# Italy Citizenship Requirements Italy's ordinary adult residence route generally requires ten years of legal residence for non-EU nationals, with shorter statutory cohorts, language proof and a discretionary grant process. Scope: Adult residence-based naturalisation under Article 9 of Law 91/1992; descent recognition, marriage and exceptional-service grants are separate routes. Jurisdiction: Italian citizenship. Sources reviewed 2026-09-17; review due 2026-12-16. General information, not legal advice or a finding of eligibility. Requirements depend on the route, applicant and filing date. Verify the official instructions before applying. ## Ordinary non-EU residence period The ordinary non-EU route requires at least ten years of legal residence in Italy. Citizenship may be granted by presidential decree on the Interior Minister's proposal; completing the period is not approval. Evidence: conditional. [Italy Ministry of the Interior — Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration: Grant of citizenship by residence under Article 9](https://libertaciviliimmigrazione.dlci.interno.gov.it/temi/concessione-della-cittadinanza-italiana-residenza-sul-territorio-italiano-ai-sensi-dellart-9). Source location: Opening paragraph and Article 9(1)(f). ## Shorter statutory cohorts EU citizens have a four-year legal-residence period; stateless applicants have five years. Other family, Italian-birth, adoption and state-service cohorts have separate conditions and must not be generalised to everyone. Evidence: conditional. [Italy Ministry of the Interior — Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration: Grant of citizenship by residence under Article 9](https://libertaciviliimmigrazione.dlci.interno.gov.it/temi/concessione-della-cittadinanza-italiana-residenza-sul-territorio-italiano-ai-sensi-dellart-9). Source location: Article 9(1)(a)–(e), including current two-year ancestry and three-year Italian-birth clauses. ## Lawful and continuous residence Legal residence requires compliance with entry, stay and population-registration rules. The Prefecture's ordinary-route guidance requires continuous legal residence. This is not simply a total of days physically spent in Italy. Evidence: documented. [Italy — Normattiva: DPR 572/1993, Article 1 — legal-residence definition, at 17 September 2026](https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.del.presidente.della.repubblica:1993-10-12;572~art1!vig=2026-09-17); [Italy Ministry of the Interior — Prefecture of Milan: Citizenship — residence applications and required evidence](https://prefettura.interno.gov.it/it/prefetture/milano/cittadinanza). Source location: DPR 572/1993 Article 1(2)(a); Milan: Acquisto della cittadinanza per residenza legale ininterrotta in Italia. ## Italian language and accepted proof Article 9 naturalisation normally requires Italian at least CEFR B1, shown by a recognised educational qualification or language certification. Integration-agreement signatories and holders of the specified EU long-term residence permit have statutory proof exemptions. Evidence: conditional. [Italy Constitutional Court: Judgment 25/2025 — citizenship language proof and severe learning limitations](https://www.cortecostituzionale.it/scheda-pronuncia/2025/25). Source location: Judgment 25/2025, Considerato in diritto 4.1–4.3; Article 9.1 framework and proof alternatives. ## Severe language-learning limitations Judgment 25/2025 requires exemption from language proof for severe learning limitations resulting from age, illness or disability, certified by a public health facility. Age alone is not the stated exemption. Evidence: conditional. [Italy Constitutional Court: Judgment 25/2025 — citizenship language proof and severe learning limitations](https://www.cortecostituzionale.it/scheda-pronuncia/2025/25). Source location: Considerato in diritto 5.1 and operative decision, point 1. ## Income and documentary checks The residence application requires birth, criminal-record, identity and residence-status evidence, subject to documented exceptions. Milan's guidance also requires qualifying income over the previous three years and permits specified family income to contribute. Evidence: conditional. [Italy Ministry of the Interior — Prefecture of Milan: Citizenship — residence applications and required evidence](https://prefettura.interno.gov.it/it/prefetture/milano/cittadinanza). Source location: Article 9 section: Occorre allegare all'istanza; Requisiti reddituali. ## Multiple nationality and separate descent rules Italian law permits multiple citizenship, subject to applicable international agreements and the other country's law. The 2025 restrictions on automatic acquisition for people born abroad with another nationality are separate from this ordinary naturalisation route. Evidence: conditional. [Italy Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation: Citizenship — current acquisition and multiple-nationality overview](https://www.esteri.it/it/servizi-opportunita/italiani-all-estero/cittadinanza/). Source location: Sections 1, 2 introduction and 2.6; Law 91/1992 Article 11 and 2025 Article 3-bis reform. ## Grant must be completed The grant normally takes effect only if the applicant swears loyalty and compliance with the Constitution and laws within six months of notification. A serious, established disability preventing the oath is exempted by constitutional judgment. Evidence: conditional. [Italy — Normattiva: Law 91/1992, Article 10 — oath and constitutional disability exemption](https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:legge:1992-02-05;91~art10!vig=2026-09-17). Source location: Law 91/1992 Article 10 and update (8), Constitutional Court judgment 258/2017. ## Scope and limitations - This covers the ordinary adult residence route, not an assessment of an applicant's ancestry or eligibility. The eligibility period is not a processing estimate. - No universal permitted-absence allowance, separate physical-presence day count or separate civic-test exemption is established here. Confirm residence continuity and the complete current filing requirements with the competent Prefecture. ## Explore this passport - [Passport rank and travel access](https://multipassrank.com/passport/italy) - [Tax residence & income](https://multipassrank.com/passport/italy/taxes) - [Country-profile JSON, including sources and scoped requirements](https://multipassrank.com/api/v1/country-profiles/IT) - [Multiple-citizenship policy guide](https://multipassrank.com/dual-citizenship-countries) [Canonical page](https://multipassrank.com/passport/italy/citizenship)