Documents For Italian Citizenship And Acquisition By Naturalization

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Italian citizenship is a fundamental right, enshrined in the Constitution, which enables citizens to exercise all civil and political rights in our country. It gives the citizen total membership in national political and social life.

Index

Documents For Italian Citizenship

To obtain this “status civitatis”, a series of documents must be submitted to complete the procedure, including:

– Application for Italian citizenship duly completed

– Birth certificate (issued by the country of origin)

– Marriage certificate (if required)

– Birth certificate of children (if required)

– Certificate attesting the knowledge of the Italian language (if required)

– Identity document.

– Certificate of residence.

– Payment of the government concession fee.

How Citizenship Is Acquired

Let’s look at the cases by which citizenship can be acquired:

– Citizenship by birth. Children born in Italy to foreign citizens, if they don’t take citizenship from Italian parents, they can apply for it once they have turned the age of 18. The interested parties must express this wish using a declaration made to the Civil Status Office of the municipality of residence;

– Citizenship by marriage. A foreign citizen married to an Italian citizen can apply for citizenship after two years of residence in our country. The Prefect of the province of residence provides the documents for the application;

– Citizenship by naturalization. Another way of acquiring citizenship is through naturalization. A foreign citizen who has had a legal residence in Itlay for ten consecutive years can apply for Italian citizenship. This period may vary depending on the category of applicants (stateless persons, refugees, EU citizens).

Citizenship By Naturalization: Required Documents

The documents for Italian citizenship by naturalization are the following:

– Application for Italian citizenship

– Birth certificate

– Certificate of legal residence in Italy

– Explicit statement of assent to the acquisition of Italian citizenship

– Certificate of knowledge of the Italian language

– Explicit documentation of inclusion in the national society

– Declaration of not having pending criminal proceedings

– Statement that he/she has not been convicted of a crime that could disqualify him/her from public office

– Statement that he/she has never been convicted of a crime against the security of the state

– Declaration of never having been convicted of a crime of terrorism.

Procedure For Obtaining Italian Citizenship

The application for Italian citizenship must be submitted to the Prefecture of the place of residence in Italy – if the citizen resides here – or to the Consular Authorities, if residing abroad.

The application is reviewed by the Prefecture or Consular Authority, which may request the applicant to supplement the documentation submitted. If the application is granted, the applicant is summoned for an interview with the Citizenship Commission. The commission is composed of an official of the prefecture or consular authority, a representative of the Ministry of the Interior, and a representative of a social promotion association. After the interview, the commission formulates an opinion on the application to acquire citizenship. The opinion is then forwarded to the Ministry of the Interior, which decides on the acceptance or rejection of the application. The decision of the Ministry of the Interior is communicated to the applicant by decree of the President of the Republic.

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