# Moving to Italy - Best time to apply for Italian Citizenship?



## amsolazzo

Hi,

I am a US citizen married to an Italian citizen and we are currently living in the United States. We have been married for over 3 years, and I am eligible now to apply for my Italian citizenship. 

According to the Italian Consulate, the citizenship process can take up to 2 years. However, my wife and I are planning a move to Italy some time within the next year.

I have the following questions that I was hoping someone might have some insight into:

1. Is it best to submit the citizenship application here in the US even if we are going to move to Italy prior to its completion?

2. If the application is submitted in the US and we move to Italy, can the application still be processed without complications?

3. If we move to Italy and I get the permesso di soggiorno, what is the process like to apply for citizenship in Italy?

4. Does anyone have an idea of how long the citizenship application process would take if submitted within Italy?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.


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## BBCWatcher

amsolazzo said:


> 1. Is it best to submit the citizenship application here in the US even if we are going to move to Italy prior to its completion?


If by "best" you mean fastest time to taking your oath, yes.



> 2. If the application is submitted in the US and we move to Italy, can the application still be processed without complications?


Sure.



> 4. Does anyone have an idea of how long the citizenship application process would take if submitted within Italy?


Same wait from the time you apply. So if you wait a year, your oath will be scheduled about a year later -- very simple.

It's actually a bit harder to apply in Italy because getting timely criminal background checks is usually harder.


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## amsolazzo

Thanks again for your quick reply and great insight, BBCWatcher.

I was concerned that there might possibly be a great deal of confusion if the application was submitted here in the US while we are living here, and then we move mid-process. I am (perhaps misguidedly) mindful of Italian bureaucracy and the complications that can arrise when certain changes are made and things do not compute in the simplest manner.


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## BBCWatcher

amsolazzo said:


> I was concerned that there might possibly be a great deal of confusion if the application was submitted here in the US while we are living here, and then we move mid-process.


Starting in two days (August 1, 2015) consulates cannot even accept your initial application, and most have shifted to the online system already. Just keep that Web site up-to-date with your contact details and periodically check your application status, that's all.


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## yosheryosh

I think it would be done much faster in Italy if you started it after you moved.


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## BBCWatcher

yosheryosh said:


> I think it would be done much faster in Italy if you started it after you moved.


And why do you think that?


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## yosheryosh

My consulate here from the date of the appointment to finishing the process was over 2 years....

Everyone I contacted in Italy (attorneys and citizenship services) told me if I moved to Italy it would be anywhere from 3 months to 12 months to get it done.


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## BBCWatcher

Are you referring to citizenship recognition (jure sanguinis) or citizenship acquisition (jure matrimoni)? The original poster is asking about the latter.

If the latter for you, were you recently married (less than three years of marriage)? That does make a difference since the initial waiting period is longer if resident outside Italy, but the original poster is not recently married.


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## yosheryosh

It was sanguinis for me.

I would still think it's faster in there than outside... maybe not by 12 months but it could save a month or so...

Plus not to mention it's easier to walk into a commune and see someone. At the consulate everything has to be done by email.


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## BBCWatcher

yosheryosh said:


> At the consulate everything has to be done by email.


No, that's the point. The _jure matrimoni_ naturalization process has moved to an electronic system starting this year (2015). You only appear at the consulate twice: once when called in (they call you now!) to drop off original documents, and again to take the oath. (Though you can take the oath elsewhere, e.g. Italy.)

Moreover, the genuinely tricky part is getting criminal background checks into the system before they expire. If you're the typical/usual U.S. resident that's much easier/faster to do in the United States, not remotely from Italy.


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## yosheryosh

Ah I thought the comparison was 1 - doing it in america at an american consulate or 2 - doing it in italy on a visa. 

IMO taking care of anything in the local commune is 10x faster than dealing with any consulate imo, unless it's some consulate in the middle of nowhere. My consulate doesn't even respond to me half the time. (Barcelona).


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## BBCWatcher

Completely different process, Yosher. Naturalizations always go to Rome.


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