Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language
The Certificates of Italian are titles attesting the degree of communication skills in Italian as a Foreign Language. Potential recipients include foreign citizens, Italian citizens residing abroad (of Italian origin), and foreign immigrants in Italy.
No previous degree is required to take the exams.
For the administration of the exams through the Italian Cultural Institutes, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has signed agreements with the following institutions:
Università per Stranieri di Siena (CILS) 2026:
CILS (Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera) – CILS examination session at the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre New Delhi for levels: A 1, A 2, B 1, B 2, C 1, C 2 will take place twice a year.
For applications and more information, write to: langcor.iicnewdelhi@esteri.it
CILS EXAM Date: 16th June 2026
Submission deadline: 07 May 2026, at 1pm (IST)
CILS EXAM Date: 3rd December 2026
Submission deadline :24th October 2026, at 1pm (IST)
Registration for CILS exam will open 2 months prior to the exam date. Details on how to register will be shared at that time.
CITTADINANZA ITALIANA – LIVELLO B1
Article 9.1 of Law 91/1992, as amended by Decree-Law No. 113/2018 and the subsequent conversion law No. 132/2018, states that “the granting of Italian citizenship pursuant to Articles 5 and 9 is subject to the applicant possessing an adequate knowledge of the Italian language, not lower than level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.”
Università per Stranieri di Perugia (CELI – CIC)
Università degli Studi Roma Tre (IT – ele.IT)
Società Dante Alighieri (PLIDA)
The certifications are consistent with the parameters set by the European Union’s Framework of Reference for Languages
| Università per Stranieri di Perugia | Università per Stranieri di Siena |
Università degli Studi di Roma Tre | Dante Alighieri | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIVELLO C2 Command |
CELI 5 | CILS Quattro-C2 | IT | PLIDA C2 | |||
| LIVELLO C1 Sufficient |
|
CILS Tre-C1 | —— | PLIDA C1 | |||
| LIVELLO B2 Progress |
CELI3 | CILS Due B2 | —— | PLIDA B2 | |||
| LIVELLO B1 Minimum |
CELI2 | CILS Uno B1 | ele.IT | PLIDA B1 | |||
| LIVELLO A2 Survival |
CELI1 | CILS A2 | —— | PLIDA A2 | |||
| LIVELLO A1 Contact |
CELI1 | CILS A1 | —— | PLIDA A1 |