B1 Italian for citizenship: which exam to take

Who needs the certificate, which ones are accepted, and the real differences between the "Cittadinanza" exams and the standard B1. With the costs and waiting times people ask about most.

Updated 12 November 2026

If you apply for Italian citizenship by marriage or by residence, you have to show that your Italian is at least at B1 level. The rule was added at the end of 2018 (decree-law 113/2018, converted into law 132/2018) as a new article 9.1 of the citizenship law, law 91 of 1992. Unlike the A2 test for the residence permit, there is no free test at the Prefettura: you need a certificate, and you pay for the exam.

What B1 means

At B1 you can handle most everyday situations on your own: explain a problem at the doctor's, tell someone what happened at work, write an email to a school, give your opinion on a simple topic and say why. It is a real step up from A2, mostly because you have to produce Italian, in speaking and writing, not only understand it.

When you do not need the certificate

The law itself names two groups that do not have to present it:

• people who have signed the accordo di integrazione (the integration agreement);
• people who hold the EU long-term residence permit (permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo).

A qualification from an Italian school, public or officially recognised (paritaria), also counts as proof of the language.

Practice on these exemptions is not identical everywhere: for example, some sources say that holders of a long-term permit issued before the A2 test was introduced are still asked for a certificate. Before you pay for an exam, ask the Prefettura that will handle your application, or a patronato.

Which certificates are accepted

The certificate must be B1 or higher and must come from one of the four bodies of the Italian quality system for language certification (CLIQ):

You take the exam at an exam centre authorised by that body: a language school, a university or, abroad, an Italian Cultural Institute. A "B1 certificate" from a school that is not an authorised centre of one of these four is not valid for citizenship.

"Cittadinanza" exam or standard B1?

Several bodies offer a special version of the B1 exam just for citizenship applicants (for example CILS B1 Cittadinanza, CELI 2 Cittadinanza, PLIDA B1 Cittadinanza). The Università di Padova language centre publishes a clear comparison for CILS, and it shows the trade-offs well:

Prices are set by each exam centre and vary: the Italian Cultural Institute in Stuttgart, for instance, lists €120 for the B1 Cittadinanza in 2026.

How to choose: if you only need the certificate for citizenship and you feel ready in all skills, the Cittadinanza version is shorter and the results come sooner. If you might need the certificate for a job or a university, or one skill (often writing) is weaker than the others, the standard exam is safer, because a failed part does not cancel the parts you passed.

Practical things nobody tells you

• Book early. Centres run only a few sessions a year and often close registrations a month or more before the exam date. Then add about two months for the results. Count back from when you want to send your application.
• Past papers are free. The CILS centre in Siena publishes past B1 Cittadinanza papers with the audio files on its website. Do at least one under real conditions before you book.
• The speaking part is short. In the Cittadinanza exams it is a brief conversation with the examiner: you introduce yourself and talk about a familiar topic. Practise speaking for two or three minutes without stopping, out loud.
• Writing is where people lose points. You must cover every point in the instructions and stay within the word range. See our guide to the writing task.

How to prepare

Start with a full practice test to see which skill is your weakest, then spend most of your time there. Most adults who live in Italy understand far more than they can write, so plan regular writing practice with feedback. In the last two weeks, do full tests with a timer, in one sitting, the way the exam will be.

For the listening and reading parts, our guide on how not to lose points in listening and reading has examples.

Practise in the exam format

Pino has 100 A2 and B1 practice tests with listening, reading, writing and speaking, a timer and a score for each section. The first test of each level is free.

Download on theApp Store

Get it onGoogle Play

More guides

• The Italian A2 test for the long-term residence permit
• Listening and reading: how not to lose easy points
• The writing task: how to write an email that scores