Ten Years, Four for an EU Citizen, Two if a Grandparent Was Italian
Answer
The general rule applies to you
No exception is recorded for citizens of The Bahamas on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.
98 exceptions recorded across 37 countries · none match The Bahamas to Italy · Becoming a citizen
Italian naturalisation is granted by presidential decree and the waiting period depends on who you are. Ten years of legal residence for a foreigner with no other connection. Four for a citizen of a European Union member state. Five for a stateless person, and five for someone adopted as an adult by an Italian or who has served the State for five years. Three for someone born in Italy. Two for someone whose parent or grandparent was Italian by birth. Marriage is a separate article with its own clock: two years of legal residence in Italy after the wedding, or three years from the wedding if the couple lives abroad, each halved where there are children.
At a glance
- Ordinary residence period
- 10 years
Article 9(1) and article 5 of Legge 91/1992 write every period in words - "dieci", "quattro", "cinque", "tre", "due" - and both articles are quoted below.
- Citizen of an EU member state
- 4 years
Article 9(1) and article 5 of Legge 91/1992 write every period in words - "dieci", "quattro", "cinque", "tre", "due" - and both articles are quoted below.
- Stateless person
- 5 years
Article 9(1) and article 5 of Legge 91/1992 write every period in words - "dieci", "quattro", "cinque", "tre", "due" - and both articles are quoted below.
- Born in Italy
- 3 years
Article 9(1) and article 5 of Legge 91/1992 write every period in words - "dieci", "quattro", "cinque", "tre", "due" - and both articles are quoted below.
- Italian parent or grandparent by birth
- 2 years
Article 9(1) and article 5 of Legge 91/1992 write every period in words - "dieci", "quattro", "cinque", "tre", "due" - and both articles are quoted below.
- Spouse of an Italian, living in Italy
- 2 years after the marriage
Article 9(1) and article 5 of Legge 91/1992 write every period in words - "dieci", "quattro", "cinque", "tre", "due" - and both articles are quoted below.
- Spouse of an Italian, living abroad
- 3 years from the marriage
Article 9(1) and article 5 of Legge 91/1992 write every period in words - "dieci", "quattro", "cinque", "tre", "due" - and both articles are quoted below.
- With children
- Those periods are halved
Requirements
- Legal residence in Italy for the period that corresponds to your situation
- For marriage: a subsisting marriage with no separation at the moment the decree is adopted
What applies to you
Nothing changes for a citizen of The Bahamas
We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.
What the law says
«La cittadinanza italiana puo' essere concessa con decreto del Presidente della Repubblica, sentito il Consiglio di Stato, su proposta del Ministro dell'interno: a) allo straniero del quale il padre o la madre o uno degli ascendenti in linea retta di secondo grado ((sono o)) sono stati cittadini per nascita ((e che risiede legalmente nel territorio della Repubblica da almeno due anni)) , comunque fatto salvo quanto previsto dall'articolo 4, comma 1, lettera c); a-bis) ((allo straniero nato nel territorio della Repubblica che vi risiede legalmente da almeno tre anni)) ; b) allo straniero maggiorenne adottato da cittadino italiano che risiede legalmente nel territorio della Repubblica da almeno cinque anni successivamente alla adozione; c) allo straniero che ha prestato servizio, anche all'estero, per almeno cinque anni alle dipendenze dello Stato; d) al cittadino di uno Stato membro delle Comunita' europee se risiede legalmente da almeno quattro anni nel territorio della Repubblica; e) all'apolide che risiede legalmente da almeno cinque anni nel territorio della Repubblica; f) allo straniero che risiede legalmente da almeno dieci anni nel territorio della Repubblica.»All seven periods in one list. The ten years are the last line, not the first: the article is written as a set of shorter routes with a default at the end.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Italian state's portal for legislation in force. It shows each article as currently amended, with an explicit testo in vigore dal date, and links the amending instruments.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: It gives the text and not its interpretation. Article 3-bis reads clearly and has still generated years of litigation over what it means, which is why the Constitutional Court is watched alongside it. A consolidated text can also lag a very recent amendment.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«Il coniuge, straniero o apolide, di cittadino italiano puo' acquistare la cittadinanza italiana quando, dopo il matrimonio, risieda legalmente da almeno due anni nel territorio della Repubblica, oppure dopo tre anni dalla data del matrimonio se residente all'estero, qualora, al momento dell'adozione del decreto di cui all'articolo 7, comma 1, non sia intervenuto lo scioglimento, l'annullamento o la cessazione degli effetti civili del matrimonio e non sussista la separazione personale dei coniugi. 2. I termini di cui al comma 1 sono ridotti della meta' in presenza di figli nati o adottati dai coniugi.»Marriage, with the two clocks and the halving. The Constitutional Court has been here, and the update note attached to this article in the consolidated text says so.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Italian state's portal for legislation in force. It shows each article as currently amended, with an explicit testo in vigore dal date, and links the amending instruments.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: It gives the text and not its interpretation. Article 3-bis reads clearly and has still generated years of litigation over what it means, which is why the Constitutional Court is watched alongside it. A consolidated text can also lag a very recent amendment.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
Practical notes
Naturalisation is a concession, not a right: the article says the citizenship may be granted by decree, on the Interior Minister's proposal and after the Council of State is heard.
A descendant's two-year route in paragraph (a) is read together with article 3-bis, which decides whether the person was a citizen already. The ancestry record carries that.
- consolidatesLegge 91/1992, articolo 9
Normattiva, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri
About this source
The Italian state's portal for legislation in force. It shows each article as currently amended, with an explicit testo in vigore dal date, and links the amending instruments.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: It gives the text and not its interpretation. Article 3-bis reads clearly and has still generated years of litigation over what it means, which is why the Constitutional Court is watched alongside it. A consolidated text can also lag a very recent amendment.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source