Hi all,

I need a bit of help with an application for citadinanza please.

Is the British certificate from ACRO sufficient and equal to the certificato penale?

I also read that they require the birth certificate to be translated and legalized in the Italian embassy/consulate in the birth country. I find this extraordinary if it is true.....

And lastly, I also read that even people who have lived in the country before they were 14 years of age, they should still provide certificato penale.

I am grateful for some guidance from you who have the citadinanza.

I took my Acro and birth certificates to the British School. They translated them and took them to the Tribunale for legalization. That was back in 2017 before Brexit.
The British School knew what to do and the cost was very reasonable.

Ruby2 mentioned a useful facebook group.https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishcitizensinitaly/

I don't have Italian citizenship (only British) but when applying for residency in Italy over 9 years ago i did have to have my British BC translated into Italian at the Consulate in Liverpool and then verified by the British Foreign Office because I was born in Libya of British parents serving in the Forces. Things are just so complicated here!

Thank you, I will try there.

Yes, I ordered a copy of my birth certificate and ACRO, and they sent them to Milton Keynes, got them legalised and then MK forwarded them here. It was remarkably easy, but not cheap. Your ACRO is only valid for 6 months, so dont hang around once youve got it, get your application in.

Thank you for the heads up on the expiry. I also need this certificate from a previous country I lived in, which requires me to go there in person. Obviously I can go there once I am vaccinated..... So, I will get the ACRO last.
Do you know if I also need to go to a tribunale here and get the certificato for Italy as well since I have lived here a while? Thanks.

No I didnt - I guess the immigration people can check your Italian criminal record directly.

I would say only a recent DBS is an equivalent of a "certificato penale". I have a recent certificate from ACRO and it says clearly it doesn't substitute a DBS.

Do they ask you about the other countries you lived in during the citizenship process then? I am hoping to get away with just sending in my UK certificate

They want all your addresses from since you left home... with relevant certificates, but I dont know how far back they go.

Personally I wouldnt bother with things like University lodgings or short term work assignments. What use is that information anyway?

Yes, they want certificates from the countries you have lived in. I cant get away with just a UK one, I was born in another country before I moved to the UK. The birth certificate will ring bells if I send only a UK certificato penale.

Look at the mountain of documents you need just for a permesso di soggiorno for a third country national.
https://nancygoestoitaly.com/long-term-permesso/

Thanks for the info. I will have to get one from France too. Quite an expensive business getting cittadinanza now then with the price of all the original documents, their legalisation, translation and recertification + Italian language certificate and fixed charge.