How long after marrying an Italian citizen can I apply for Italian citizenship?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Under Italian law, the foreign spouse of an Italian citizen can acquire citizenship after two years of legal residence in Italy following the wedding, or three years after the wedding if living abroad. Both periods are halved if the couple has children born or adopted together. The marriage must still stand, without separation, when the decree is adopted.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Living in Italy	2 years of legal residence in Italy after the marriage	L. 91/1992, art. 5.1
Living abroad	3 years from the date of the marriage	L. 91/1992, art. 5.1
With children	Both periods halved if the spouses have children born or adopted by them	L. 91/1992, art. 5.2
Marriage at decision time	Not dissolved, annulled or ended in civil effects, and no legal separation	L. 91/1992, art. 5.1
Language	Italian at B1 (CEFR) level or above	L. 91/1992, art. 9.1
What bars it	Convictions listed in art. 6.1(a)–(b), or proven security reasons	L. 91/1992, art. 6.1
If refused	You can apply again five years after the refusal	L. 91/1992, art. 8.1
Who decides	The prefect, for spouses resident in Italy	Ministry of the Interior, art. 5 page

The waiting period

The law counts two different things depending on where you live. If you live in Italy, it is two years of legal residence in Italy after the wedding. If you live abroad, it is three years from the date of the marriage. Having children born or adopted by the couple halves either period (L. 91/1992, art. 5).

The marriage has to last until the decree

Article 5 requires that, at the moment the decree is adopted, the marriage has not been dissolved, annulled or lost its civil effects, and that the spouses are not legally separated. A 2022 Constitutional Court ruling (no. 195, noted in the Normattiva text) held that the death of the Italian spouse while the procedure is pending must not count as a bar.

Who decides and how long it takes

The ministry’s guidance says the prefect of the province decides for spouses living in Italy. For spouses living abroad it is the Head of the Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration, and the Minister of the Interior when there are reasons relating to the security of the Republic. For applications filed from 20 December 2020, the ministry says the procedure must end within 24 months, extendable to a maximum of 36.

What can stop it

The law lists the bars: a conviction for crimes against the State in book II, title I, chapters I–III of the Criminal Code; a conviction for an intentional crime with a maximum sentence of at least three years; a foreign conviction for a non-political offence with a prison sentence over one year, once recognised in Italy; or proven reasons of security of the Republic (art. 6.1). Rehabilitation ends the effect of a conviction (art. 6.3). A refused application can be filed again five years after the refusal (art. 8.1).

Language: the B1 requirement and who is exempt are set in art. 9.1 of L. 91/1992.
Applying: the ministry’s online portal, the documents and the €250 fee are on a separate page.

Sources

Legge 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91, art. 5 (Normattiva, text in force) checked 2026-10-25
Legge 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91, art. 6 (Normattiva, text in force) checked 2026-10-25
Legge 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91, art. 8 (Normattiva, text in force) checked 2026-10-25
Legge 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91, art. 9.1 (Normattiva, text in force) checked 2026-10-25
Ministry of the Interior, Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration: Acquisto della cittadinanza italiana per matrimonio (art. 5) checked 2026-10-25

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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