Applying for Italian citizenship. Which documents need to be translated and authenticated?

Foreigners meeting the requirements may apply for Italian citizenship by presenting a series of Italian and foreign documents.

It is currently possible to become an Italian citizen in three ways: through marriage or civil union with an Italian citizen, through permanent residency in Italy or through descent from Italian ancestors who emigrated abroad. There are also a number of special cases, such as adoption, service working for the Italian state, stateless people and political refugees.

The application should be made online on the website of the Ministry of the Interior, if the person resides in Italy, or to the relevant Italian consular authority, if the person resides abroad.

To make an application for Italian citizenship, the following documents are always required:

• Birth certificate showing father’s and mother’s name, if the person was born abroad
• Family status certificate
• Certificate showing any pending charges and criminal record in the foreign country of origin and, if relevant, in foreign countries in which the person has been resident or of which they are a citizen
• Certificate showing the absence of any pending charges and criminal record in Italy
• Certificate of residency in Italy, if relevant
• Identity document
• Italian residency permit, if relevant
• Certificate proving knowledge of the Italian language or integration pact, where necessary.

All the documents from foreign countries must be accompanied by a certified translation in Italian. Let us take a closer look at the specific cases.

Applying for Italian citizenship through marriage

Anyone who has entered into marriage or a civil union with an Italian citizen, in Italy or abroad, may apply for citizenship three years after the marriage if the couple lives abroad, and two years after the marriage if the couple lives in Italy. If the couple have children, the times are halved.

In addition to the Italian documents and the spouse’s certificate of Italian citizenship, the following documents must be presented together with the application for citizenship:

• Authenticated, translated and certified birth certificate
• Authenticated, translated and certified family status certificate
• Authenticated, translated and certified criminal record check
• Authenticated, translated and certified marriage certificate, if the marriage took place abroad.

European Union citizens are not required to present a translation of their marriage certificate or family status certificate, but may use self-certification.

Applying for Italian citizenship through residency

People who have lived in Italy continuously for ten years if from a non-EU country, four years if from an EU country, and five years if stateless or a refugee, may apply for Italian citizenship.

In addition to the Italian documents, the following documents must be presented together with the application for citizenship:

• Authenticated, translated and certified birth certificate
• Authenticated, translated and certified family status certificate
• Authenticated, translated and certified criminal record check

Those applying for citizenship in these cases must also show that they have sufficient income to support themselves and that they have complied with all their tax obligations. To do so, they will need to present their tax returns for the last three years.

Applying for Italian citizenship for foreigners of Italian descent

People who have had an ancestor who was an Italian citizen and emigrated abroad may apply for Italian citizenship, even if the following generations were citizens of the foreign country of residence.

In this case it is necessary to demonstrate the line of descent and citizenship of the ancestor. The following documents need to be presented:

• Authenticated, translated and certified birth certificate of the applicant
• Authenticated, translated and certified family status certificate of the applicant
• Authenticated, translated and certified criminal record check of the applicant
• Authenticated, translated and certified birth and marriage and family status certificates of the Italian ancestor and the following generations.
• Any other documents, also authenticated, translated and certified, showing that neither the ancestor or the following generations voluntarily renounced their Italian citizenship.

What does authenticated, translated and certified mean?

All foreign documents presented to the Italian authorities must have an authentication stamp or apostille. Authentication should be requested in the country of origin of the document, or from a consular authority in Italy. When the foreign document has been authenticated, it is ready for translation. We take care of the translation into Italian and then have the translation certified at Court, making it official. The application, comprising the authenticated original, translation and certification, may be sent to the Italian authorities in a hard or scanned copy in order to be able to proceed with the request for citizenship.

Find out more from the government websites:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Italian Prefectures
Prefecture of Udine