Italian B1 exam for citizenship: who must take it, exemptions, CILS or PLIDA or CELI, costs, dates, where
A free guide, with the source next to each fact. We are not an exam body, we are not the Ministry, and this is not legal advice. Where something is uncertain, it says so.
Sources last checked: 7 November 2026 (CILS exam documents: read on 5 November 2026). Dates, fees and rules change. Before you book, check with your exam centre.
Who must take the exam
Anyone applying for Italian citizenship by residence or by marriage must show adequate knowledge of Italian, at least level B1. The rule applies to applications filed from 4 December 2018, and you prove it when you file.
You can prove B1 in one of three ways: a school qualification earned in Italy (from lower secondary school upward), a certificate from a recognised certification body, or a certificate from a CPIA (a public adult-education centre). Certificates from regional vocational courses do not count.
Citizenship by descent is a different route. In the documents we read, B1 is not tied to it.
Source: Interior Ministry, citizenship Vademecum, 23 April 2025, section 2.5 (Italian)
Who is exempt
The Interior Ministry's Vademecum (April 2025) lists three exempt groups:
- people who signed the integration agreement (article 4-bis of the immigration law), usually people who came for family reunion, if they can show the signature;
- holders of an EU long-term residence permit (or the older "CE" permit issued from 9 December 2010);
- people with serious limits on learning a language because of age, illness or disability, shown by a certificate from a public health body. A family doctor's note is not enough (Constitutional Court judgment 25/2025 and Interior circular 14605 of 13 March 2025).
Not exempt on that ground: citizens of other EU countries, family members of EU or Italian citizens who hold a family residence card, and British citizens covered by the Brexit agreement. So a spouse of an Italian who is not in one of the groups above has to take the exam.
Source: Interior Ministry, citizenship Vademecum, 23 April 2025, section 2.5 (Italian)
From abroad: the Vancouver consulate's guide says a long-term permit exempts you only if Italy issued it, and that permits for family reasons do not exempt.
Source: Vancouver consulate guide, June 2026
A bill (Chamber of Deputies, A.C. 2124-A) would delete the two exemptions for the integration agreement and the long-term permit. On 7 November 2026 it is under discussion in the Chamber. It is not law, and it still has to pass the Senate. We do not know whether it would apply to applications already filed, or whether the serious-limits exemption would stay. Do not count on it: check the rules in force when you file.
Source: Chamber of Deputies, bill page A.C. 2124; research dossier, 20 October 2026
How many people
Nobody publishes how many people sit the exam or how many pass. All we know: in 2024, non-EU citizens acquired citizenship by residence nearly 85,000 times and by marriage about 19,000 times. How many of them were exempt is not published.
Source: ISTAT, non-EU citizens report, 28 October 2025 (Italian)
CILS, PLIDA or CELI: which to pick
The April 2025 Vademecum lists five recognised bodies: CILS (Università per Stranieri di Siena), CELI (Università per Stranieri di Perugia), CERT.IT (Roma Tre), PLIDA (Società Dante Alighieri) and the Università per Stranieri "Dante Alighieri" of Reggio Calabria. We could not confirm that the last one runs a B1 citizenship exam. The Vancouver consulate guide (June 2026) lists the same five and says other certificates are not suitable.
Source: Interior Ministry, citizenship Vademecum, 23 April 2025, section 2.5 (Italian); Vancouver consulate guide, June 2026
| CILS (Siena) | CELI (Perugia) | PLIDA | CERT.IT (Roma Tre) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizenship version | Yes: B1 Cittadinanza, valid for citizenship only | Yes: CELI 2 Cittadinanza, for adult migrants. Standard CELI 2 is also accepted | Not found: the ordinary B1 is used | Not found: the ordinary B1 is used |
| If you fail a part | CILS B1 Cittadinanza only: you retake the whole exam and pay again | A passed written or oral part can be kept for one year (2019 sheet). Not confirmed for the Cittadinanza version | Passed skills stay valid for 18 months, you retake only the failed ones, at a reduced fee | Not stated on the page we read |
| Fee | €100. Some centres abroad charge more | We did not find the current fee (€90 in a 2023 Milan notice, secondary source) | Each centre sets it (about €146 at one Turin centre, secondary source) | €80 (Roma Tre page, 2025) |
| Sessions | Six a year. 2027: 18 Feb, 8 Apr, 10 Jun, 22 Jul, 21 Oct, 2 Dec | Three a year. 2027: 17 Feb, 20 May, 15 Sep | Four a year. 2026: 11 Feb, 10 Jun, 9 Sep, 18 Nov | Three at a Naples centre in 2025. 2027 calendar not read |
| Abroad | Yes, through cultural institutes and centres. Each site decides (see below) | Perugia's CELI sessions for immigrants are in Italy only. Some institutes abroad, such as San Francisco, run standard CELI | Yes, through Dante committees worldwide | Not confirmed |
Source: Siena, B1 Cittadinanza exam page; Siena, 2027 exam dates; Padua CLA, standard B1 and B1 Cittadinanza, September 2025; Perugia, CELI 2 scoring sheet (2019); Perugia, CELI 2 Cittadinanza news (2019); Perugia (CVCL), CELI calendar; Italian Cultural Institute San Francisco, certifications; PLIDA, regulations v1.1 (Italian); PLIDA, 2026 calendar; Roma Tre, CERT.IT level B1 (Italian)
"Fail one part, retake everything" is true only for CILS B1 Cittadinanza. Standard CILS B1 keeps passed parts for 18 months (Padua). PLIDA and CELI have their own rules, see the table. There is no single rule for all exams.
Which to pick depends on where you live, the dates, and what a failed part costs you. We have no data on which exam is taken most. One teacher writes that CILS B1 Cittadinanza is "the shortest and also the most frequent", but gives no numbers, so treat it as an opinion.
The speaking test differs a lot between bodies. CILS is an introduction of about a minute and a 2 to 3 minute dialogue. PLIDA B1 adds a prepared monologue, and CELI adds describing a picture and a role play (secondary sources and the 2019 sheets).
CILS B1 Cittadinanza at a glance
One exam, four parts, taken together. Each part is worth 12 points, 48 in all. Wrong or blank answers score 0, with nothing taken away.
| Part | Time | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 30 minutes | 6 multiple-choice questions and 12 true/false. Each recording is played twice |
| Reading and grammar | 40 minutes | 12 true/false on a text, and a text with 6 gaps to fill. Texts of 350 to 500 words |
| Writing | 40 minutes | Pick one of two prompts and write an email of 80 to 120 words |
| Speaking | about 10 minutes in all | About 1 minute of introduction, then 2 to 3 minutes of dialogue with the examiner on one of four topics. The talk is recorded |
The written parts take about 2 hours 5 minutes with a 15-minute break. No dictionaries, notes or phone. In speaking, pronunciation is 1 point out of 12.
Source: Siena, B1 Cittadinanza syllabus (Italian); Siena, B1 Cittadinanza exam page; Siena, Instructions for exam centres (the centre manual, Italian)
The pass mark is often given as 7 out of 12 per part and 28 out of 48 in total. We have not found an official document that says this for the B1 Cittadinanza module. Siena states 7 out of 12 for other modules, and private sites repeat it for this one. In our mocks we use it as an estimate and always call it an estimate. For a sure answer, write to infocils@unistrasi.it.
What it costs
- CILS B1 Cittadinanza: €100, in Italy and abroad, according to Siena. Some centres abroad charge more: €120 in Stuttgart, CHF 275 in Zurich, GBP 120 in Cardiff (the last from a secondary source we did not re-read).
- Standard CILS B1: €90 in Padua (€100 abroad according to Helsinki).
- CERT.IT: €80. CELI and PLIDA: see the table above. Fees differ from centre to centre.
- State contribution when you file the citizenship application: €250, as we read the Ministry page and the Vancouver guide. We did not read the rest of that page: check it before you pay.
- The CILS fee is not refunded. With a documented withdrawal (health, family, study, work) you can move it to a later session: ask within 15 days of the exam, it is valid for up to 18 months, and it costs another €10.
Source: Siena, B1 Cittadinanza exam page; Siena, Instructions for exam centres (the centre manual, Italian); IIC Stuttgart, CILS B1 Cittadinanza info sheet, Oct-Dec 2026; IIC Zurich, CILS fee table; Padua CLA, standard B1 and B1 Cittadinanza, September 2025; Interior Ministry, send your application (Italian); Vancouver consulate guide, June 2026
The dates
Siena sets the CILS dates and centres cannot change them. For 2027 the official page lists these sessions in the column "B1 C" (that is the column's name, not "Cittadinanza": check it is the right one):
| CILS exam | Sign up by (Siena's deadline) |
|---|---|
| 18 February 2027 | 18 January |
| 8 April 2027 | 8 March |
| 10 June 2027 | 1 May |
| 22 July 2027 | 22 June |
| 21 October 2027 | 21 September |
| 2 December 2027 | 23 October |
A centre may close sign-up earlier. You sign up through a centre, usually about three months ahead. The 3 December 2026 session has probably already closed for sign-up at some centres (secondary source, checked 5 November).
Source: Siena, 2027 exam dates; Siena, Instructions for exam centres (the centre manual, Italian)
Results: the manual says from 45 days up to 4 months; one centre says about two months for this module. A CILS certificate, once downloaded, has no expiry. Whether other bodies' certificates expire, and whether the Ministry rejects very old ones, we did not find.
Source: Siena, Instructions for exam centres (the centre manual, Italian); Padua CLA, standard B1 and B1 Cittadinanza, September 2025
Where you sit it
You do not sign up with Siena but with an exam centre, unless you sit the exam in Siena. The list of centres is on the CILS site.
Source: Siena, B1 Cittadinanza exam page; Siena, exam centres
Abroad, each Italian cultural institute decides, and the pages we read are not all up to date. Checked on 7 November 2026:
- Rio de Janeiro: no longer runs B1 Cittadinanza. It says standard CILS B1 is fully valid for citizenship.
- Amsterdam: says it does not run B1 Cittadinanza (the page contradicts itself: it lists it for April 2026).
- Helsinki: lists only standard CILS B1 (€100), session on 3 December 2026. It does not say why.
- Los Angeles: B1 Cittadinanza not offered on 3 December 2026, offered on 18 February 2027, April 2027 to be confirmed.
- Stuttgart: still runs B1 Cittadinanza (€120).
- Zurich: B1 Cittadinanza is in the fee table at CHF 275.
- Other sites (London, New York, Toronto, Madrid and more): not checked or not found.
Source: IIC Rio de Janeiro, CILS; IIC Amsterdam, CILS; IIC Helsinki, certificazioni; IIC Los Angeles, certificazioni; IIC Stuttgart, CILS B1 Cittadinanza info sheet, Oct-Dec 2026; IIC Zurich, CILS fee table
We found no Ministry circular that removes B1 Cittadinanza abroad. Standard B1 is very likely accepted, because Rio and Padua say so, but we found no Ministry text that says it for applications filed abroad. If you live abroad, ask your consulate before you book. The standard exam is longer: 3 listening tasks, 3 reading plus 4 structure tasks, 2 writing and 2 speaking, against 2, 2, 1 and 1 for B1 Cittadinanza.
Source: Padua CLA, standard B1 and B1 Cittadinanza, September 2025; Siena, B1 Cittadinanza exam page
And our service?
Esame B1 is practice, not the real exam, and it is not official. It is built on CILS B1 Cittadinanza. The speaking practice also helps people preparing PLIDA or CELI, but those exams have different tasks (see above) and we do not cover them. If you need the standard B1, our mocks do not cover it.