In a decision that could reverberate through thousands of pending files, the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) of Tuscany has ruled that foreigners seeking Italian citizenship by naturalisation must prove they were registered in the municipal population registry (anagrafe) for the entire qualifying period. Payroll records, utility bills or continuous tax contributions are no longer sufficient. The 15 January judgment rejected an appeal by an applicant who had lived and worked in Italy for more than a decade but had failed to formalise residency at the town hall. (visahq.com)
Italian Law 91/1992 requires ten years of legal residence for most non-EU nationals, yet practice varied as some prefectures accepted employment records as proof. The court sided with Interior-Ministry circulars issued in 2024 that tightened the definition of “legal residence,” bringing judicial interpretation into line with administrative guidance. (visahq.com)
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ can assist both individual applicants and corporate mobility teams by auditing residency timelines, retrieving missing anagrafe certificates, and preparing compliant documentation before an application is lodged. Their dedicated Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers transparent pricing, real-time tracking dashboards and access to multilingual experts who can liaise directly with municipal offices, helping clients avoid costly delays.
![Tuscany Court Rules Only Official Municipal Registration Counts Toward 10-Year Citizenship Clock]()
For employers, the ruling raises the bar for global-mobility programmes that use eventual dual citizenship to facilitate intra-EU postings. HR onboarding checklists now need to ensure foreign hires complete anagrafe registration within 90 days of arrival, keep copies of the “certificato di residenza,” and report any six-month absences that could break continuity. (visahq.com)
Legal advisers note that similar decisions have already emerged from courts in Lombardy and Lazio, suggesting a nationwide jurisprudential trend. Companies may have to cover additional administrative fees and interpreter costs to help employees navigate municipal offices, especially in smaller towns where services are not digitised. (visahq.com)
While an appeal to the Council of State is technically possible, observers doubt it will overturn what is becoming settled case law. Mobility practitioners therefore have a narrow window to audit existing employee files and correct any registration gaps before renewal or citizenship applications are filed.
Italian Law 91/1992 requires ten years of legal residence for most non-EU nationals, yet practice varied as some prefectures accepted employment records as proof. The court sided with Interior-Ministry circulars issued in 2024 that tightened the definition of “legal residence,” bringing judicial interpretation into line with administrative guidance. (visahq.com)
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ can assist both individual applicants and corporate mobility teams by auditing residency timelines, retrieving missing anagrafe certificates, and preparing compliant documentation before an application is lodged. Their dedicated Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers transparent pricing, real-time tracking dashboards and access to multilingual experts who can liaise directly with municipal offices, helping clients avoid costly delays.
For employers, the ruling raises the bar for global-mobility programmes that use eventual dual citizenship to facilitate intra-EU postings. HR onboarding checklists now need to ensure foreign hires complete anagrafe registration within 90 days of arrival, keep copies of the “certificato di residenza,” and report any six-month absences that could break continuity. (visahq.com)
Legal advisers note that similar decisions have already emerged from courts in Lombardy and Lazio, suggesting a nationwide jurisprudential trend. Companies may have to cover additional administrative fees and interpreter costs to help employees navigate municipal offices, especially in smaller towns where services are not digitised. (visahq.com)
While an appeal to the Council of State is technically possible, observers doubt it will overturn what is becoming settled case law. Mobility practitioners therefore have a narrow window to audit existing employee files and correct any registration gaps before renewal or citizenship applications are filed.
