The Italian A2 test for the EU long-term residence permit: what it is and who must take it

If you are about to apply for the permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo — the EU long-term residence permit, formerly known as the carta di soggiorno — Italian law requires you to prove knowledge of Italian at level A2. For most people that means one thing: passing the test di conoscenza della lingua italiana, the state test you request through the Prefettura and usually sit at a CPIA, the public adult-education school of your province. This guide explains what the test is, who has to take it and what it looks like.

What it is, exactly

The language requirement comes from art. 9, co. 2-bis of the Italian Immigration Act (d.lgs. 286/1998), introduced by law 94/2009: anyone applying for the EU long-term residence permit must pass a test of Italian language knowledge. The practical rules of the test are set by the decree of the Minister of the Interior of 7 December 2021 (published in Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 36 of 12 February 2022), which repealed and replaced the earlier decree of 4 June 2010.

A useful warning: some official pages still cite the old 2010 decree. Don't let that confuse you — the decree in force is the one of 7 December 2021, and in practice nothing changes for you: the required level (A2) and the pass threshold (80% of the overall score) are the same.

The required level is A2 of the Common European Framework (CEFR): being able to "understand sentences and frequently used expressions in everyday areas" (art. 2, co. 1 of the decree). It is not an academic exam — it tests the Italian of everyday life: announcements, notices, simple letters, forms.

Who must take it

The decree is very broad: it applies to "all foreign nationals" who apply for the EU long-term residence permit and to the family members included in the application (art. 1, co. 2 of the decree of 7 December 2021).

Two important clarifications:

• EU citizens have nothing to do with this test. An EU citizen does not hold a permesso di soggiorno (their residence is governed by d.lgs. 30/2007), so this procedure never applies to them.
• Not every non-EU national has to sit the test. The decree lists exemptions: children under 14, people with serious certified limitations, holders of a recognised language certificate or an Italian school qualification, and certain professional categories. All of them are covered in detail in our guide on who is exempt from the A2 test.

What the test looks like

The test is taken on a computer (a paper version can be requested, with identical content, criteria and time limit — art. 3, co. 4) and lasts 60 minutes net in total. It consists of three parts (prove):

Part	What it contains	Approximate duration
Listening comprehension (ascolto)	2 short audio texts, each played twice	about 25 minutes
Reading comprehension (lettura)	2 short written texts from everyday life	about 25 minutes
Written interaction (interazione scritta)	1 task: reply to an e-mail/invitation or fill in a form	about 10 minutes

One thing that surprises many candidates: there is no oral exam at all. You will not have to speak to anyone, and there is no separate grammar paper either. You pass with at least 80 points out of 100, calculated on the total of the three parts — the full explanation of the scoring (and the strategy that follows from it) is in our guide on the A2 test score.

Note also that each local commission physically assembles its own paper: the substance (three parts, 60 minutes, 80 out of 100) is the same everywhere, but the way the sections are split up can look slightly different from one venue to another.

What this test is NOT

It is worth separating the A2 test from two other exams it is often confused with:

• It does not issue a certificate. The result is recorded in the information system of the Ministry of the Interior, and it is the Questura that reads it when processing your file (art. 3, co. 5 and art. 5 of the decree). You do not receive a diploma to take home, and the result is only valid for this permit.
• It is not the "integration agreement" test. Those who entered Italy from 10 March 2012 with a first permit of at least one year signed the accordo di integrazione (DPR 179/2011), whose verification involves a different exam — oral, a few minutes long, face to face with examiners. They are two different procedures with two different purposes.
• It is not the B1 exam for citizenship. Italian citizenship by residence or by marriage requires level B1, proven with a certificate from a recognised body or an Italian school qualification (art. 9.1 of law 91/1992): that is a separate, paid track with different exams. Note, however, that holders of the EU long-term residence permit are exempt from the B1 certification requirement — one more reason to take the A2 test seriously now.

How much does it cost?

We cannot tell you with certainty, and no official source states it. Neither the Ministry of the Interior's page nor the Prefettura pages list a fee for the test; the decree only says it is implemented "without new or additional burdens on public finances", which is a clause about the state budget, not a promise to the candidate. Ask your provincial Prefettura to confirm when you file your request.

Where to start

1. First check whether you fall under an exemption — you may not need to take the test at all.
2. Read how booking works through the Prefettura portal.
3. Understand how the score is calculated: the 80% threshold is high, and it pays to know it well before you walk in.
4. Try a free practice test in the real exam format right away — listening, reading and written interaction, with the same structure and the same scoring.

Official sources: the Ministry of the Interior's page on the test and the text of the decree of 7 December 2021 in the Gazzetta Ufficiale.

The information in this guide is for general information only and is not legal advice. Rules and procedures can change: always verify the current requirements for your case on the official pages and with the Prefettura of your province before filing your application.