Italy Citizenship and Permanent Residence 2026: Citizenship by Descent, Dual Citizenship Rules, EU Long-Term Permit and the A2 Language Test

There are three ways to become permanently secure in Italy: the EU long-term residence permit, naturalisation, and — for millions of people with Italian ancestors — citizenship by descent. The descent route in particular changed dramatically in 2025, and much of the advice circulating online describes a system that no longer exists. This guide explains what each pathway now requires, how the years of residence are counted, and where the language requirement bites.

Italy Permanent Residence Permit: The EU Long-Term Card

The permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo — still widely called the carta di soggiorno — is Italy's permanent residence permit. Unlike an ordinary permit it does not expire in the same way, and it carries mobility rights within the EU.

• Five years of continuous legal residence in Italy on a qualifying permit is the core requirement.
• Income at or above the annual social allowance threshold, increased for each dependent family member, must be shown.
• Suitable accommodation meeting the local health and habitability standards must be certified.
• You must pass the Italy A2 language test for residency, or hold an exempting qualification.
• No serious criminal convictions, and the applicant must not be considered a threat to public order.
• Time on a student permit historically counted at half value for this purpose — check the current rule for your case, as interpretation has varied.
• Long absences from Italy or from the EU can cause the permit to lapse, so track your travel.

The A2 Language Test in Practice

The A2 test is a basic-competence assessment in Italian: understanding common expressions, handling simple exchanges, describing your background in straightforward terms. It is not academic Italian, and most candidates pass with a few months of preparation.

• The free test is booked through the Prefettura; certificates from CILS, CELI, PLIDA and AIL at A2 or above are accepted as alternatives.
• Holders of an Italian school or university qualification, and those who completed the integration agreement civics course, are typically exempt.
• Naturalisation by residence and by marriage requires a higher B1 level, not A2 — do not confuse the two thresholds.
• CPIA adult education centres run free or low-cost Italian courses in most comuni.

Italy Citizenship by Descent After the 2025 Reform

Italy recognises citizenship jure sanguinis — by blood — and for decades this allowed descendants of Italian emigrants to claim citizenship across an unlimited number of generations. In March 2025 an emergency decree, subsequently converted into law, restricted the principle sharply. Italy citizenship by descent is now a much narrower route than the internet still suggests.

• The reform limits automatic recognition by descent to applicants with a sufficiently close Italian-born ancestral link, broadly at the parent or grandparent level, subject to the conditions in the law.
• Applications validly lodged before the cut-off date continue to be processed under the previous rules.
• The historic 1948 rule — that maternal-line transmission before 1 January 1948 required a court case rather than a consular application — remains part of the landscape for eligible cases.
• Documentation is the real work: Italian birth, marriage and death records from the comune of origin, foreign vital records with apostilles and sworn translations, and proof that the ancestor never naturalised before the next generation's birth.
• Consular queues abroad remain extremely long; applying while resident in an Italian comune is often faster but requires establishing residence first.
• Because the law changed recently and is still being interpreted, this is one of the few areas where paying an Italian lawyer for an eligibility opinion is genuinely good value.

Italy Dual Citizenship Rules

Italy permits dual and multiple citizenship without restriction. The constraint, if any, comes from your other country of nationality rather than from Italy.

• Italy has not required renunciation of a prior nationality since the 1992 citizenship law.
• Some other states do require renunciation — check your own country's rules before accepting Italian citizenship.
• Dual citizens must enter and leave Italy on their Italian passport once registered.
• Registering with AIRE is compulsory for Italian citizens living abroad for more than twelve months and affects voting, consular services and tax status.

Naturalisation by Residence and by Marriage

For those without Italian ancestry, naturalisation is the endpoint. The clock is long but the requirements are clear, and the years spent on elective residency, work or digital nomad permits all count provided residence was continuous and lawful.

• Non-EU nationals generally require ten years of legal residence; EU nationals four; stateless persons and refugees five.
• Spouses of Italian citizens can apply after a shorter period, reduced further where there are minor children, with the clock differing depending on whether you live in Italy or abroad.
• A B1 level Italian certificate is mandatory for both residence-based and marriage-based naturalisation.
• Minimum income for the preceding three years is assessed against published thresholds, rising with dependants.
• Continuous registration in the anagrafe is what proves residence — physical presence without registration does not count.
• Children born in Italy to foreign parents can apply in the year after turning eighteen if legally resident without interruption since birth.

Building a Clean Record from Year One

Both the long-term permit and naturalisation are decided on paperwork you generate years earlier. The people who struggle are almost never ineligible — they simply cannot evidence what they did.

• Register in the anagrafe as soon as you are entitled, and never allow a permit to lapse between renewals.
• Keep every permesso card, ricevuta, lease registration and utility contract in one archive.
• File an Italian tax return every year you are resident, even in a year of low income — returns are the standard income evidence.
• Keep your comune registration address current; a stale address delays every subsequent application.
• Sit the A2 or B1 exam early rather than in the month you need the certificate.