Before you book an Italian certificate, you need three answers: what the exam costs, who takes your registration, and what a resit will cost if one ability lets you down. This page gives those answers for CILS, run by the Università per Stranieri di Siena, and CELI, run by the CVCL at the Università per Stranieri di Perugia, as published on 20 September 2026. If you are preparing for the citizenship B1 exam, the Myndaq CILS course works on all four abilities it tests. For how the two exam families differ, read our CILS and CELI guide, and for session dates and deadlines see CILS and CELI exam dates.
The short version
- CILS B1 Cittadinanza costs EUR 100 in Italy and abroad; other CILS levels run from EUR 40 to EUR 160.
- CELI fees vary by exam centre. Each centre's fee is fixed in its agreement with the CVCL, and the centre tells you the amount. In Perugia itself, general CELI costs EUR 120.
- You register through an exam centre, not with either university, unless you sit in Siena or Perugia.
- Resit rules differ: partial resits for standard CILS and CELI, none for CILS B1 Cittadinanza.
CILS fees by level
Siena's registration page for its own centre links a one-page fee sheet headed "Tasse CILS di fascia A", meaning the fees for band A candidates. The sheet gives two figures for each exam: the full fee, and the charge for each ability you repeat under capitalisation (explained below).
- CILS A1 and A2 - EUR 40; EUR 12 for each ability repeated
- CILS A1 and A2, Modulo Integrazione in Italia - EUR 40; no capitalisation
- CILS UNO-B1 - EUR 90; EUR 22 for each ability repeated
- CILS B1 Adolescenti - EUR 70; EUR 17 for each ability repeated
- CILS B1 Cittadinanza - EUR 100; no capitalisation
- CILS DUE-B2 - EUR 105; EUR 23 for each ability repeated
- CILS TRE-C1 - EUR 135; EUR 30 for each ability repeated
- CILS QUATTRO-C2 - EUR 160; EUR 35 for each ability repeated
The sheet does not say which candidates fall outside band A, and the page links no other band. Only the B1 Cittadinanza figure is confirmed separately, on Siena's B1 Cittadinanza page, as applying in Italy and abroad. For other levels, treat the sheet as Siena's reference amount and ask your centre for its exact total, in which currency, and whether anything is added. Students enrolled on a Università per Stranieri di Siena course in the term when they sit the exam get a reduced fee.
Which CILS level to pay for
Siena's registration page is direct about this: for an Italian citizenship application the level to choose is B1 C (B1 Cittadinanza), and for a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) it is A2 integrazione. Standard CILS UNO-B1 costs less, but it is a different exam, so check what the authority handling your application accepts before choosing on price.
CELI fees
Perugia does not publish one price for all centres: its registration page says the exam centre will tell candidates the fee and how to pay. The CELI regulations add three useful points:
- the fee is fixed in the agreement between the CVCL and each centre, and it includes Italian stamp duty (imposta di bollo);
- the whole exam fee is owed to the CVCL;
- the centre must quote the exam fee separately from any extra services it sells, such as preparation courses or administration charges.
That last rule gives you a simple test: if a centre quotes one bundled price, ask for the exam fee on its own.
Rates at the Perugia centre
If you sit CELI at the university in Perugia, its registration page (last updated 27 March 2026) lists these rates:
- CELI Standard (the general exams) - EUR 120; sessions in March, June and November
- CELI Adolescenti - EUR 120; session in May
- CELI Immigrati A1, CELI Impatto - EUR 30; sessions in February, May and September
- CELI Immigrati A2, CELI 1 - EUR 50; sessions in February, May and September
- CELI Immigrati B1, CELI 2 - EUR 65; sessions in February, May and September
CELI 2 i cittadinanza, the B1 exam the CVCL lists as meeting the legal requirement under decree 113/2018, belongs to this immigrant family (A1 to B1). Candidates enrolled on a Perugia university course on the exam date pay 60% of the fee for CELI Standard exams.
How registration works
Registering for CILS
- Pick the exact level. Not every level runs in every session, so check the dates page first.
- Find a centre. Siena lists its partner centres for Italy and, abroad, by continent. Outside Italy, the Italian Cultural Institutes and other local partners organise the exams.
- Contact that centre. Siena's instruction, for candidates in Italy and abroad, is to go to the centre where you plan to sit and follow its procedure.
- Pay as the centre instructs, and ask for its closing date. Siena's own deadlines sit about a month before each session, so the closing date for a session is in the previous month - check the current calendar rather than assuming a fixed gap, because the two full-level sessions close closer to six weeks ahead.
To sit in Siena itself, fill in the online form first, then pay through PagoPA or by bank transfer; paying without the form does not guarantee a place, and all communication comes by email. The Siena fee cannot be refunded for any reason, but in documented exceptional cases (health, or unavoidable study or work) it can be moved to a later session within 18 months of first registration.
If you have specific needs, such as hearing loss, tell the centre early: it sends your medical documentation to Siena, which decides the compensatory measures.
Registering for CELI
Under the CELI regulations you apply on the form provided by your chosen centre, and the application does not go to the CVCL unless you are sitting in Perugia. The centre checks that your payment matches the agreed amount, enters your details in the CVCL system and tells you where and when to attend. It sets its own closing date, which must respect the CVCL deadline.
The CVCL gives each candidate a registration number (matricola). You can ask your centre for it at least 20 days after registration closes. Keep it: you use the same number for results and for any later CELI registration.
In Perugia, you register online with an email address unique to you, pay through PagoPA, and upload a copy of a valid identity document and the payment receipt. Perugia may close a session early if it fills up.
If illness keeps you away, the regulations let you sit the next session only, at the same centre, without paying again, provided you bring a medical certificate and register again by the deadline.
Documents to keep ready
- A valid identity document. CELI candidates show it before both the written and oral parts.
- Personal details that match that document, which CELI candidates check on their identification sheet before starting.
- Proof of payment, in the form your centre asks for.
- Medical documentation, if you need adjustments.
Your centre may ask for more; use its list.
Results and certificates
- CILS - Results appear after about three months, online with your matricola and date of birth. Collect the certificate from your exam centre. You can ask to see your marked papers within 30 days of publication, for an access fee. Siena's FAQ says the certificate currently has no expiry date.
- CELI - Results come about 90 working days after the CVCL receives the papers, in its reserved area and at your centre. B1 to C2 results are graded A, B or C for a pass and D or E for a fail; A1 and A2 are simply pass or fail. The digital certificate goes to your centre, and a provisional document can be downloaded meanwhile. CELI certificates do not expire.
Resits and capitalisation
Standard CILS: 18 months to repeat failed abilities
Siena marks each ability separately. If you pass some and not others, you receive a capitalisation certificate (attestato di capitalizzazione) listing both. Within 18 months you can sit the same exam again and take only the abilities you failed, and you may do so at a different centre. You pay the per-ability charge from the fee sheet. For example, a CILS DUE-B2 candidate who misses one ability pays EUR 23 to repeat it, instead of EUR 105 for the whole exam; two failed abilities cost EUR 46.
CILS B1 Cittadinanza: no capitalisation
The B1 Cittadinanza page is explicit: capitalisation is not allowed at this level. If any ability is not passed, it cannot be recovered on its own: you sit the whole exam again at the next session, which means paying the full EUR 100 again. The fee sheet marks the A1 and A2 integration module the same way. So book only when all four abilities are secure, not just your best one.
CELI: one year to repeat the failed part
A CELI exam is passed when the minimum score is reached in both the written part and the oral part. If you pass one and fail the other, the regulations let you keep the passed part for one year and repeat only the failed part, at the same level and in the same exam type, for 70% of the full fee. Perugia's own page states the same rule for its centre, allowing one calendar year. At Perugia's rates, 70% of the EUR 120 CELI Standard fee is EUR 84.
Quick answers
How much does the CILS B1 Cittadinanza exam cost?
EUR 100, in Italy and abroad, according to Siena. Ask your centre for its exact total.
How much does CELI cost?
It varies by centre: each centre's fee is fixed in its agreement with the CVCL, and the centre tells you the amount. At the Perugia centre, general CELI exams cost EUR 120 and CELI Immigrati B1 costs EUR 65.
Can I get a refund if I cannot attend?
Not at the Siena centre, though documented exceptional cases can move to a later session. A CELI candidate absent through illness can sit the next session at the same centre without paying again. Elsewhere, ask your centre.
Can I resit only the part I failed?
For standard CILS, yes, within 18 months. For CILS B1 Cittadinanza, no. For CELI, yes, the failed written or oral part within one year at 70% of the fee.
Where do I collect my certificate?
For CILS, from the centre where you sat the exam. For CELI, the CVCL sends a digital certificate to your centre, which passes it on.
