Italian B1 for Italian citizenship

B1 is called “intermediate”, or “independent user”. At this level you can manage most situations that you meet in Italy.

• You understand the main points of clear standard speech and texts on familiar matters such as work, school and free time.
• You can deal with most situations that happen while you travel or live in Italy, and you can produce simple connected text about topics that are familiar or of personal interest.
• You can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions, and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
• Grammar to know: the present, the passato prossimo and the imperfetto, the future, the conditional (“vorrei”), the pronouns, “se” sentences and the simple subjunctive.

Since 2018, the law asks for an Italian certificate at level B1 for those who apply for citizenship by residence or by marriage. It must come from a recognised body.

• The four recognised bodies are the University for Foreigners of Perugia (CELI), the University for Foreigners of Siena (CILS), the Società Dante Alighieri (PLIDA) and Roma Tre University (Cert.IT).
• At level B1 the certificates are CELI 2 (B1), CILS B1 (with the version for citizenship), PLIDA B1 and Cert.IT B1. Check on the website of the body which version is valid for citizenship.
• The exam has four parts: reading, listening, writing and speaking, and you must pass all the parts or reach the minimum score that the body sets.
• You can take the exam at the universities and at the centres that they approve, in Italy and abroad. Book early, because the sessions are only a few times a year.
• The certificate of a higher level (B2, C1, C2) is also valid, and so is a title of an Italian school or university.

Exam tip: Look for the version of the certificate that is accepted “per la cittadinanza”: it is written on the certificate or in the notice of the body.

Italian citizenship can be acquired in several ways. The language certificate is one document of the application.

• By residence (per residenza): in general you need to have lived legally in Italy for ten years (a shorter period applies for EU citizens, for refugees and in other cases), with enough income and no serious criminal record.
• By marriage (per matrimonio): the spouse of an Italian citizen can apply after a period of marriage and residence, which is shorter if there are children.
• You file the application online on the portal of the Ministry of the Interior with your documents, among them the language certificate, and you pay the contribution fixed by the law.
• The procedure takes a long time, and the authority can ask for more documents. At the end, there is an oath of loyalty to the Republic (giuramento) before the mayor.
• The rules about citizenship change often. Read the current rules on the website of the Ministry of the Interior or ask a lawyer or an advice centre.

There are exceptions to the language requirement. Your own case decides, so ask before you pay for an exam.

• People who have a title of study of an Italian school or university do not need a separate language certificate.
• Some people with a serious disability or illness can be exempt, with a medical certificate that the authority accepts.
• Some categories, such as holders of a permit as a long-term resident who have signed a regular integration agreement, have special rules. They can change, so check them.
• If you are exempt you still have to prove the other requirements, and the exemption must be proved with a document.