How to apply for Italian citizenship by residence
According to the Ministry of the Interior (page read on 31 October 2026), you apply for Italian citizenship only online, on the Ministry's Portale Servizi (ALI Cittadinanza) with SPID or CIE, and the fee is €250. The Prefecture of the province where you live then handles the application.
How to apply, step by step
- Apply online only, on the Ministry of the Interior's Portale Servizi (ALI Cittadinanza), with SPID or CIE.
- Fee of €250: attach the payment receipt.
- Income: you need at least the Ministry's thresholds (for citizenship by residence).
- After sending: your application gets a K10 number; you check its status online with the same credentials.
Who can apply by residence, and after how many years, depends on your situation: the Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration lists the cases (in Italian). The Prefecture decides.
After applying: time limit and status
- Time limit: for applications from 20 December 2020 the law sets a time limit of 24 months, extendable up to a maximum of 36 from the date of application (art. 9-ter of Law 91/1992). It is a legal time limit, not a forecast: your application may take a different time.
- Status: online, with the same credentials you used to apply.
- Communications: the Ministry gives the PEC address comunicazione.cittadinanza@pecdlci.interno.it, one application per message, with the K10 number in the subject; attachments in PDF, TIFF or JPEG up to 5 MB each and 15 MB in total.
- Polo Orienta (the Ministry's contact centre): tel. 06 69000700, Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9.30 to 17.30, PEC poloorientacittadinanza@pecdlci.interno.it. Keep your K10 number and an ID document ready.
Your Prefecture
The email and PEC addresses of the citizenship office of all 106 Prefectures are listed on our Italian page: le 106 Prefetture: contatti. For these Prefectures we also report what their own page says (contacts, opening hours, local rules), in Italian: Ancona, Bari, Bergamo, Bologna, Brescia, Catania, Cremona, Cuneo, Firenze, Genova, Lecco, Lucca, Milano, Modena, Napoli, Palermo, Parma, Pavia, Perugia, Prato, Ravenna, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Roma, Torino, Treviso, Udine, Varese, Venezia, Verona.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I apply for Italian citizenship?
Only online, on the Ministry of the Interior's Portale Servizi (ALI Cittadinanza), with SPID or CIE. The application is then handled by the Prefecture of the province where you live.
How much does the citizenship application cost?
The fee (contributo) is €250: you attach the payment receipt to the application. You also need the details of the electronic revenue stamp (marca da bollo telematica).
How long does Italian citizenship take?
For applications from 20 December 2020 the law (art. 9-ter of Law 91/1992) sets a time limit of 24 months, extendable up to a maximum of 36 months from the date of application. It is a legal time limit, not a forecast for your application.
How do I check the status of my application?
Online, in the Ministry's service, with the same credentials you used to apply. There is also the Polo Orienta contact centre: 06 69000700, Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9.30 to 17.30, with your K10 application number.
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In italiano: Domanda di cittadinanza, prefettura per prefettura