Italian language test and courses in Italy – A2 for your permit, B1 for citizenship
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
In Italy, the law ties your Italian to your first permit, your long-term status and citizenship. This guide explains the Italian language test at A2, the B1 rule for citizenship, the integration agreement and where you can learn and get certified.
The Italian language test matters more than many newcomers expect. From outside the EU, the Italian you can prove affects whether your first permit is renewed, when you get the EU long-term permit and whether you can become a citizen. The rules are national, but tests and courses are run locally, by the Prefettura (prefecture) of your province and the CPIA (adult education centres).
Since 22 May 2026, under D.Lgs. 83/2026, permits are issued within 90 days and renewals are requested 90 days before expiry; the decree added information duties to the integration agreement rules but left credits and penalties unchanged. Since March 2025, people with serious learning limitations no longer have to prove B1 for citizenship.
Which level of Italian do you need, and when?
| Situation | Level | How you prove it |
|---|---|---|
| Integration agreement: first permit of a year or more, over 16 | A2 spoken, within two years | A certificate, or a free test at the Sportello Unico (immigration desk) |
| EU long-term residence permit | A2 | The Prefettura test, or an exempting certificate or diploma |
| Citizenship by residence or marriage | B1 | An Italian school qualification or a recognised certificate |
| University degree, non-EU applicant | At least B2 | The university's test, or a recognised B2 certificate |
Source: the Ministry of the Interior, DPR 179/2011, the Immigration Act, Law 91/1992 and MUR, read 23 September 2026.
The integration agreement: what you sign with your first permit
If you are over 16, arriving for the first time and applying for a permit of at least one year, you sign an accordo di integrazione (integration agreement) at the Prefettura or Questura (police immigration office) with your permit application. In force since 10 March 2012, it is a condition for the permit and runs for two years, extendable by one. You commit to at least A2 spoken Italian, sufficient knowledge of the Constitution and civic life, and schooling for your children.
You start with 16 credits, the equivalent of A1. Within 90 days you can attend a free 10-hour civic-education course at a CPIA; missing the civic session costs 15 credits. Registering with the SSN (national health service) and choosing a family doctor adds 4. Your copy is in your language or, failing that, in one of eight languages including English, French and Arabic.
One month before the two years end, the Sportello Unico at the Prefettura starts the check and gives you 15 days to send certificates. Without them, you can take a free test at the Sportello.
| Final credits | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 30 or more, including A2 and civic sufficiency | Agreement fulfilled – you receive a certificate |
| More than 0 but under 30 | Extended by one year |
| 0 or fewer | Terminated: permit revoked or not renewed, and expulsion – except for holders of asylum, subsidiary or special protection, family, EU long-term or EU-family permits, and people who used family reunification |
| Children kept out of compulsory school | All credits lost and the agreement terminated, unless you prove you tried |
Source: DPR 179/2011, the Immigration Act and the Ministry of the Interior, read 23 September 2026.
Some people sign nothing: those whose illness or disability seriously limits self-sufficiency or language learning, certified by a public health facility or SSN doctor; unaccompanied minors under guardianship; and victims of trafficking, violence or serious exploitation.
Who has to take the Italian language test for the long-term permit?
The permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo (EU long-term residence permit) needs five years with a valid permit and an income at least equal to the annual assegno sociale – €7,101.12 in 2026 – plus suitable housing if family members are included. It is issued within 90 days and valid for ten years. First you must pass the A2 test set by an Interior Ministry decree of 4 June 2010.
You request it online from the Prefettura of the province where you live, which calls you online within 60 days with a date and venue – so timing depends on your province. The test runs on a computer (on paper if you ask) and covers short texts and interaction; you pass with at least 80 per cent. If you fail, you can retake it 90 days after the previous exam.
| No A2 test if you… | Details |
|---|---|
| Hold a recognised certificate | A2 or higher from Università per Stranieri di Siena or Perugia, Università Roma Tre or Società Dante Alighieri |
| Studied at a CPIA | A2 certified after a CPIA Italian course, or recognised in integration-agreement credits |
| Studied in Italy | An Italian lower- or upper-secondary diploma, or enrolment at an Italian university, doctorate or master |
| Came on certain routes | Managers and highly qualified workers, university professors and researchers, translators and interpreters, accredited foreign journalists |
| Meet a personal exemption | Children under 14; serious learning limitations certified by a public health facility; holders of international protection |
Source: the Ministry of the Interior and the Immigration Act, read 23 September 2026.
B1 Italian for citizenship after the 2025 reform
Citizenship by marriage or by residence requires Italian at B1 at least. You prove it with a qualification from an Italian public or paritario school, or a certificate from a body recognised by the Foreign and Education ministries. Holders of an EU long-term permit and people who signed the integration agreement attach no proof; EU citizens and family-permit holders must. Since Constitutional Court judgment 25 of 7 March 2025, people with serious learning limitations due to age, illness or disability, certified by a public health facility, are exempt.
The 2025 reform changed who can apply when, not the language rule. You need 10 years' legal residence as a non-EU national, 4 as an EU citizen and 5 as a stateless person or recognised refugee. Since 24 May 2025, people whose parent or grandparent is or was an Italian citizen by birth need 2 years (previously 3), and people born in Italy need 3. B1 applies in every case. The application costs €250 and must be decided within 24 months, extendable to 36. Part 15 has the details.
Where can you learn Italian and get certified?
The main public option is the CPIA (Centro provinciale per l'istruzione degli adulti), an autonomous state school for adults set up under DPR 263/2012. Its literacy and Italian courses end with a qualification certifying at least A2, and adult foreigners of working age can enrol even with qualifications from home. Enrolment is annual, so ask your local CPIA about dates and any costs. CPIAs also run courses for the lower-secondary diploma, open to adults without it and to 16-year-olds – and to 15-year-olds where the region has an agreement, so this differs by region.
| Certificate | Issued by | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| CILS | Università per Stranieri di Siena | All six levels, A1 to C2; five parts; can be taken abroad, for example at Italian Cultural Institutes; used for citizenship applications |
| CELI | Università per Stranieri di Perugia | Accepted for the A2 exemption |
| Roma Tre certificate | Università Roma Tre | Accepted for the A2 exemption |
| PLIDA | Società Dante Alighieri | Accepted for the A2 exemption |
Source: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italian Cultural Institutes in London, Paris and Berlin) and the Ministry of the Interior, read 23 September 2026.
According to the Italian Cultural Institute in London, all four belong to the CLIQ quality system, which the Foreign Ministry recognises as the coordinator of Italian certification. Check fees and exam dates with the exam centre before you book. For the integration agreement, recognised certificates count whether taken in Italy or abroad, and so do CPIA course certificates.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keep your integration agreement and track your credits | From your first permit application |
| 2 | Attend the free civic-education course at a CPIA | Within 90 days of signing |
| 3 | Enrol on a CPIA Italian course, or book a recognised exam | In your first year |
| 4 | Send your certificates for the two-year check | Within 15 days of the Sportello Unico contacting you |
| 5 | Request the A2 test from your Prefettura, unless exempt | As you approach five years with a valid permit |
| 6 | Get a B1 certificate if citizenship is your goal | Before you apply, unless exempt |
Source: the Ministry of the Interior and DPR 179/2011, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Normattiva – D.Lgs. 286/1998 (Testo unico immigrazione), art. 9 (text in force from 5-12-2023) · normattiva.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – D.M. 4 giugno 2010, art. 2 · interno.gov.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – Test di conoscenza della lingua italiana · interno.gov.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – Accordo di integrazione; D.Lgs. 286/1998 art. 4-bis · interno.gov.it
- DPR 179/2011 art. 2 (Normattiva); Ministero dell'Interno · normattiva.it
- DPR 179/2011 art. 6 (Normattiva) · normattiva.it
- DPR 179/2011 art. 12 (Normattiva) · normattiva.it
- Normattiva – D.Lgs. 286/1998 art. 4-bis (text in force from 4-6-2026) · normattiva.it
- Normattiva – L. 91/1992 art. 9.1 (text in force from 13-3-2025); Ministero dell'Interno DLCI · normattiva.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – Cittadinanza: invia la tua domanda; DLCI page on art. 9 · interno.gov.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – DLCI, Concessione della cittadinanza per residenza (art. 9 L. 91/1992) · libertaciviliimmigrazione.dlci.interno.gov.it
- MIM – Istruzione degli adulti · mim.gov.it
- MIM – Iscrivermi ai percorsi di istruzione degli adulti; DPR 263/2012 arts. 3–4 · mim.gov.it
- MAECI – Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Londra / Parigi · iiclondra.esteri.it
- MAECI – Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Berlino · iicberlino.esteri.it
- MUR – Circolare studenti internazionali 2026/27 · universitaly-private.cineca.it
- Normattiva – D.L. 71/2024 art. 11 c. 2 · normattiva.it
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.