I have some exciting news to share – I’m actually now officially a married woman in the eyes of the Italian authorities. Apparently, although we were married more than 20 years ago, my Italian-British husband was still considered as single in Italy until this month, as we’d never registered our marriage with them. But last year we did actually get around to submitting the necessary forms to the Italian Consulate in London, and now we’ve received confirmation from Italy that the registration has gone through. Which means that I’m a small step nearer to being able to apply for Italian citizenship.
So, here’s the next instalment in the story of our family quest to remain European after Brexit. In short: I’m British, my husband’s Italian-British and our kids are British. All four of us were born in the UK. Because of Brexit, we’re trying to apply for Italian citizenship for the kids and for me. I’m not a lawyer or an immigration expert, but I’m sharing our experience of the process in case it’s helpful to others.
My citizenship application
My citizenship application is likely to take years longer than it will for the kids, and I don’t know if I’ll ever actually manage to do it. According to the Italian Consulate in London, this, listed below, is what I currently need in order to make an application for Italian citizenship by marriage. These requirements can (and do) change at any time, so, if you’re applying, please don’t rely on what I’m sharing here.
1) Italian language qualification
This requirement was only introduced in December 2018. You now need a CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) certificate at B1 level or above to show that you have an adequate knowledge of Italian. The exam is in four parts: listening, reading, speaking and writing, and it takes place over the course of one day, on a set date. You need to pass all four parts of the exam in order to get a certificate. Although I’ve studied Italian, it was a long time ago, so I’m a bit worried about this one. Also, as it’s a new thing, it’s not that easy to find a place where you can take the exam. The consulate lists the approved language schools where you can take the official exam in the UK, but the first school (the only one listed in London) that I tried to contact about it said it ‘can’t handle the exam.’ The next nearest place for me to take the exam is in Cambridge, more than 80 miles from where we live. I’ve booked to take that exam next month, at a cost of £200.
2) Confirmation of marriage registration
I had no idea how long it would take for our marriage to be registered with the Italian authorities, but based on what I’d been told about the kids’ applications, I assumed that it would take years. While I was waiting, I found a form on the Italian Consulate website to send to the ‘Comune’ (the town hall) in Italy where we’re registering, to ask for confirmation of our marriage registration. (In case you need it, the form is called a ’Richiesta Atti di Stato Civile di Cittadini Italiani a Comuni Italiani’ and you can download a copy of it here.) I completed the form and went to the Post Office to send it to the ‘Comune’. I needed to send a self-addressed stamped envelope with the form. But at my local Post Office I discovered that it’s impossible to pay for Italian postage from the UK. So I enlisted a kind friend in Italy to help me. I posted everything to her, and she then added the Italian postage to my self-addressed envelope and sent it with my form to the ‘Comune’. Three weeks later (eight months after sending my initial application to the Italian Consulate) I received confirmation of our marriage registration from Italy by post. Hurrah!
3) Full birth certificate, legalised and translated into Italian
I thought that I had already obtained this for my marriage registration, but when I checked back, I found that I hadn’t. So, I ordered an official copy of my birth certificate from the General Register Office at a cost of £9.25. The certificate arrived five weeks later. I then needed to get it legalised and translated (see my post Applying for Italian citizenship – part 2 for how to do this – legalisation costs £30 + £5.50 postage).
4) Certificate of no criminal records from the country of origin
I’m not sure about this, and it seems a bit similar to 5), below, but I think it’s just for people who’ve spent some time as residents of countries other than the UK and Italy. I’ll have to do some research to find out about it. (If you know what this certificate is, please do tell me).
5) UK criminal records certificate
Once you have this certificate it has to be legalised and translated. It’s only valid for six months, so I’m not applying for it unless and until I pass the Italian language exam.
6) 250 euros
This has to be paid by bank transfer.
7) UK resident permit
I didn’t know that this was even a thing, so I’ll need to find out what it is, and get myself one. (Again, if you know what this permit is, and how I can get one, please do tell me!)
8) Italian spouse’s passport and 9) Applicant’s passport
The only items in the whole list which we actually already have and which we don’t need to get certified or translated or legalised. Unless things change.
Our kids’ citizenship application
Last time I wrote about this (in Applying for Italian citizenship – part 5) we’d submitted all of the necessary forms for the kids, and were waiting for a response from the Italian authorities. It’s now four months since we submitted the documents for our daughter, and eight months since we did it for our son (read my earlier posts if you’d like to understand why we couldn’t make both applications at the same time). Officials at the Italian Consulate in London have told us that both kids will definitely be given Italian citizenship, but that it’s just a question of waiting – possibly for up to two years. We’re still waiting at the moment.
What happens next?
The next stage for me is the Italian exam (gulp!) and if I pass that I’ll be trying to work out what to do about items 4, 5 and 7 (see above). If I don’t pass the exam then I’ll have to wait until I have another chance to take it, then try again. Once I have everything ready, I’ll make the application. From that point I’ve been told that it will take at least two years for the application to go through.
Update – This is what happened when I took the Italian exam: Applying for Italian citizenship – part 7
The previous parts of this story are here:
The one where I decide to apply for Italian citizenship
Applying for Italian citizenship – part 2
Applying for Italian citizenship – part 3
Applying for Italian citizenship – part 4
Applying for Italian citizenship – part 5
Over to you
If you’ve ever applied for citizenship of another country, how did it go? Or if you have any questions about what we’re doing, do let me know, and I’ll try to help.
Hi Gretta,
I’ve very much enjoyed reading about your journey to Italian citizenship. Thank you so much for sharing, there really is limited information online for British citizens applying!
I am currently gathering documents to apply via my maternal grandmother (Jure Sanguinis) and wondered whether you had to provide form NQ when applying for your children’s citizenships?
Form NQ seems to be needed to prove that your Italian ancestor did not neutralise (specifically after 1 October 1986). It comes with quite a hefty fee (£250) and apparently is only valid for three months. Hence I am hesitant to request it if not needed!
I’d be so grateful of any advice from anyone, putting this out there in the hope that someone has been through the same thing!
Thanks again.
Hi, thank you for your kind comments. I don’t know about form NQ at all, sorry – we didn’t have to provide it. Hopefully somebody else reading this may be able to help you. Good luck with your application.
Thank you Gretta, I appreciate your response! All the best
Is that the form issued by the Home Office? It is crazy expensive!
I successfully applied for Jure Sanguinis through my grandfather and I only needed an official letter from the National Archives (which was free, although I think they now charge a small fee). However, my grandfather died in 1971 so obviously there was no possibility that he naturalised after 1986. Is your grandmother still alive? If she died between between 1 October 1986-2020 then I don’t think the 3 month validity would be an issue as clearly a deceased person can’t later naturalise themselves. It’s just proof that they never naturalised. Otherwise, if she is still alive, I would gather all your other documents, get your consular appointment booked in and only then apply for the NQ to ensure validity at your appointment. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for the response Nina!
I have already got the letter from the national archives which was very straightforward as you describe.
Yes form NQ is issued by the home office and they have definitely upped the price in recent years! I am following the requirements listed on the London Italian consulate website which is where I will be applying. As my grandmother died just two years ago I feel I will need to bite the bullet and apply for form
NQ..I totally see your point about the 3 month validity, I had thought the same thing. Fingers crossed it will be accepted, I’m well aware that I’ve likely got a very long wait in front of me! ?
Thanks again and good luck everyone!
No problem. I think you’re doing the right thing despite the cost. In all, I think it’s cost me about £1000 for the total application :/
Yes, a long wait indeed! I attended by consular appointment in October 2018 and got the confirmation of citizenship through only yesterday! So about 15 months, which is still less than what they told me to expect (2 years!).
Hi, If your grandmother was still an Italian citizen when you were born you do not need the form NQ. I wonder if her death was recorded at her comune?
RESIDENCE PERMIT
If you are applying for Italian citizenship and you are a British citizen resident in the UK, you do not need a Residence Permit. Your British Passport plus proof of address (ideally photocard driving licence) will be sufficient. If you are not a British Citizen, then you need a Home Office Residence Permit.
MARRIAGE AND BIRTH CERTIFICATES
Until the end of the post-Brexit transition on 31 December 2020, you do not need apostilles and official translations. They have been abolished by this EU regulation:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=LEGISSUM:230101_2&from=EN
However, you would need a birth or marriage certificate issued in Italian by the GRO in Southport.
Thank you Giacomo, that is very helpful.
Dear Gretta,
Very useful information you are sharing here. For applications submitted PRIOR to the new requirement for language knowledge introduced in 2018: the applicant does NOT need it, correct? Many thanks, Andrea
Hi Andrea, I don’t know about that, sorry. That would sound like the logical thing to happen, otherwise the huge backlog in the system would become even worse. But I really don’t know. Please do tell me if you find out for sure.
Hi Greta Ive been toying with the idea of applying for an Italian passport since the referendum 2016 and have like you had my marriage ‘verified’ about 8 years ago and went through similar process to you with the Italian consulate in Manchester ( I married my Italian husband 46 years ago!) I now wish I’d applied for a passport at the same time as after reading your posts it seems the Italian route for an EU passport is now extremely time consuming and expensive!! It may be different with my husband still being an Italian citizen although he’s lived here in UK since he was 4years old! I really don’t want to stand in a different queue when travelling (as he has a disability and needs help going through airports now) I think the Manchester consulate has only limited services and it’s so difficult to actually speak to anyone there as opening hours are about 2hrs a day…:I will pursue this on line and let you know how I get On!
Good Luck with the Italian Exam!
Margi
Thanks Margi – I have now passed the exam! As far as I know, you don’t actually need to go to the consulate in order to apply for citizenship by marriage. You just have to do a ton of admin and get lots of documents and translations. If you read all of my blog posts about what I’ve done, that should help you.
i came across your posts very far into this process . We have a home in Italy and thought it would be straightforward as my husband has always kept Italian citizenship. The brick wall we ran into was our sons adoption . Horribly our daughter was “ processed “ and given a passport immediately … much sibling gloating . In Scotland adoption orders are not granted , only new registration documents , so we seem to be stuck in a circular argument , the Italians want the order , we don’t have one …
Meanwhile I’ve worked through every other stage because , in waiting for the kids applications I had now moved forward to having to do the test .
I have a couple of quick questions perhaps someone can answer :
Certificate of no criminal records from the country of origin … do I need one if I only live in Uk ?
And what about
Residence permit ??
Thanks in anticipation.
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Hi Melanie, that sounds very difficult. I didn’t realise that the adoption system differed like that between England and Scotland. With regards to your questions, my understanding (for what it’s worth – I’m not a lawyer and am working through the process as your are) is that you only need the certificate of no criminal records from the country/countries where you live, or have lived. I find the Residence Permit question tricky too. As a UK citizen who was born here, I’ve found no way of obtaining a Residence Permit. And no way of asking the Italian Consulate about this issue. So I’m submitting my application without one, as that seems to be the only thing to do. Do let me know if you find out anything more about this.
Blimney – that sounds like an absolute nightmare! I’m also in the process of applying for Italian citizenship through my birth Grandmother and Jure Sanguinis – so no Italian exam thank God. It has taken ages because I discovered she was born in what was modern day Croatia rather than in Trieste where she married but was not born – she kept that one quiet!
I started this process just before the referendum as I had a bad feeling and it has taken absolutely ages because I had to find evidence that Rijeka was part of Italy in the month and year she was born (this was just after the first World war and the city was occupied numerous times during that year alone). Eventually my Italian Virtual Assistant tracked down a certificate in Croatia that said her nationality was Italian at birth – phew, only took 2 years.
It has taken 7 frustrating months to get an appointment online and my appointment is at the consulate at the end of June. I have my docs apostilled (10 of them including my deed poll name because the line goes back further – expensive!) and am very much hoping you can help me with the translation part.
you mention a list of translators on the Italian consulate website but I can’t see this anywhere – any clues? I’m so near and your posts have been invaluable at seeing what I have to expect.
Thank you and good luck with the exam!
Wow, well done for finding all of the documents. I downloaded the list of translators from this page on the Consulate website: http://conslondra.esteri.it/Consolato_Londra/en/i_servizi/per_i_cittadini/stato_civile/registrare-matrimonio.html
I used Gabriella Barra for our translations (her details are on the list).
I’ve taken the exam now and it was very hard, so I’m not sure if I’ll pass it or not. I have to wait for 60 days for the results.
Good luck with your application!
Hi Joanne,
I didn’t go through the Consulate for translation. Instead I used a translation company in Milan called TDR Traduzione who then had the translations ‘sworn’ (notarised) at the Court of Milan. Every single document in English has to be translated by professionals who then swear in court that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document. The translations are then stamped by the court.
I had quotes from a couple of companies and they were reasonable and quick to send the stamped translations by both post (at my request) and scans.
No idea if it was any cheaper. The translations were accepted when I had my appointment at the consulate.
That’s interesting. I reckon it’s best to stick with the official list of translators though, otherwise there’s a risk of the consulate not accepting the documents!