The CILS (Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera) is an official Italian language certificate aligned to the CEFR that validates your Italian skills for study, work, and residency.
The CILS is offered at six levels from A1 to C2 and is recognized by Italian institutions and cultural centres.
Why choose CILS
- Official recognition: CILS is developed by the University for Foreigners of Siena and recognized by Italian authorities.
- CEFR alignment: Exams map directly to A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, making results portable across Europe.
- Use cases: Useful for university admission, professional credentials, and long‑term residency applications.
- Certification name: CILS Italian Certificate as a Foreign Language
- Organizer: Università per Stranieri di Siena
- Dates: 2 main sessions per year (June and December), with additional sessions for some levels.
- Levels: CILS A1 (A1), CILS A2 (A2), CILS UNO (B1), CILS UNO – B1 ADOLESCENTI, CILS UNO – B1 CITTADINANZA, CILS DUE (B2), CILS TRE (C1), CILS QUATTRO (C2)
- Centers: Over 800 locations worldwide, including our center.
- Correction time: Up to 12 weeks
- Notes: Each part of the examination is evaluated independently, so you must have obtained the necessary grade in each section to pass the exam. If this is not the case, then it is possible to retake the necessary sections
Created by the University of Siena, the CILS certification is the reference certification for Italian language students: more than half of the students who take an official Italian exam choose the CILS exam.
The CILS certification is the first Italian language certification to have applied six levels of linguistic-communicative competence from the Common European Framework of Reference and to have offered specific certifications for foreign workers in Italy.
Through the examination, the linguistic-communicative competencies and the four basic skills are evaluated, therefore, the exam is divided into four sections (oral, written, morphosyntactic, and lexical competence, comprehension of written texts, and comprehension of oral texts). The exam consists of both closed questions (multiple choice questions) and semi-structured questions (re-elaboration of texts starting from data elements) and open (free development of a topic).
CILS certifications are recognized both in the workplace, in education, and at university. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognizes the CILS A2 certification module as a valid certificate of competence in the Italian language to obtain the EC Residence Permit for long-term residents.