Italian citizenship by marriage: Requirements and process (2023-2024)

Are you in a relationship with an Italian? We bet getting Italian citizenship by marriage has crossed your mind! Here you'll find all you need to know about it!

Angelina

2 minute read

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Updated on 5 Aug 2024

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Living

Are you in a relationship with an Italian? We bet getting Italian citizenship by marriage has crossed your mind! After all, an Italian passport allows you to travel visa-free to no less than 189 countries and work and reside freely in the 27 EU member states!

Now, before you go running to the altar, let’s briefly touch upon all the practicalities of getting married to an Italian citizen such as:

• requirements for obtaining Italian citizenship by marriage,
• documents needed to apply,
• application process step-by-step,
• processing time,
• and application costs.

Unfortunately, you can’t obtain an Italian passport automatically after getting married. You can however apply for Italian citizenship by marriage:

• If you've been living in Italy together: after 2 years from the date of your wedding or civil union (same-sex marriage).
• If you’ve been residing outside Italy: you can only apply for Italian citizenship after 3 years of being married to an Italian citizen.

The term is shortened by half if you have children under 18 or if you've adopted children together legally.

Yes! Since 2016, Italy has been recognizing civil partnerships or Formazioni Sociali Specifiche between same-sex couples. Such partnerships are called civil unions and they grant most of the legal protections enjoyed by opposite-sex married couples, including the right to apply for Italin citizenship.

Italian citizenship by marriage requirements:

1. If the marriage is registered outside Italy, the Italian spouse must be registered with the Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad (AIRE) and the foreign marriage record through the local Italian consulate.
2. You’ve been married to an Italian citizen for 2 (if living in Italy) or 3 (if living outside Italy) years. See the exceptions above.
3. You must reside at the same address for the entire duration of the application.
4. You must have no criminal convictions.
5. The non-Italian spouse must demonstrate knowledge of the Italian language at least B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for the knowledge of languages.

To apply for Italian citizenship through marriage you'll need to submit:

• valid identification document
• marriage certificate
• birth certificate
• criminal certificate from the country of origin (valid for 6 months)
• certificate of family status
• certificate of Italian citizenship of the spouse
• Italian language Certificate (B1 proficiency)
• receipt for payment of the € 250 contribution

All documents must be translated into Italian and certified by the local Italian consulate.

1. Create and activate your SPID credentials if you still haven’t.
2. Prepare the required documents (mentioned above).
3. Log in with your SPID to the portal of the Ministry of the Interior.
4. Submit your application and upload the required documents to the portal. Your application will be transferred to the competent Prefecture (if you reside in Italy) or Consulate (if you reside abroad).
5. Attend an interview at the local police station or consulate. This doesn't always happen. But if you're invited, you might be asked to bring the originals of your documents as well.
6. Book the oath. You must take the oath within 6 months from the date citizenship was granted.
7. Take the oath. You can already start practicing: "Giuro di essere fedele alla Repubblica e di osservare la Costituzione e le leggi dello Stato. "
8. Apply for your very own Italian passport! Request your passport and book an appointment at the police office via the online passport portal.

The processing time can take from 24 months to a maximum of 36 months.

Here are some of the fees you can expect to pay for the paperwork:

We hope we've covered all your questions regarding getting an Italian passport by marriage!

Are you not married yet? Then you might want to know the step-by-step procedure and requirements for marrying an Italian citizen in Italy. We made it all clear in this guide!

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