The applicable law to the maximum time limit set for Italian authorities to handle Italian citizenship applications by marriage has changed a number of times in the past few years.
Which term applies to your application?
For applications submitted from 21.12.2020, the deadline is 24 months, extendable to 36 months (art.4 c. 5 and 6 of Law Decree of October 21st, 2020 np. 130 amending Article 9 ter or the Italian Nationality Act).
LEGGE 5 febbraio 1992, n. 91: Nuove norme sulla cittadinanza
Art. 9-ter
1. Il termine di definizione dei procedimenti di cui agli articoli 5 e 9 e’ fissato in ventiquattro mesi prorogabili fino al massimo di trentasei mesi dalla data di presentazione della domanda.
For applications submitted between October 5th, 2018 and December 20th, 2020, the maximum handling time is 48 months, according to Law Decree of October 4th, 2018 no. 113.
For applications submitted before October 5th, 2018, the Ministry of the Interior maintains that the 48 months deadline still applies.
Please note that these deadlines apply to procedures of Italian citizenship by marriage (i.e. if your spouse or same-sex registered partner is an Italian citizen), or by residence in Italy. That is the meaning of the language of the law quoted above, and particularly of the reference to Articles 5 and 9 of the Italian Nationality Act. These deadlines do not apply to the procedures of Italian citizenship by origin from an Italian-born ancestor.
An arguable interpretation of the law
The 4-year provision should not apply to the applications submitted before October 5th, 2018. That is because the provision which extended the 4-year deadline for applications was deleted and replaced in October 2020 (by Article 4, §5 of Law Decree 130/2020).
As a consequence, the previous 24-month deadline applies.
The main reference in the law for the duration of the Italian citizenship process is Article 3 of the President of the Republic Decree of April 18th, 1994 entitled “Regulation concerning the process for acquiring the Italian citizenship”. It stipulates that the deadline to conclude a citizenship process is 730 days.
DECRETO DEL PRESIDENTE DELLA REPUBBLICA 18 aprile 1994, n. 362, “Regolamento recante disciplina dei procedimenti di acquisto della cittadinanza italiana”
Art. 3, Definizione del procedimento
1. Per quanto previsto dagli articoli 2 e 4 della legge 7 agosto 1990, n. 241, il termine per la definizione dei procedimenti di cui al presente regolamento è di settecentotrenta giorni dalla data di presentazione della domanda.”
However, the Ministry still maintains that even applications submitted before October 5th, 2018 are subject to the long 4-years handling time. That gave origin to recent disputes before the Italian Courts (October 2021). The judgements are still very few but recognise that the applicable deadline is still 730 days.
Such encouraging decisions did not change the behavior of the Ministry of the Interior so far, but with time, such change will be an unavoidable consequence.
Important!
You may not be aware that your application may already have been processed
The Ministry has been insisting for almost a year now that they will send any formal communication concerning the application exclusively through the online application platform.
As a consequence, you may not receive any notification of a decision on your application by email, or through the Italian Consulate, or by registered mail.
It is crucial to access the online platform. Any communication on your application appears on said Ministry’s online platform and can be subject to a tight deadline for you to reply.
For example, if the Ministry regards your paperwork as insufficient, they will send a message on the online platform with a term of 10 days for you to reply. In case you do not reply, they will archive your application and invite you to start a new application, in case you have any further observations or documents to add.
Any As you probably know, access is currently granted via the new SPID system (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale). If you do not have one, you will be required to make a new registration in order to link and access your existing application.
What you can do
It’s a fact that active applicants get decisions faster. Don’t accept to be put on a shelf: let your voice be heard! Express your mind and urge the office to respect your right to a timely and clear decision on your application.
If you applied for citizenship by marriage, please refer to my blog article Italian citizenship by marriage. How to cut the waiting time? for details.
From that page, you can also request the free form to send to the Italian administration and urge for a decision on your application.
For more information:
When in doubt, ask us. Contact us
Discover your real options. If you dispose of basic information on your Italian descent (your Itali-born ancestor’s date and place of birth, and the date and place of birth of each descendant) and possibly dispose already of family records, we can evaluate your actual options and devise the best strategy for you to obtain the Italian citizenship. Book a private consultation with me
Subscribe here if you want to receive updates about the question of the new norms applying to the citizenship process and how to overcome bureaucracy.
What do you think about this information?
What is your experience? Leave your comment below and I will return to you.
Dear Laura,
I’ve already obtained my Italian citizenship for nearly 10 years due to marriage and are living and had my children born in Italy, at the same time I had applied for my parents permesso sorggiorno twice with duration of 5 years each. Now my parent have residence record of 10 years in Italy. My question is, if they are senior citizens of 70 years or more do they still have to take the language test to get the Italian citizenship? Does senior have exemption from the languiage test?
Thank you ~
The law provides no exceptions to the language proficiency requirement for the elderly, unfortunately. That happens in other countries as well, notably in the USA where a large part of the population with immigrant background is excluded from citizenship even after several decades of residence, because of the language requirement. It may be attempted to challenge an Italian citizenship rejection in case the applicant can prove by a public medical certification to have a learning deficiency due to desease or disability. But the result of such action is uncertain.
Dear Lara , I have applied for citizenship in July 2018 , through long term residency ( indefinite expiry date ) and received my k10 number early this year and the status has already change couple of times and at the moment is showing the below message : Investigation investigations are in progress on the elements acquired relating to clarifications and additions with other offices involved in the proceeding.
Does this mean that the processing time for my application is going faster than the 4 years wait time ? Or the application can get paused from here for a couple of years and then reactivated again ? Would like to understand based on your experience where do u think in the process my application is ? Appreciate your feedback
That only means that the office you applied did their job well, for the part of the process of their competence. But the decision on citizenship by marriage may still take a long time, depending on whether you applied within the territory of Italy or outside.
My parents were born in Italy Abruzzo region looking to apply in there hometown have there marriage, birth and naturalization through bloodlines sanguinis how long is the process to obtain citizenship I am a Canadian?
The answer depends on various factors, including the date in which your parents may have naturalized as Canadian citizens, on your birth date, etc… You may check out the Italian Consulate website of your area of residence for more details.
Where is my status now and how much time required more?
It is my status
Stato della pratica:
 Sono in corso verifiche istruttorie sugli elementi acquisiti relativi a chiarimenti e integrazioni con altri uffici coinvolti nel procedimento.
 – VEDI COMUNICAZIONI –
Please guid me.
The Ministry says in that message that they required the routine reports from local and central authorities. The processing time depends on how fast the offices will reply to the Ministry’s request. At this stage, which is about the middle of the process, it’s not possible to predict the resting handling time, except that the maximum is four years from the application receipt.
Thank you very much for your advice, Is been 2years since I submitted my application. Can you please send me the form
I studied and received my masters degree from the politecnico di Torino (laura magistrale), will the degree count in the requirement for B1 italian language.
The answer depends on the contents of your study program and has to be evaluated by the Italian Consulate.