Italian Exam Prep Blog -
Citizenship, Driving License & Life in Italy

Married to an Italian citizen? Your complete 2026 guide to applying for Italian citizenship by marriage: B1 exam, documents, AIRE, and the ALI portal.

The final CILS exam of 2026 is December 3. Here's how to get ready in 10 weeks, and why you're probably more ready than you think.

Two CILS sessions are left in 2026: October 21 and December 3rd. Not every exam is offered on each date, not every center offers every exam, and registration seats go in days. Here's how to lock in your seat.

When CILS results are published, how to check them, and how to actually get your certificate in your hands. Including the one thing you need to sort out with your exam center before you take the test.

Everyone says the speaking test is the hardest part of the B1 Cittadinanza exam. We teach it as the easiest, because it is the only section where you control the direction. Here is what actually happens, and how to prepare for it in English.

Not every B1 exam is the same. If you are moving to Italy for work or university - not citizenship - the CILS B1 Standard is the exam you need. Here is who requires it and why.

Fail one section and what happens next depends entirely on which exam you took. How capitalizzazione works, which exams are excluded, and how to prepare for a retake.

The official 2027 CILS exam calendar from the University for Foreigners of Siena, which levels run at each session, and how registration actually works at exam centers.

The July 22 CILS exam is days away. Whether you're sitting for the B1 Cittadinanza or the A2 Integrazione, here's exactly what to focus on, and what to skip.

Two years after moving from the US to Italy, I've learned more than I expected about food, healthcare, bureaucracy, and what it actually costs to build a life somewhere new.

Rome and Florence get all the attention, but we chose Torino - and two years later, we'd choose it again. Here's why.

After 14 years of teaching and 7 years in corporate America, I packed up my family of 5 and moved to Italy. Here's why we left - and why we're never going back.

Most people think you need to be fully fluent to pass the CILS B1 Cittadinanza exam. You don't. Here are the three strategies Ready Set Italia students use to pass fast.

Obtaining Italian citizenship by marriage (jure matrimonii) takes between 2 and 6 years total. Learn about the mandatory 1 to 3-year waiting periods after your wedding, the vital records you need to gather, and how to conquer the B1 language exam requirement without wasting time.

CILS exams run back to back in June and July 2026 - the only time all year. July registration opens May 18th. Here is what you need to know before seats fill up.

If you are applying for Italian citizenship, the CILS B1 Cittadinanza is usually the obvious choice. But what if your life in Italy is bigger than just citizenship? Here is when the B1 Standard is actually the smarter exam to take.

The Italian citizenship by marriage online application is in Italian, cannot be translated in your browser, and has no built-in guidance. Here are the 4 mistakes that get applications rejected and how to avoid them.

Looking for a CILS exam center near you? Not all CILS exams are offered everywhere. The A2 Integrazione is Italy-only, and B1 Cittadinanza is getting harder to find abroad. Here's your complete guide to CILS exam locations worldwide, with a full list of countries where you can take the exam.

Preparing for the CILS B1 Standard exam? This complete guide covers all 5 sections, study timelines, scoring criteria, and strategies for English speakers. Learn how to pass with 9 real past exams.

Finding a CILS exam center is not as straightforward as it sounds. There is no central registration system, not all centers offer every exam type, and prices vary widely. Here is everything you need to know before you register.