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ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP

Reader question: What’s in the oath for Italian citizenship?

No Italian citizenship claim is complete without taking an oath of allegiance to the Republic – but what’s in the pledge?

Published: 11 May 2023 11:55 CEST
Italian flag in front of monument in Rome
No Italian citizenship claim is complete without taking an oath of allegiance to the state and its laws. Photo by Federico Di Dio on Unsplash

Question: “I’ve been granted Italian citizenship and will now have to take the oath. What does this involve?”

Getting Italian citizenship is no easy task and the slow-grinding wheels of Italian administration mean that, in most cases, it is also a fairly long process.

But, if you’ve managed to successfully weave your way through the country’s notorious red tape and have finally been granted Italian citizenship, you’ll have another (small) step to take before you can become a full-fledged cittadino italiano.

READ ALSO: How many people get Italian citizenship every year?

Anyone who’s been awarded Italian citizenship has six months from the day they received the decreto di concessione della cittadinanza (citizenship concession decree) to take an oath of allegiance to the Italian Republic. 

Luckily, taking the oath (known as the giuramento) is something of a formality and is not something you should fret about, though you should keep in mind that failure to take the oath within the six-month window will result in your citizenship being revoked (and, in turn, you having to go through the whole application process from the start).

But what does the oath actually involve?

The Italian citizenship oath is essentially a pledge of allegiance to the country’s Constitution and laws. Its wording has changed on multiple occasions over the years, but the formula currently in use is the following: 

“Giuro di essere fedele alla Repubblica e di osservare la Costituzione e le leggi dello Stato.”

This is roughly translatable as: “I swear to be loyal to the Republic and observe the Constitution and laws of the state”.

You’ll have to take the oath at your local town hall (comune) or, if you live abroad, at the nearest Italian consulate. In either case, you’ll be responsible for booking the appointment with the relevant authority. 

READ ALSO: Eight of the most common mistakes when applying for Italian citizenship

Some Italian town halls stress that the formula must be uttered “in modo chiaro e intellegibile” (“in a clear and intelligible way”), so it’s advisable you do some rehearsing before the event.

Should you need some help, a correct pronunciation of the oath is available at the following link (minute 1.55).

After taking the oath, you’ll be an Italian citizen to all intents and purposes (hooray!) and you’ll be able to apply for an Italian passport with the State Police from the very next day.

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READER QUESTIONS

Reader question: Does a passport renewal restart the 90-day clock for visiting Italy?

If you were hoping that your renewed passport might offer a way to avoid the 90-day rule when visiting Italy, here is what you should know.

Published: 10 May 2023 10:42 CEST
Reader question: Does a passport renewal restart the 90-day clock for visiting Italy?

Question – I’m British and since Brexit my passport is stamped when I enter and leave Italy, in order to keep track of my 90-day allowance. However, I’ve recently renewed my passport and of course, the new one has no stamps – does this mean that I get a new 90-day allowance?

While it may seem like passport renewal could be a loophole for getting around the 90-day rule when visiting Italy, you should not attempt to spend more than 90 days out of every 180 in the Schengen zone without a visa or residency permit. 

Non-EU nationals including Americans, Canadians, Australians and – since Brexit – Brits are limited to spending only 90 days out of every 180 within the EU. Anyone who wants to spend longer than this needs to apply for either a passport or a residency card. These rules apply whether you want to move to an EU country such as Italy to live or simply want to make frequent or long visits here.

The 90-day ‘clock’ covers all EU and Schengen zone countries – if you need help calculating your time spent in the Schengen zone, you can do so using this online calculator HERE.

Passports are stamped on entry and exit to the EU/Schengen zone, with dates of entry and exit.

However, getting a new passport does not reset the clock – some have suggested that a new passport could be a work-around, as it would not show previous entry/exit stamps which are used to calculate the amount of time a non-EU national person has spent in the Schengen zone. 

The primary reason is that passports are in most cases automatically scanned when you enter and leave the Bloc, which makes it easy to spot over-stayers and for border forces to enforce the 90-day rule. This means that border forces do not only rely on the physical stamps in your passport.

The EU’s new EES – Entry and Exit System – will tighten up the scanning process, but its entry has been delayed.

READ ALSO: What happens if you overstay your 90-day limit in Italy?

While Italy generally has a reputation for being less strict than some other EU countries,  if you are caught over-staying your allocated 90 days you can end up with an ‘over-stay’ flag on your passport which can make it difficult to enter any other country, not just Italy, and is likely to make any future attempts at getting visas or residency a lot more difficult.

The consequences for staying over can also include being fined upon exit if they are found to have spent more than 90 days in the Schengen zone.

Keep in mind that the 90-day rule does not apply to all non-EU countries – some states, such as India, are required to have a visa for even short stays. You can access the European Union’s map that outlines which countries require visas for short stays to check to see if you are eligible.

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