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Citizenship By Marriage in Italy

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Getting married to an Italian citizen is one the easiest way to become an Italian national. As an Italian citizen, you become a recognized member of the nation with full citizenship rights and obligations. Although getting Italian citizenship by marriage is not all about getting married and receiving an Italian passport.

The Italian laws state that foreign nationals who wish to apply for Italian citizenship by marriage must understand the Italian language (B1 level). Your understanding of the Italian language will be verified by the Italian Ministry of Foreign affairs (MAECI) or Ministry of Education (MIUR).

A foreigner married to an Italian citizen can easily apply for Italian citizenship by marriage after two years of marriage even if they are not residing in Italy. You can also obtain Italian citizenship in less than a year if you have any children whether biological or adopted under the age of 18.

This means that once you have a child or children after marriage, you can apply for citizenship in Italy in less than two years of marriage.

Citizenship by marriage in Italy also supports same-sex unions. Same-sex marriages were accepted in Italy in 2016. Same-sex marriages are not just recognized in Italy but are also celebrated and supported. The couples are provided protections and treated fairly by the state.

Requirement For Italian Citizenship By Marriage

Unlike other countries where you get citizenship immediately you marry a legitimate national, In Italy, you still have to undergo other processes of registration and verification for your citizenship proposal to be accepted.

These are some of the requirements for getting citizenship by marriage in Italy.

  1. Your Italian spouse must register for AIRE. If The Italian citizen marrying The foreign national is married or residing abroad, he/she must register for AIRE and register their marriage in the foreign marriage record through the local Italian consulate. 
  2. Your marriage must be registered and found on record in Italy. You can easily verify that your marriage records and files have been submitted to the Italian commune if the Italian spouse has registered with AIRE. 
  3. Youโ€™ll need to pay the sum of โ‚ฌ250 to the Italian Ministry of Interior. This payment is for your application fee. Payment can be made by wire transfer or sent through the postal service.  

Documents Needed For Processing

Before you can fully apply for Italian citizenship by marriage, certain documentation is required by law for your application to be processed. Italian law requires the following documentation:

  • An Italian passport, foreign passport, and State ID for the non-Italian spouse.
  • The receipt of the โ‚ฌ250 wire transfer.
  • A signed declaration of marriage.
  • Marriage transcript from the Italian municipality [Estratto per Riassunto Dellโ€™atto di Matrimonio].
  • Italian language certification (B1 level).
  • Birth certificate with Apostille. 
  • Proof of residency within the consular jurisdiction.
  • Application form.
  • Residency list.
  • Original criminal background from the applicant residing country since the age of 14 or country of birth for State and Federal levels with Apostille.
  • A money order for the consular fee used for the legalization of the translations.

Processing Your Application For Citizenship By Marriage In Italy

There are two steps involved in the application for Italian citizenship by marriage. The first step involves an online application. You need to complete your online application for your application to be processed.

Your application will be submitted to the Italian Ministry of Interior after youโ€™ve filled out the form on the web page. You also have to upload scanned copies of all required documents.

The second step is to submit all your original documents at the consulate or Prefettura in Italy. Your application for your citizenship by marriage must be submitted to any consulate in Italy. You should know that the consulate has the right to accept or deny your application, even if the couple is residing in Italy.

If you are residing abroad, your citizenship application must be submitted by AIRE. the documents you provided will be sent by the Consulate to the Ministry of Interior for processing.

Once youโ€™ve completed the two, get ready for your interview. the Ministry of Interior has 48 months to process your citizenship application and give you feedback. Once your application has been processed, the consulate will send you a message on the web portal. 

If your citizenship proposal is accepted, you will be registered and given full citizenship rights. You will also be invited to the consulate for the citizenship ceremony. Congratulations, you are now a citizen of Italy.

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