Can qualify in 18 months: Italy shares conditions for citizenship by marriage

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Italy has outlined specific waiting periods foreign nationals married to Italian citizens must complete before applying for citizenship

- The standard three-year wait for spouses living abroad can be reduced to 18 months under one particular condition

- All applicants must register on the Ministry of the Interior's ALI portal before they can begin the formal application process

Italy has clarified the requirements that foreign nationals married to Italian citizens must satisfy before they can apply for citizenship through marriage, whether they are based in Italy or living abroad.

Details published by the Italian Embassy in Nicosia, drawing on guidance from Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, set out a step-by-step process that applicants must follow, beginning with meeting an eligibility threshold tied to how long the marriage has been in place.

Italy citizenship by marriage and who can apply

A foreign spouse of an Italian citizen who resides outside Italy becomes eligible to apply three years after the date of the wedding ceremony.

This timeline is considerably shorter than the standard naturalisation route available to foreigners who have not married an Italian national.

However, couples who have children together, whether biological or adopted, benefit from a reduced waiting period. In such cases, the three-year requirement is cut in half, allowing a qualifying spouse to submit an application as early as 18 months after the marriage.

Before beginning the formal process, applicants must create an account on the ALI portal, the online platform managed by Italy's Ministry of the Interior.

Registration unlocks access to the digital application system, through which all required documentation must be uploaded.

Once documents are submitted, the diplomatic or consular office covering the applicant's area of residence takes responsibility for reviewing the paperwork.

If satisfied, that office formally accepts the application and arranges for the applicant to attend an in-person appointment, where original documents must be presented alongside any additional materials requested at that stage.

How to track your application

Every accepted application is assigned a unique reference code in the format K10/C followed by a number. Applicants can use this code, together with the login credentials they created during registration, to monitor the progress of their application through the ALI portal.

Final authority over the outcome rests with the Ministry of the Interior, which holds the power to either grant or refuse citizenship.

Furthermore, applicants are encouraged to consult the dedicated Citizenship section of the relevant official portal for detailed guidance on documentation requirements and processing timelines.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.