Citizenship by marriage/civil union

Acquisition of Italian citizenship “jure matrimonii” (by marriage) according to Italian Law 1992/91, Art. 5 and by civil union

Please note that while the Italian Embassies and Consulates around the world receive applications for Italian citizenship through marriage/civil union, ultimately, the naturalization process is determined by the Ministry of the Interior. These instructions apply to foreign citizens who have married an Italian citizen after April 27, 1983. Foreign women who have married an Italian citizen before April 27, 1983 should get in touch with the citizenship office of this Consulate in order to apply through a different process.

In order to apply according to the Italian Law 1992/91, Art. 5, the couple must have been married for at least 3 years (or 2 years if they have resided legally in Italy). This residency terms are halved when the couple has biological or adopted minor children.

The Italian spouse must be registered with the Consulate. Please see the AIRE section of our website. The marriage MUST have been registered in Italy at the Comune (municipality). For instructions on how to register your marriage occurred abroad, please visit the Vital Records section of our website. You may not apply for citizenship through your spouse if you have divorced from him or her, or if he or she passed away.

Before starting the process and after reading these instructions, it is recommended that you get in touch with the citizenship office for an appointment or a phone conversation in order to review the list of required documents and the details of the procedure.

The application processing time is up to 36 months (3 years) starting from the day on which the last required document is accepted.

INSTRUCTIONS and DOCUMENTS:

Please register at this link: https://portaleserviziapp.dlci.interno.it/AliCittadinanza/ali/registration.htm 
This webpage is in Italian only. As you register, make sure to include your full name (including the middle name) as it is indicated in the birth certificate.

A. Once all the documents indicated below are ready and scanned, fill out the AE Form online (Modello AE). Applicants need to make sure to

1. complete it with the name of the applicant as it is indicated in his/her birth certificate;
2. include all their addresses of residence since age 14.

B. Applicants should upload all the documents listed in this section. Please upload US- or foreign-issued documents only once they have been legalized by this Consulate or the competent Italian diplomatic office.

1. ITALIAN LANGUAGE CERTIFICATION – Obtain this document BEFORE you obtain any other document indicated below. The Italian language proficiency may be demonstrated in ONE of the following ways:
   • A DEGREE issued by a public institution or equivalent in Italy or abroad, recognized by the Ministero dell’Istruzione dell’Università e della Ricerca, and by the Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale,
     OR,
   • A CERTIFICATE OF PROFICIENCY IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE AT LEVEL B1 (or higher), issued by one of the following institutions:
     • Università per stranieri di Siena
     • Università per stranieri di Perugia
     • Università Roma Tre
     • Società Dante Alighieri
       • In Detroit, it is possible to take the B1 exam at the Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan that has a PLIDA  agreement with the above mentioned Italian Ministries. For further information please review the Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan website or get in touch with them:
         Address: 30100 Telegraph Rd. Ste. 322 – Bingham Farms, MI 48025.
         Telephone: 248-250-8928
         Email: info@dantemichigan.org 
         Website: www.dantemichigan.org
         
2. BIRTH CERTIFICATE – This document must be in “long form” (it must include the precise information about the city of birth), apostilled (see Apostille), and translated into Italian (do not translate the apostille); finally, the original with apostille and translation must be legalized at our office, but only if the Certificate was issued in the United States. For the legalization process, please get in touch with the citizenship office.Please note that if the Certificate was issued in another Country, it must be authenticated, translated, and legalized for use in Italy in the Country of origin. Our recommendation is to get in touch with the Italian diplomatic authority (Consulate or Embassy) in the Country in which the certificate was issued to learn about the specific legalization process.
3. A. POLICE RECORD issued by the Department of Justice of the State where you were born (in original, with official seal and an official’s notarized signature) translated into Italian. If, beginning at age 14, you have legally resided in other locations outside the State in which you were born, you will need a criminal record from each State or Country (except for Italy: such a record will be retrieved automatically with the application) of residence; finally, each original background check must be apostilled (see Apostille), translated (do not translate the apostille) and presented to our office (only if issued in the United States) for legalization. For the legalization process, please get in touch with the citizenship office.Please note that each Police Record must be signed and notarized within the issuing Police Department. Also, the validity allowed for each Police Record is 6 months. If your application is NOT submitted AND considered complete within this time, you will need to re-submit each Police Record again.

   Please note also that if the Certificate was issued in another Country, it must be authenticated, translated, and legalized for use in Italy in the Country of origin. Our recommendation is to get in touch with the Italian diplomatic authority (Consulate or Embassy) in the country in which the certificate was issued to learn about the specific authentication process.

   B. FBI Clearance (Finger Print Form) to be requested from the address below. Please consult https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks for instructions on how to request it.

   FBI-Criminal Justice Information
   Service division D2, 100 Custer Hollow Rd.
   Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306

   It must then be apostilled (by the Department of State in this case) and translated into Italian (do not translate the apostille); finally, the original with apostille and translation must be legalized at our office. For the legalization process, please get in touch with the citizenship office.

   Please note that the validity allowed for this Certificate is 6 months. If your application is NOT submitted AND considered complete within this time, you will need to re-submit this Certificate again.

4. MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE (Atto integrale di matrimonio or estratto per riassunto del registro dei matrimoni) obtained from the Comune (municipality) in Italy in which your Marriage was registered. You may NOT request this certificate through the Consular Office.
5. US CITIZENS: COPY OF PASSPORT FOR US CITIZENS and COPY OF DRIVER’S LICENSE or utility bill as proof of residence within this Consular Jurisdiction.CITIZENS OF OTHER COUNTRIES: COPY OF PASSPORT, COPY OF PROOF OF LEGAL RESIDENCE (PERMANENT RESIDENT CARD, aka Green Card, or VISA), and COPY OF DRIVER’S LICENSE or utility bill as proof of residence within this Consular Jurisdiction.
6. PAYMENTS: As part of the application process, within the CIVES system, applicants can pay via the PagoPA for both the 250 EUROS fee and the Imposta di bollo. As an alternative, you must provide proof of a payment made via bank transfer directly to the Ministry of the Interior as per the instructions below and using the following bank account details:
   
   Beneficiary: CONTO CORRENTE POSTALE “MINISTERO DELL’INTERNO D.L.C.I. – CITTADINANZA”
   Bank: Poste Italiane SPA / BancoPosta
   Bank address: Viale Europa 175, Roma ITALIA
   Forward to: 34429
   IBAN code n.: IT54D0760103200000000809020
   BIC/SWIFT Code of Poste italiane:
   – for International transfers: BPPIITRRXXX
   – for Eurogiro operations : PIBPITRA (only if performing bank transaction within Europe)Reference of payment: Please indicate: “ISTANZA DI CITTADINANZA PER MATRIMONIO DI [full name of the applicant (maiden name for women)]”.

   Should you need to shorten it, please use the following form: “IST. CITTAD. MATR. [full name of the applicant (maiden name for women)]”.
   NOTE: When using the IBAN number, no further recipient information is necessary.

Finally, when uploading the documentation, please keep in mind that you only have a limited number of slots in which to upload the requested documents. We suggest you scan more than one document into one digital file when necessary so that you upload all of the documents requested above, for example #2a and #2b could be combined together.

AFTER THE SUBMISSION

Once uploaded, the documentation will be reviewed by this Consulate. If the application is accurate and complete, you will be summoned via the portal and by email to present all of the original documentation to the Consular Office (review the list below). On the day of the appointment, the applicant will be asked to sign on the printout of the application from in front of the Officer.

List of Documents to Bring to the Consulate on the Day of the Appointment

1. A current identification document (passport or driver’s license).
2. The documents included in the list above and that have been uploaded in the portal.
3. A printout of the AE Form.
4. Marriage certificate from the Comune (municipality) in Italy in which your Marriage was registered. You may NOT request this certificate through the Consular Office of the Embassy.
5. A money order addressed to the Consulate of Italy in Detroit or exact cash for the payment of Consular fees. The amount to be paid will be indicated when scheduling the appointment.

In case more documentation needs to be uploaded or if your application was rejected and needs re-submission, you will be notified via the portal.