Who qualifies for naturalisation after 10 years

Naturalisation (cittadinanza per naturalizzazione) is governed by Law No. 91 of 1992. For nationals of countries outside the European Union — which includes citizens of Ukraine — the baseline requirement is simple to state: ten years of legal and continuous residence in Italy. This is the most common path for people who came to work, to reunite with family or to study, and who then settled in the country for the long term.

It is important to understand that these ten years are not "ten years from your first entry", but ten years of documented legal residence with a valid residence permit and official registration at your place of residence. The day you first registered in the municipal register of residents (residenza anagrafica) is the real starting point for counting.

For other categories the law sets shorter periods, and it is worth knowing them so you do not wait unnecessarily:

Naturalisation through marriage to an Italian citizen (cittadinanza per matrimonio) is a separate matter: it is a different procedure with different timelines (two or three years depending on whether there are children and where the couple lives) and its own rules. In this article we focus on the classic ten-year path, which does not depend on your marital status.

Lawyer's tip. Before you start counting your ten years, reconstruct your migration history: copies of every residence permit, the dates they were issued and renewed, and certificates from the register of residents. A single gap of a few months between the expiry of an old permesso di soggiorno and the application for a new one can reset the continuity — and the prefecture will notice it.

Continuity of residence and residenza anagrafica

The central concept of the whole procedure is the continuity of legal residence. Simply having lived in Italy for ten years in fact is not enough; those years must be supported by two parallel documentary lines: a valid residence permit and continuous residenza anagrafica registration in the municipal register of residents (anagrafe).

What residenza anagrafica is and why it decides everything

Residenza anagrafica is the official registration of your place of residence in the municipality. It is on this basis that the prefecture counts the years. If you physically lived in Italy but were not registered, those periods will, at best, not be counted and, at worst, be treated as a break in continuity. Your residenza history must therefore be unbroken, with no "holes".

You can check your registration history by requesting a certificato storico di residenza from the municipality — it shows every period and address at which you were registered. This is exactly what the prefecture asks for, and it is exactly what reveals hidden problems.

Trips abroad and temporary interruptions

Short trips — holidays, business travel, a visit to family in Ukraine — do not break continuity, provided you kept your residenza and a valid permit. However, a prolonged absence, especially one that led the municipality to cancel your registration (cancellazione anagrafica), can become a problem: a municipality has the right to remove a person from the register if they have not actually lived at the stated address for a long time.

Holders of the permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo (the former "EU long-term residence card") enjoy a more stable status, but that status in itself does not shorten the ten-year period for naturalisation.

Income requirements for the last three years

The second pillar of the whole application is sufficient and stable income. The State wants to be sure that the new citizen is economically self-reliant and will not become a burden on the social welfare system. For this reason it does not examine the entire ten-year period, but the three most recent tax years preceding the application.

What indicative thresholds apply

The income thresholds have historically been linked to the levels for exemption from healthcare co-payment charges. The indicative limits widely applied in practice are as follows:

These figures are a guide, not a rigid tariff applied mechanically to every single year: the prefecture assesses the overall picture across the three years. The logic, though, is straightforward: the larger the family you support, the higher the income you must declare.

Whose income counts

This is one of the most useful nuances of the procedure. What is assessed is the income of the entire family unit (nucleo familiare), not only that of the applicant. In other words, if you earn little but your spouse has a stable income, the combined family income can cover the required threshold. This is what saves families in which only one partner works.

Income is proven with three years of tax returns — Modello Unico (now Modello Redditi) or Modello 730, together with the Certificazione Unica (CU) from the employer. For the self-employed and holders of a partita IVA, the declared net income is what counts, not turnover.

Lawyer's tip. The most common financial mistake is a "dip" in income in one of the three years (for example, because of a change of job, parental leave or a period of unemployment). If one year is weaker, compensate for it with your spouse's income or wait until three consecutive years show a stable picture. Applying "on the off chance" with a weak year is a direct route to a diniego.

The Italian B1 language certificate

Since December 2018, knowledge of Italian at B1 level under the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) has been a mandatory condition of naturalisation. A declaration that "I know the language" is not enough — you need an official certificate, which is attached to the application at the submission stage.

Which certificates are accepted

The State recognises documents of two kinds. First, certificates from the four accredited certifying bodies:

Second, a diploma certifying completion of an Italian school or of a recognised course under an agreement with those universities is accepted. Note carefully: the A2-level certificate issued for obtaining the permesso UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo is not sufficient for citizenship — you need B1 specifically.

Who is exempt from the exam

Not everyone is required to sit the exam. Those exempt from the certificate requirement include, in particular, people who signed an accordo di integrazione and met its conditions, as well as those holding a diploma from an Italian educational institution. Most applicants, however — especially those who were educated abroad — will have to take the exam and obtain the B1 document in advance, because without it the application will not even be accepted for examination.

The complete document package (dossier)

A citizenship application is not a single form but a whole dossier, in which every document must be current, correctly drawn up and, where necessary, translated and legalised. A single missing paper means the procedure stops. The indicative list is as follows:

Legalisation and translations: where most mistakes happen

Documents issued in Ukraine require an apostille (Ukraine is a party to the Hague Convention) and an official translation into Italian. The translation must be carried out and certified in the way the Italian side requires: usually this means a sworn translation (traduzione giurata / asseverata) at a court, or a translation legalised through the consulate. Home-made or uncertified translations are not accepted.

Lawyer's tip. Criminal record and family-composition certificates have a limited validity — usually six months. Do not order them too early: if the procedure drags on, the prefecture may ask for a "fresh" version. Assemble the dossier so that the "perishable" documents are obtained last, immediately before submission.

How and where to apply: the portal and timelines

The naturalisation application is submitted exclusively online, through the portal of the Ministry of the Interior (Ministero dell'Interno). Paper applications to the prefecture are no longer accepted. The procedure is done step by step, and accuracy matters at every stage.

The submission steps

How long the examination takes

The law sets a maximum examination period of 24 months from the date of submission, which may be extended to 36 months. In practice, timelines vary depending on the workload of the particular prefecture, but you should plan for two to three years. During this time your file passes through several phases: a check for completeness, requests to other authorities (police, security services), and the final decision.

You can track the progress of your application in your personal account on the portal. If the prefecture finds a document missing, it sends a request (richiesta di integrazione), and a limited time is given to respond. Missing such a request means risking a refusal for an incomplete file.

After a positive decision you receive the decree granting citizenship. The final step is taking the oath of allegiance to the Republic (giuramento) at the municipality within six months of being notified of the decree. Citizenship takes effect from the day after the oath.

Common reasons for refusal (diniego) and how to avoid them

A refusal (diniego) is not a final verdict — it can be appealed — but it is far better not to receive one. Let us look at the most common grounds on which prefectures reject applications, and how to protect yourself against each.

1. A break in continuity of residence

The most frequent cause. An expired permesso di soggiorno, removal from the residenza register, a "hole" in registration — all of this is treated as an interruption of the ten-year period. Solution: order the certificato storico di residenza in advance and check every year. If there is a gap, it is sometimes wise to wait until a continuous ten years has accumulated after the problematic period.

2. Insufficient or unstable income

Income below the threshold in even one of the three years, undeclared "grey" income, prolonged unemployment. Solution: take into account the combined income of the family unit, declare everything officially, and apply when three consecutive years show a stable picture.

3. Criminal record and security issues

The existence of convictions, open criminal proceedings (carichi pendenti) or a negative assessment by the security services. Even administrative offences of a certain seriousness can have an effect. Solution: obtain the certificato del casellario giudiziale and carichi pendenti in advance and assess the risks with a lawyer before submitting.

4. Formal defects in the dossier

A missing apostille, an incorrect translation, expired certificates, discrepancies between documents (different spelling of a name, different dates). Solution: sworn translations, up-to-date certificates, and a check of the transliteration of your name across all documents.

What to do after a refusal

If a refusal is nonetheless issued, it can be appealed to the administrative court (TAR) within the prescribed period — usually 60 days. In many cases the refusal is overturned if it was inadequately reasoned or rested on a formality that can be corrected. Read the reasoning part of the decision carefully: it is there that the prefecture states exactly what it was not satisfied with.

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep my Ukrainian citizenship after obtaining Italian citizenship?

Italy allows multiple citizenship and does not require you to renounce your previous passport. Whether you keep your Ukrainian citizenship is a matter governed by Ukrainian law, so that aspect should be checked against the rules currently in force in Ukraine.

Do years of university study count towards the ten-year period?

Yes, provided that throughout your studies you held a valid residence permit and were registered in the residenza anagrafica. What matters is legal and documented residence, not its purpose — study, work or family reunification.

My income is low, but my wife earns well. Is that enough?

Yes — what is assessed is the combined income of the family unit (nucleo familiare). If together you exceed the threshold for a family of your composition over the last three years, that is sufficient. This is precisely why many families apply relying on the income of the higher-earning spouse.

Do I need to sit the Italian exam if I already have an A2 certificate?

Yes. The A2 certificate obtained earlier for the permesso UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo is not accepted for citizenship. You need a separate B1-level document from one of the four accredited bodies (CILS, CELI, PLIDA, "Roma Tre").

How long does the whole procedure really take?

From submission to the oath, it is realistic to plan for two to three years: the law sets a maximum of 24 months, extendable to 36. On top of that comes the time to prepare the dossier — gathering certificates, apostilles, translations and the B1 exam — which is another few months you should budget for separately.

The ten-year path to Italian citizenship demands patience, but it is entirely realistic for those who have built a stable life in Italy. The key to success is to first bring the three pillars of the application into perfect order: continuous residenza, stable income over three years, and the B1 certificate. When all three elements are flawless and the dossier is assembled without formal defects, the chances of a positive decision are very high.

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