Naturalisation of citizens from other EU State
Citizens of other European Union Member States who have been lawfully resident in the territory of the Italian Republic for at least four years can apply for Italian citizenship, which may be granted by decree of the President of the Republic, on the proposal of the Minister of the Interior.
Granting of Italian citizenship to persons resident in Italy
The application must be submitted online via the website https://portaleservizi.dlci.interno.it/AliCittadinanza/ali/home.htm; the dedicated portal will automatically assign the application to the competent Prefecture, based on the place of residence of the person concerned.
Citizenship acquired through marriage to an Italian citizen
A foreign or stateless spouse of an Italian citizen can acquire Italian citizenship once he or she has lawfully resided in Italian territory for at least two years following the marriage, or after three years from the date of the marriage if resident abroad. In both cases, at the time of issue of the decree, the marriage must not have been dissolved or annulled or the civil effects of the marriage must not have been terminated, and the spouses must not have separated.
The above time periods are reduced by half if the married couple has children, whether natural or adopted.
Prefects have powers to adopt measures regarding the granting or denial of citizenship to foreign citizens who are married to Italian citizens residing in Italy.
If, on the other hand, the foreign spouse resides abroad, those powers lie with the Head of the Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration.
The application must be submitted online via the website https://portaleservizi.dlci.interno.it/AliCittadinanza/ali/home.htm; the dedicated portal will automatically assign the application to the competent Prefecture or Consular Representation, based on the place of residence of the person concerned.
Relevant legislation
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