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 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”).
You will receive two very important messages:
1) a message in which the Prefettura tells you whether your application has been accepted or not.
2) a message with the date of your appointment at the Prefettura. In this appointment the Prefettura will check the original version of all the documents you have attached to the application. So, you have to bring all the original documents with you. If you do not show up for this appointment, the Prefettura will send you the date for a second appointment. If you don’t show up for the second appointment, you risk your citizenship application being rejected.
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.
After a few years, you will receive a letter by raccomandata to the address you gave to the Prefettura. This letter will inform you whether you obtain citizenship or not.
If the outcome is positive, you will obtain citizenship by taking a giuramento (oath) to your Comune di residenza.
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?
If you need help checking the status of your application or have questions, you can call these numbers of the Ministero dell’Interno:
06 46539955 (on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10am to 12pm)
334 6909996 (on Wednesdays from 10am to 12pm)
334 6909859 (on Fridays from 10am to 12pm)
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.