Can I get an Italian passport through marriage?

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The answer is Yes!

If you are married to an italian and meet the specific requirements of italian law, you might be eligible for Italian citizenship, therefore you can also apply for the Italian passport once the first one has been approved.

Italian citizenship through marriage

Italian government grants dual citizenship to all married couples or civil unions as long as they accomplish the following requirements:

1- You are married to an Italian citizen for at least two years -if you live in Italy- or 3 years -if you live abroad-.

2- The marriage or civil union is recorded in the Italian consulate or embassy of your location of residency and the Italian citizen is registered in the Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad (AIRE).

3- The couple must be living together and have the same home address during the entire process.

4- None of them must have any criminal records.

5- The non-italian partner must show enough evidence of italian knowledge, by taking a language exam obtaining at least B1 qualification.

Same sex-couples

Since 2016, Italy has acknowledged same sex civil unions providing the same rights as heterosexual couples.

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Documents Required to apply

If you are looking to apply for Italian citizenship due to civil union or marriage, you need to provide the following documents:

Birth certificate from both parts.
Valid Identity documentation.
Marriage or civil union certificate.
Criminal records issued by the police department of country of residence (validation for 6 months only)
Certificate of citizenship of Italian partner (if applies)
Proof of language knowledge (Exam results) from the non-italian partner.
Receipt of payment and administration fee.

IMPORTANT!

Keep in mind that all documents that are not originally from Italy must be apostilled, legalized and translated into the Italian language to be valid before the consular authorities.

How to apply for Italian Citizenship through marriage?

In order to apply for Italian citizenship, the first thing you need to do is to create an account and activate your SPID Credentials.

Once your account is created, you can submit your online application on the Ministry of Interior’s website, by uploading all documents necessary.

Since document submission is done online, there is no need for a personal appointment with the Italian consulate. Unless, you receive an invitation to attend an interview either at the local police station or the consulate, if authorities consider it necessary.

Once citizenship has been approved, you have 6 months to book an appointment to take the Italian oath in your designated consulate.

Finally, after your citizenship is officially granted, you are now able to apply for Italian Passport.

How long does it take to get your application approved?

Due to the high level of applications, the average process might take within 24 to 48 months to be solved.

It really depends on the situation and the consulate that you are submitting your application on.

Application Fees

In addition to the costs of particular conduct, apostille, legalization and translation of the documents at the time of applying (which may vary case by case).

The fees for processing the application for Italian citizenship by marriage are:

€250 for Citizenship

€16 for a revenue stamp for citizen application

€73.50 for Passport issue fee.

It is always recommended to consult the Italian official office in advance, in case fees change or any additional ones have been added.