Guidance only, updated November 2026. Always check the requirements with the receiving authority.
Moroccan nationals living in Italy can apply for Italian citizenship by marriage (Article 5 of Law 91/1992) or by residence (Article 9). The application is filed online, but the trickiest part is almost always the Moroccan paperwork: the birth certificate and the criminal record certificate, with apostille and translation. This information is up to date as of November 2026; rules change, so always check the official sources listed at the end.
Requirements at a glance
By marriage (Art. 5). The foreign spouse of an Italian citizen can apply after at least two years of legal residence in Italy following the marriage, or after three years from the wedding date if the couple lives abroad. These periods are halved if the spouses have children, born or adopted. When the decree is issued, the marriage must still be valid and there must be no legal separation. If you married in Morocco, the marriage must be transcribed in the Italian municipal registers. For couples living abroad, the application is handled by the competent consular authority.
By residence (Art. 9). A non-EU national can apply after ten years of legal residence in Italy. You need sufficient income, no criminal record and no grounds relating to the security of the Republic. Italian prefectures (Prefetture) give minimum income thresholds of €8,263.31 for an applicant with no dependants and €11,362.05 with a dependent spouse, plus €516.46 for each dependent child, over the three years before the application and until the decree.
Italian language (both routes). You need Italian at level B1 or higher of the CEFR, proven by a qualification from a recognised Italian institution or by a certificate from a recognised certifying body. People who have signed the integration agreement and holders of the EU long-term residence permit are exempt.
Filing the application online
- Log in with SPID or CIE to the Italian Ministry of the Interior portal (Portale Servizi, Ali Cittadinanza section).
- Fill in the form with your surname, first name and place of birth exactly as they appear on your Moroccan birth certificate.
- Upload complete scans of every page: Moroccan documents with apostilles and translations, ID document, residence permit, B1 certificate.
- Pay the €250 fee and enter the details of the €16 revenue stamp (marca da bollo).
- Provide a PEC (certified email) address: the Ministry recommends it, and after submission any communications or documents you send about your file must go by PEC only.
By law the procedure must be completed within 24 months, extendable to 36, from the date of application. Once the decree is notified, you have six months to take the oath at your Comune, and you become a citizen the following day.
The Moroccan documents
Birth certificate. Prefectures ask for an extract showing full personal details: for Morocco, this is the full copy of the birth certificate (copie intégrale). According to the Prefecture of Trieste’s FAQ, Italian law sets no expiry date for the birth extract; even so, a recent copy showing your current details and any marginal notes is advisable.
Criminal record certificate. You need the Moroccan one and one from every other foreign country where you lived for more than a year, plus those of any country whose nationality you hold. The criminal record certificate is valid for six months from its issue date (not from the date of the apostille or translation) and must still be valid when you submit the application.
Apostille and translation. Morocco has applied the Hague Convention since 14 August 2016: Italian consulates in Morocco no longer legalise Moroccan public documents, which instead receive an apostille from the competent Moroccan authorities. Prefectures require apostilled documents translated into Italian and specify that the translation must also be legalised. For Moroccan documents, the Italian Consulate General in Casablanca indicates this sequence: apostille on the original, sworn Italian translation that also reproduces the apostille details, then a new apostille on the translation.
Checklist of documents to prepare
- Valid Moroccan passport and Italian identity card
- Valid residence permit
- Full copy of the birth certificate, apostilled and translated
- Moroccan criminal record certificate issued less than six months ago, apostilled and translated
- Criminal record certificates from other countries of residence (over one year) or nationality
- B1 certificate or equivalent qualification, unless exempt
- By residence: tax returns for the last three years
- By marriage: marriage transcribed at the Comune
- Fee receipt and revenue stamp
- SPID or CIE credentials and a PEC address
FAQ
How long is the Moroccan criminal record certificate valid?
Six months from the issue date. It is best to request it last, once the rest of your file is ready.
My name is spelled differently on my Moroccan and Italian documents. What should I do?
Your personal details must match on every document. Prefectures ask you to align them with the birth certificate or to submit a consular certificate of exact personal details, issued by your country’s consulate in Italy and legalised at the Prefettura. Check this before translation so that the correct spelling is used.
Do I need the B1 certificate if I hold an EU long-term residence permit?
No: the law exempts holders of this permit and people who signed the integration agreement. Since 2025, following a Constitutional Court ruling, people with serious language-learning limitations due to age, illness or disability, certified by a public health facility, are also exempt.
Sources
- Ministry of the Interior – Submit your citizenship application
- Ministry of the Interior (DLCI) – Citizenship by marriage
- Ministry of the Interior (DLCI) – Citizenship by residence
- Normattiva – Law no. 91 of 5 February 1992
- Normattiva – Presidential Decree no. 362 of 18 April 1994
- Prefecture of Trieste – Citizenship FAQ
- Prefecture of Avellino – Citizenship application instructions
- Prefectures, FAMI project – Guide to Italian citizenship
- Italian Consulate General in Casablanca – Translation and legalisation
- Italian Consulate General in Casablanca – Form with apostille and translation rules
Tarjama24 can prepare sworn Italian translations of the full birth certificate, the Moroccan criminal record certificate and the related apostilles. Send us a legible scan and tell us which Prefettura the application is for.