The stages of the citizenship application
After submitting your citizenship application you will have to wait a few years before receiving an answer. What you can do during this waiting time is to check the stages of your application on the website of the Ministero dell'Interno and if you have any doubts or questions, you can ask for help.
After you have submitted your application, the Prefettura will start examining it.
By logging in with your SPID or your CIE (carta di identità elettronica) or username you can check on the website:
- the status of your application (in the section “Stato pratica”)
- the messages that the Prefettura sends you (in the section “Comunicazioni”).
If the documents are ok, the Prefettura will give you the K10 code. You can use that code to check the status of your application on the website.
Your application will go through 7 stages before a decision is made by the Prefettura. By checking the status of your application you will be able to see which stage it is in. Here is a video explaining what are the 7 stages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRDZpo7gESY&t=3s
How long do I have to wait before receiving the outcome?
You will receive the outcome of your citizenship application:
- After 2 years (maximum 3) if you submitted your application after 20 December 2020
- After 4 years if you submitted your application before 20 December 2020
Even in the years when you are waiting for the outcome it is very important that you keep your residence in Italy. If you don’t have your residence in Italy for a period after submitting the application, your application for citizenship can be rejected.
Remember that you can always check the status of your application on this website, using your SPID or your CIE.
After a few years, you will receive a notification regarding the citizenship decree through Piattaforma Notifiche Digitali di PagoPA S.p.A.
You will need to use your SPID to access the platform and download the decree.
Here’s what to do once you receive the notice on your personal email:
- Access Piattaforma Notifiche Digitali di PagoPA S.p.A. using your SPID
- Download the citizenship decree and print it out.
- Report to your local authority within 120 days of the notification being completed, bringing with you the necessary documents.
If the outcome is negative, you will still have ten days to understand the reasons why you will not be given citizenship and try to give the Prefettura the missing information to obtain citizenship.
Can I get help with the citizenship application?
The Contact center Polo Orienta 0669000700 is active on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9.30 to 17.30.
Recently a certified e-mail box (PEC) has been activated, dedicated exclusively to users interested in the procedure of granting Italian citizenship.
You can write directly to the address poloorientacittadinanza@pecdlci.interno.it for assistance and clarification on your case.
If you already have an application in progress, remember to include the subject of your email or PEC the number of the application (e.g. K10/… or K10/C/…) and the province of residence, or your identification code (token ID) and the province of residence. For example: “K10/… Florence”.
If you have not yet started an application, simply indicate in the subject “Request Information” followed by the province of residence (e.g. “Rome Request”).
Or you can ask for free help from a CAF, a patronato or a sindacato near you.
You can also ask a lawyer, but if you don’t have gratuito patrocinio (free legal aid), the advice is not free.