Italian Citizenship Through Marriage in 2026: Timelines, Language, Conditions

Italian citizenship through marriage: the essence in one minute

In short, the scheme works as follows. A foreigner married to an Italian citizen (or in a registered civil union with one) gains the right to apply for citizenship after the established period of joint residence expires. This period is two yearsif the couple resides in Italy, and three yearsif the spouses live abroad. If there are common children—biological or adopted—the timelines are reduced by exactly half.

Italian citizenship through marriage is not a passport purchase and not an automatic gift after a wedding. It is naturalization on preferential terms: the state accommodates families but verifies that the marriage is genuine, that the spouse knows the language, and has no legal problems. The decision is made by the Ministry of the Interior, and this process takes two to three years.

The main advantage is that you receive a full Italian passport, which means EU citizenship with all the rights: the right to live, work, and study in any of the 27 EU countries, visa-free travel to most of the world, and the right to pass citizenship to your children.

Conditions for Italian citizenship through marriage

The law imposes several mandatory requirements on the foreign spouse. Let us examine each one so you understand what to prepare for in advance.

Valid marriage or civil union. The marriage (or registered partnership for same-sex couples) must be legally valid and not dissolved throughout the entire procedure—until the moment the decision is made and the oath is taken. This is a key point: if at any stage the couple divorces or the marriage is annulled, the right to citizenship is lost.

Elapsed period of joint residence. Two years in Italy or three abroad, counted from the date of marriage registration. With children—one year and one and a half years respectively.

Knowledge of Italian language at B1 level. Since 2018, this is a mandatory requirement. The level must be confirmed with a certificate from an accredited institution—more details below.

Absence of criminal convictions and security threats. The applicant must not have certain criminal convictions in Italy or in the country of origin, and must not pose a threat to state security.

Paid fee. The state fee is 250 euros, plus a stamp duty. The application will not be accepted without a receipt.

We will analyze your situation individually

Timelines, documents, and approval chances depend heavily on details: where the marriage is registered, where you reside, whether you have children, language proficiency, and document legalization status. There is no universal answer—only your specific situation.

BRIDGES GLOBAL lawyers chart a path to an Italian passport tailored to your family: they assess timelines, help gather and legalize documents, prepare you for the language exam, and conduct a marriage validity check without unnecessary requests from officials.

Schedule a consultation and receive a clear action plan for your situation.

How long to wait: timeline table by situation

The main question almost everyone asks is how long exactly the process takes. The timeframe until you can submit an application depends on two factors: where you live and whether the couple has joint children. Here's how it breaks down in numbers.

Important to understand: this is the timeframe until the right to submit an application. After you submit documents, the review period begins—another 24 to 36 months. In reality, from wedding to passport takes considerably more time than the single figure of "two years" suggests. It's worth knowing this in advance to plan your relocation and family life without illusions.

Children count as biological or adopted, provided they are minors. Having a child is the simplest legal way to cut the citizenship path in half.

Italian language B1: what this means in practice

The language requirement is a stumbling block for many. Since December 4, 2018, every applicant must confirm Italian language proficiency at the B1 level on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This is an intermediate level: you can sustain a conversation on everyday topics, understand news and television programs with some effort, read a newspaper, and write a simple letter.

Level confirmation requires only a certificate from an institution accredited by Italy's Ministry of Education (MIUR) or Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI). Four main systems are recognized: CILS, CELI, PLIDA, and certificates from the University for Foreigners. Internal "certificates" from language schools or online test results do not count—authorities accept only official documents.

If you already have an Italian secondary or higher education diploma obtained in Italy, a separate certificate may not be necessary. However, in most cases, the foreign spouse will need to prepare for the exam in advance—realistically plan 6 months to 1 year for this, especially if learning the language from scratch.

Marriage validity check: what officials examine

Italy takes fictitious marriages entered into for passport purposes seriously. Therefore, during the procedure, authorities verify that the family is genuine and not merely paper-based. This does not mean every couple is approached with suspicion, but you should be prepared for a check.

What may be examined: joint residence and common address, shared household management, photographs and relationship history, statements about life together. Sometimes the prefecture requests additional documents or invites spouses for an interview. Particular scrutiny applies to marriages with significant age gaps, those concluded shortly after meeting, or cases where spouses actually live separately.

For couples from the CIS and Russia, enhanced compliance is added here: documents are scrutinized carefully, biography studied more thoroughly. This is normal practice, and with a genuinely authentic family there is nothing to worry about—the key is to carefully gather evidence of joint life and not give officials formal grounds for refusal.

Which documents you will need

The document package for Italian citizenship through marriage is quite extensive, and many papers require legalization and translation. The basic set looks like this:

• applicant's foreign passport and a copy;
• applicant's birth certificate—with apostille and certified translation;
• marriage certificate (or civil union certificate);
• documents confirming the spouse's Italian citizenship;
• police clearance from country of origin and all countries of residence, with apostille and translation;
• Italian language proficiency certificate level B1;
• receipt for payment of 250 euro fee and stamp duty;
• if applicable, children's birth certificates.

A detailed breakdown of how to prepare, apostille, and translate each document is compiled in a separate material— documents for Italian citizenshipErrors in legalization are a common cause of delays, so this stage deserves special attention.

Where and how to submit the application

The submission procedure depends on where you live. If the couple resides in Italy, the application is submitted online through the Ministry of Interior portal, and the case is handled by the local prefecture (Prefettura) at the place of residence. If spouses live abroad, documents are submitted through the Italian consulate in the country of residence.

The general procedure is as follows. First, you prepare and legalize all documents, take the B1 language exam. Then you register on the portal and complete the electronic application, attaching scans. After submission, the system assigns a case number by which you can track status. Next comes document verification, requests and interviews if necessary. Finally, if the decision is positive, you are invited to take an oath of loyalty to the Republic—from the moment of the oath, a person becomes a citizen of Italy.

The decision is made by the Ministry of Interior. The law allows up to 24 months for review with the possibility of extension to 36 months. In practice, timelines often approach the upper limit, so patience is as necessary a part of the process as documents.

Divorce and death of spouse during the procedure

Two situations worry almost everyone pursuing this path: what happens if the marriage dissolves or the spouse dies while the application is still being reviewed. The law distinguishes between these cases.

Divorce or annulment of marriage. If the couple divorces, the marriage is annulled, or its civil effects cease during the procedure, the right to citizenship is lost and the application may be rejected. The marriage must remain valid until the decision is made. This is logical: citizenship is granted precisely to a spouse, and if the marriage has ended, the basis disappears.

Death of the Italian spouse. The practice has changed in favor of the applicant here. By Decision No. 195 of 26 July 2022, the Italian Constitutional Court ruled it unconstitutional to withdraw the application in the event of the Italian spouse's death during the procedure. This means: if your husband or wife passes away after you submit your application, you may still take the oath and become an Italian citizen. Family tragedy no longer negates years of waiting.

Marriage or general naturalization: which is faster?

Marriage is not the only path to an Italian passport. It is worth comparing it with standard naturalization by length of residence to choose the suitable route.

With general naturalization the legal residence requirement is 10 years for third-country nationals, 4 years for EU citizens, and 3 years for persons of Italian origin. That is, for most non-EU foreigners, the path through marriage (2-3 years) is significantly shorter than standard naturalization (10 years).

There is a third path - Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis), through Italian ancestry. However, in 2025 this scheme was seriously restricted by reform: now blood rights typically apply only if the applicant's parent or grandparent was born in Italy, that is, no further than the second generation. Many old "great-grandfather" schemes no longer work. Therefore, if you do not have close Italian roots but have an Italian spouse, the path through marriage is the most realistic.

Residence permit and legalization before applying for citizenship.

Before applying for citizenship, the foreign spouse must be legally in Italy—if the couple chooses the path of residing in the country. The family reunification mechanism works here: the foreign spouse of an Italian citizen receives a residence permit on family grounds, which grants the right to live and work in the country.

How family reunification works and what documents are needed for it, we covered in a separate article on family reunification in Italy. Essentially, this is the first practical step for a couple planning to live in Italy: first a residence permit by marriage, then accumulation of a 2-year residence period, and only then—an application for citizenship.

If the spouses live abroad, an Italian residence permit is not necessary—the 3-year period is counted from the date of marriage, and documents are submitted through the consulate. The choice of scheme depends on your plans: are you moving to Italy now or remaining in your country for now?

Special considerations for Russians and CIS citizens.

For applicants from Russia and CIS countries, the path through marriage is quite workable, but with several important caveats.

First—enhanced screening. Documents, biography, and source of funds are examined more thoroughly than for citizens of other countries. This is related to the general compliance regime in the EU, and there is no way around it—everything is strictly within the law. Therefore, it is especially important that the papers are impeccably legalized and the marriage raises no questions about its validity.

Second—dual citizenship. Russia permits dual citizenship but requires notification to the Ministry of Internal Affairs within an established timeframe (approximately 60 days from obtaining it). Italy, in turn, does not require renunciation of previous citizenship—that is, theoretically you can retain both passports.

Third—citizenship and taxes. Obtaining an Italian passport in itself does not automatically make you a tax resident of the country—residency is determined by actual residence and center of vital interests. These issues should be calculated separately, especially if you have assets and income in several countries.

Citizenship and taxes: what is important not to confuse.

A common mistake is to believe that an Italian passport automatically means the obligation to pay taxes in Italy on all worldwide income. This is not so. Tax residency and citizenship are different things. You become a resident if you actually live in Italy for most of the year or your center of vital interests is here, regardless of your passport.

Italy offers an interesting tax instrument for wealthy people moving to the country: a special regime for new tax residents (flat tax). It allows paying a fixed tax on all foreign income instead of a progressive scale. Since August 2024, the rate for new applicants has been increased to 200,000 euros per year, plus 25,000 euros for each family member; the regime applies for up to 15 years.

Standard taxation in Italy includes progressive income tax (IRPEF) up to approximately 43%, property tax (IMU) on real estate except one primary residence, VAT (IVA) 22%. If you obtain citizenship through marriage but continue to live abroad, you do not become a tax resident of Italy—and this must be recorded correctly.

Common mistakes and reasons for refusals.

Citizenship through marriage is a predictable path, but it is easy to stumble on formalities. Here is what most often leads to delays and refusals.

• Errors in document legalization. Missing apostille, incorrect translation, discrepancies in name spelling—the main reason for requests from the prefecture and loss of months.
• Unsatisfactory or unsuitable B1 exam. A certificate from a non-accredited institution will not be accepted. Language preparation should begin well in advance.
• Discrepancies in addresses and joint residence. If the spouses live separately according to documents, this raises questions about the validity of the marriage.
• Divorce during the procedure. Any termination of the marriage before a decision nullifies the application.
• Problems with criminal record clearance. Failure to provide certificates from all countries of residence or the presence of certain criminal convictions.

Most of these problems can be avoided at the preparation stage—which is why many families entrust case management to specialized lawyers rather than proceeding blindly.

Summary of key points.

Italian citizenship through marriage is one of the most accessible ways to obtain an EU passport without substantial investments. Let us summarize.

• An application may be submitted after 2 years of marriage while living in Italy or 3 years while living abroad; with common children, the terms are halved.
• Italian language proficiency, B1valid marriage, absence of criminal convictions, and a fee of 250 euros are mandatory.
• Authorities verify the marriage for validity; for CIS citizens—enhanced compliance screening.
• Review at the Ministry of Internal Affairs takes 24-36 months, so plan your timeline with a safety margin.
• Divorce during the procedure forfeits citizenship rights, while the spouse's death after submission does not.

Italy does not sell passports for money, but provides a clear pathway for families. If you have an Italian citizen spouse or are planning relocation through investments, it makes sense to explore the Italian residency program - to select the optimal route to EU life for your specific situation.