ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP BY RESIDENCY
As explored in many of our previous articles, Italian citizenship can be acquired in several ways. So far we have focused on citizenship by virtue of having Italian parents/ancestors (which is commonly referred to as citizenship by “iure sanguinis” – “by right of blood”) however, there are also other ways of acquiring Italian citizenship; among these are citizenship by marriage and citizenship by residency. This article will focus on acquisition by residency.
How many years of legal residence are required to obtain Italian citizenship?
As a general rule, for non-EU citizens, legal residency in Italy for at least 10 years is required. By legal residency we refer to being listed as a resident in a town’s registry office (“anagrafe”). On the other hand, for EU-citizens, the period of residency required is 4 years. There are other cases for which the period of residency required is lower, such as for foreigners whose parent or grandparent were Italians by birth. In this case the time required is 3 years of legal residency.
Note: although we are referring to a person of Italian descent, in this article we are focusing specifically on individuals who are interested in applying for citizenship by residency and not for citizenship jure sanguinis (by descent). In fact, if somebody does not qualify for Italian citizenship jure sanguinis because of the ancestor’s naturalization date, this person can still apply for Italian citizenship by residency if the parent or the grandparent was born in Italy.
What are the other requirements?
Firstly, you need proof provided by the town’s registry office of your place of residency that you are a resident from a legal stand point, and that your name has been listed in the registry office for a given period of time without any interruption.
Secondly, in order to apply for Italian citizenship by residency you need to have a certified knowledge of the Italian language at a level which is no lower than B1.
According to the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages” B1 is a low intermediate level. Currently, there are four certification bodies which belong to the unified certification system known as Italian Quality Language Certification (CLIQ):
- the University for foreigners of Siena,
- the University for foreigners of Perugia,
- the Roma Tre University,
- the Dante Alighieri Society.
For more information on the language certificate please CLICK HERE.
Thirdly, you need to provide evidence that your yearly income has not been lower than € 8.263,31 for the past 3 years. If you are married your yearly income must not have been lower than €11.362,05, and an additional € 516, 46 is required for every dependent child. If you do not have a yearly income you can indicate somebody else’s as long as they are part of the same household.
Where do you apply?
You can apply online on the official website of the Italian Ministry of the Interior. You will find a number of fields that need to be completed and a section in which you will need to upload scans of the required documents. Once your application has been approved you will then need to provide the local prefecture (“Prefettura”) with original copies of the documents.ì
What documents are required?
Although these might differ according to the “Prefettura” you apply to specifically, as a general rule you will need the following:
- a certified, original copy of your birth certificate which has been duly translated and legalized (in compliance with the obligations provided for by law in relation to legalization/ apostille and translation). The specific requirements regarding the translation and legalization/apostille depend on the country of origin where the certificate was issued;
- a criminal record issued by the country of origin and any other countries of which you are citizen, which have been duly translated and legalized (in compliance with the obligations provided for by law in relation to legalization/ apostille and translation); for people from the US, besides the criminal background check from the Federal Government, criminal background checks from all of the US states where you have resided are normally required;
- proof of payment of 250 euro.
Note: In addition to the above-mentioned documents, people who have Italian ancestry and are applying for citizenship by residency must also provide their Italian ascendants’ vital records.
How long does it take to be granted Italian citizenship?
Generally, once the application has been submitted the waiting time to be recognized as an Italian citizen is up to 2 years, which can be extended to 3 years; however, there are cases in which people have obtained citizenship in 1 year.
In conclusion, once your request for citizenship has been approved, a decree of citizenship will be sent to the town hall of your place of residency, and the citizenship ceremony will take place within 6 months from that date. During this ceremony you will need to take an oath and swear allegiance to the Italian Republic. If you have any children who are minors who are living with you at the time of the oath they will automatically become Italian citizens.
A few tips…
- It is always advisable to request your criminal records last as they are only valid for 6 months from the date of issuance.
- If you are a man and you are married, you do not need to provide a certified copy of your marriage certificate as part of the documents needed to apply for citizenship. If you are a woman and you have changed your name after your marriage, you will need to provide a copy of your marriage certificate or another Consular document which justifies your name change.
We hope this article has provided you with some basic understanding of the process of applying for Italian citizenship by residency; if you need further information do not hesitate to contact our team at Italian Citizenship Assistance, we will be more than happy to help you!
For more information feel free to watch our video podcast about citizenship by residency.
