Italian Citizenship Assistance

By Residency

Before a foreign national can apply for Italian Citizenships they must first become permanent resident of Italy through one of the various immigration programs. A permanent resident may then apply to become Italian Citizen if the following requirements are met:

Length of Residence

Italian citizenship can be requested by the foreigner who has been legally residing in Italy for at least 10 years.

This period can be shortened as provided by article 9 of Law No. 91 of 5 February 1992 under the following conditions:

3 years of legal residence for the foreigners whose father, mother, or any of the
second-degree ascendants in a direct line were Italian by birth or for the foreigners born in Italy and residing there
4 years if EU citizen
5 years of residence are required for the adult foreigner adopted by an Italian citizen;
the same period is provided for stateless persons and refugees

The residence must be:

Legal (i.e. in accordance with the laws governing the entry and stay of foreigners)
Registered (the period of registration is taken into account, the possession of the
residence permit is not sufficient)
Uninterrupted (there must not be the also known as “residence holes”).

Unlike citizenship by marriage, citizenship by residence is a concession of the State. The Administration, therefore, has a high level of discretion in evaluating the worthiness of the foreigner and the parallel interest of the State in accepting the latter as a new citizen.

How long does the process to get Italian citizenship take after applying?

The current law provides that the process should be completed in two years, which can be extended up to a maximum of 36 months (3 years) by the Public Administration.

The law (Presidential Decree No. 362/94) initially set the maximum time limit for the completion of the Italian citizenship procedure at 730 days.
Security Decree (Decree Law of October 4, 2018, No. 113, converted into Law No. 132 of December 1, 2018), extended the time limit to 48 months.
Later, Decree Law No. 130/2020 reduced the time limit to twenty-four months (two years), which can be extended to a maximum of thirty-six months (three years).

This new time limit applies only to citizenship applications submitted from December 19, 2020 onwards ( the date in which the law converting this decree came into effect).

Speeding up the process

Just as the authorities often failed to meet the previous 48 months deadline, failing to respect the (extended) 36 months is not uncommon.

A proactive approach can, however, be taken to speed up the process. That is where we step in, actively monitoring the progress of your application and engaging with the relevant authorities at strategic intervals. By doing so, we can help ensure your case doesn’t fall through the cracks and potentially expedite the process.

If you think you meet the requirements, we can assist you with the process

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Eligibility/documents assessment

We check your eligibility and review all the documents. We fill out, upload, and submit the application on the Ministry of the Interior’s portal for you.

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Periodic check

We interact with the Ministry and the Prefettura to check the application’s progress on a regular basis.

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Speed up the process

We solicit your citizenship application, with precise requests for access to records tailored to your personal history, with the goal of obtaining citizenship in the shortest time possible.

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