Italy has one of the most document-intensive citizenship processes in the world โ and buried inside it is a language requirement that trips up a surprising number of otherwise well-prepared applicants. The confusion usually comes from one place: the level required for your residency permit is not the same as the level required for citizenship. Many people prepare for the wrong exam, discover the mistake late, and push their citizenship application back by a year or more.
This guide explains exactly what Italian citizenship requires, how the CELI 2 exam works, and โ uniquely for the Italian system โ how to use the exam's carry-over rule to your strategic advantage.
Official registration: CELI is administered by the Universitร per Stranieri di Perugia. Find exam dates and centres at unistrapg.it.
Not sure which exam you need? See our comparison of all four European citizenship exams.
Italian Citizenship: The Legal Pathway
Italian nationality law is rooted in jus sanguinis โ citizenship by bloodline โ but for most foreign residents, the route is naturalisation by residency. The requirements depend on your status:
The language requirement was standardised for citizenship in 2018, applying to all naturalisation applicants. It is not waivable based on residency length or permit history.
The Language Requirement: B1 for Citizenship, A2 for Residency
This distinction is critical โ and frequently misunderstood.
Your EU long-term residence permit requires A2. Your citizenship application requires B1. These are two different certificates at two different levels. Holding a CELI 1 (A2) from your residency application does not satisfy the citizenship requirement. You need a separate B1-level certificate.
Accepted proofs of B1 proficiency for Italian citizenship include:
Important: CELI certificates do not expire. Once you pass CELI 2, that certificate is permanently valid for your citizenship application โ no matter how many years pass before you submit.
Exemptions are narrow. Applicants with Italian university degrees may be exempt. Those with proven illiteracy applying for residency permits (A2 level) can visit SLAM centres in person for evaluation โ but this does not apply to citizenship applications at B1.
CELI 2 Exam Structure: What You're Actually Being Tested On
The CELI 2 consists of four components, equally weighted:
Total written block duration: approximately 2.5 hours. Speaking is conducted separately.
The pass requirement has two parts:
Both blocks must be passed. Failing the oral while passing the written โ or vice versa โ means you do not receive the certificate on that sitting.
The Carry-Over Rule: Italy's Unique Strategic Advantage
Here is what makes the Italian system meaningfully different from the Portuguese or French equivalents, and why it rewards tactical preparation.
If you pass one block but fail the other, you do not lose your passing result. The passing mark is carried over for one year, and you can resit only the failed portion for 70% of the original exam fee.
In practice, this means:
For candidates with high anxiety around oral exams โ which is common โ this creates a legitimate tactical approach: prioritise securing the written block on your first attempt, knowing that even a partial success significantly reduces the burden and cost of the second sitting.
This carry-over rule is not a consolation prize. It is a structural feature of the exam that smart candidates build into their preparation strategy from the start.
Why Candidates Fail the CELI 2
The CELI 2 does not fail candidates because of vocabulary gaps or lack of effort. It fails them because of specific, examinable patterns that are easy to train โ if you know what they are.
Overcomplicating sentences. At B1, Italian examiners reward "sustainable simplicity" over attempted complexity. A candidate who writes clean, correct sentences using the passato prossimo correctly will outscore a candidate who attempts complex relative clauses full of errors. The goal is accuracy within your range, not impressive vocabulary outside it.
Morphosyntactic errors. Italian penalises preposition errors and gender/number agreement mistakes more heavily than many other European language exams. "Una libro interessante" or "ho andato" are not minor slips at B1 โ they affect your score under the correttezza morfosintattica criterion.
Confusing CELI 1 with CELI 2. This is more common than it sounds. CELI 1 is A2 โ the residency level. CELI 2 is B1 โ the citizenship level. Candidates who search for "CELI exam Italy citizenship" and land on CELI 1 preparation materials spend weeks preparing for the wrong exam. The number matters.
Underestimating the oral interaction. The speaking component at B1 requires more than answering questions โ it requires sustaining an interaction, responding to follow-up questions, and demonstrating sociolinguistic awareness. Candidates who have only practised scripted phrases typically struggle when the examiner goes off-script.
Common Mistakes in the Writing Section
The writing tasks at B1 require structured production โ not a stream of sentences. Examiners look for:
Ignoring the specific instructions of the prompt โ writing about the general topic rather than answering the exact questions asked โ scores poorly on task completion regardless of linguistic quality. Read the prompt twice before writing.
Practical Preparation Timeline
Italian B1 is not a quick preparation. Plan accordingly.
Reaching B1 readiness from scratch (A0) typically requires 350โ400 hours of study. From a solid A2 baseline, expect 12โ20 weeks of focused preparation.
Once you've passed, the timeline to certificate-in-hand is long:
This means you should sit the CELI 2 at least 12 months before your citizenship eligibility date โ not 6 months, not 3 months. The Italian administrative timeline is unforgiving, and arriving at your prefecture window without a certificate because it's still being processed is a preventable problem.
How to Prepare: What Actually Works
Passing the CELI 2 requires preparation that targets the exam's specific scoring criteria โ not general Italian practice. The carry-over rule is useful, but the goal is to pass both blocks on the first attempt.
Prep2go.study is built for this: exam-focused preparation for immigrants and expats with a fixed citizenship goal and a specific test to pass. The platform covers all four CELI 2 components:
The interface is in English. No prior Italian is required to start. The free 7-day trial requires no credit card.
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Italian citizenship takes years of residency. Don't let the language exam be the thing that delays it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the CELI 2 certificate expire? No. CELI certificates do not expire. Once you pass CELI 2, the certificate is permanently valid for your Italian citizenship application.
Can I use CILS or PLIDA instead of CELI? Yes. CILS B1 (Universitร per Stranieri di Siena) and PLIDA B1 (Dante Alighieri Society) are also accepted for Italian citizenship. All three are recognised under the same legal framework.
I passed CELI 1 for my residency permit โ does that count for citizenship? No. CELI 1 is A2 level โ the requirement for the EU long-term residence permit. Citizenship requires B1, which is CELI 2. You need a separate B1 certificate.
What happens if I pass the written block but fail the oral? Your written result is carried over for one year. You can resit only the oral component at 70% of the original fee within that period. The same applies in reverse โ a passed oral can be carried over if the written block is failed.
How far in advance should I sit the exam? At least 12 months before your citizenship eligibility date. Certificate processing (correction plus physical delivery) can take up to 7 months from the exam date.
How long does it take to go from A2 to B1 in Italian? With focused, exam-specific preparation, most candidates at a solid A2 baseline reach B1 readiness in 12โ20 weeks.
Information based on Italian nationality law and official CELI examination criteria (Universitร per Stranieri di Perugia). Always verify current requirements with the relevant Italian prefettura or consulate before submitting your naturalisation application. See our FAQ for more on language requirements.
Source: CVCL - Centro per la Valutazione e le Certificazioni Linguistiche