Italian
Citizenship by Marriage

No. Marriage or civil union creates a legal route to apply, but citizenship is acquired only after the waiting period, a complete application, the required checks, a favorable decree, and the oath.

For a detailed explanation of every stage, read our complete guide to Italian citizenship by marriage.

If you legally reside in Italy, you may generally apply after two years of legal residence following the marriage or civil union. If you reside abroad, the usual period is three years from the marriage or civil union. If the Italian spouse acquired citizenship later, the period is generally measured from that later date.

The applicable period is reduced by half when the couple has qualifying biological or adopted children.

Applicants generally must prove Italian at B1 level. Proof may come from an accepted educational qualification or a certificate issued by a recognized body. A separate certificate may not be required where a statutory exemption or another accepted form of proof applies, including certain long-term residence or integration-agreement cases and serious, objectively documented language-learning limitations recognized under current law.

The exemption must be documented correctly; it should not be assumed.

The relationship must be recorded in the Italian civil-status registers before the citizenship application is filed. A foreign certificate alone is not normally enough. The competent Italian consulate or municipality handles transcription after the required translation and authentication formalities.

See our guide to registering a foreign marriage in Italy.

Separation, divorce, annulment, or termination of the civil effects before the decree can prevent acquisition. The relationship is not merely required on the filing date; it must generally remain legally valid through the decree.

The death of the Italian spouse is governed by specific rules and case law and should be assessed separately based on the filing date and procedural status.

There is no ordinary minimum-income test equivalent to the one applied in citizenship-by-residency cases. The application instead focuses on the qualifying relationship, waiting period, B1 requirement or exemption, civil and criminal records, security checks, and continuing legal eligibility.

For applications governed by the current procedural term, the authority generally has 24 months from submission and may extend the review to 36 months. Time needed to register the relationship, collect documents, obtain translations, or complete the oath is separate.

The application generally requires a €250 government contribution and, for filings in Italy, €16 electronic stamp duty. Document, translation, legalization, and professional costs are additional.

Foreign public documents generally need an Italian translation and either an Apostille or consular legalization, where applicable. Requirements vary by country, treaty, document, and competent authority.

Our document authentication service determines whether legalization or an Apostille applies, while our certified translation service coordinates the accepted Italian translation route.

Not in every case. A cohabiting minor child's position is governed by the current Article 14 rules, including specific legal-residence conditions in Italy at the time the parent acquires citizenship. A spouse must use the separate marriage route, and adult children do not apply through the naturalized parent automatically.

Children born after acquisition are assessed under the citizenship-transmission rules in force at the time of birth. See our complete guide to citizenship by descent.