.
- By marriage to an Italian citizen. Also requires certified B1.
- By descent, jure sanguinis. Historically no language requirement for the application itself.
That last point is the one that generates endless forum arguments. Requirements and consular practice do change, and some consulates ask more than others, so verify rather than assume.
Who is exempt
- Holders of an Italian school qualification, or a degree from an Italian university.
- Holders of an EU long-term residence permit, which already required a language test.
- Applicants with a certified disability affecting language acquisition, with medical documentation.
Which certificates count
Four bodies are recognised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
- CILS — Università per Stranieri di Siena
- CELI — Università per Stranieri di Perugia
- PLIDA — Società Dante Alighieri
- Cert.it — Università Roma Tre
There is also a dedicated exam, CILS B1 Cittadinanza, built specifically for this application. It tests only listening, reading, writing and speaking at B1, and for most applicants it is the most efficient route. Which to choose is covered in which B1 exam to take.
The certificate has no expiry for this purpose. Pass once and that part of the file is closed permanently.
What B1 actually means
B1 is the independence threshold. You can handle predictable daily situations, describe experiences, explain a plan, give reasons for an opinion, and follow clear speech on familiar topics. It is not sophisticated Italian and it is not conversational fluency in the sense of arguing about politics. It is Italian you no longer need help with.
Practical points people miss
- Book the session early. Sessions run a few times a year and citizenship-exam places fill quickly, especially at consulates and Dante Alighieri centres abroad.
- You can sit it outside Italy. Exam centres exist across the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
- Partial passes generally do not carry over on the citizenship exam, so prepare all four skills.
- Allow time for the certificate to arrive before your application deadline. It is not instant.
We prepare candidates for a specific dated session, working backwards from it: see Italian for citizenship.