PLIDA explained: the B1 for Italian citizenship, 18 of 30 in every skill, the 2026 dates and what a partial pass keeps

The Dante Alighieri lists what each level is recognised for by the Italian state: B1 for citizenship, A2 for the EU long-term residence permit (permesso di soggiorno UE), B2 for a study visa, and B2 or C1 for university enrolment. It is also accepted for the bilingualism exemption in the province of Bolzano.

PLIDA is issued under an agreement with Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Dante Alighieri is a founding member of CLIQ, the association of Italy's quality-assured certificates, alongside the bodies behind CILS and CELI and Roma Tre's CERT.IT. For how those compare, see CILS or CELI for citizenship and CERT.IT explained.

PLIDA B1 is offered at all PLIDA centres, in Italy and abroad. The 2026 calendar lists it for tutti i Centri on every B1 date, and the FAQ says one calendar applies to every PLIDA centre in the world.

That matters for citizenship applicants abroad. The CVCL in Perugia says its CELI Immigrati sessions, the family the CELI citizenship exam belongs to, are only for centres in Italy. Outside Italy, the choice is between CILS and PLIDA.

Not every centre runs every session. The FAQ warns that some centres take part in only some sessions, so ask your nearest centre which dates it runs and when it closes registration. The exam is in person only.

PLIDA B1 has four parts: Listening (20 questions, about 30 minutes), Reading (18 questions, 40 minutes), Writing (2 texts, 60 minutes) and Speaking (a presentation, an interaction and a monologue, about 15 minutes).

B1 dates in 2026: 11 February, 10 June, 9 September and 18 November. That is four a year, against six for the CILS B1 Cittadinanza. B2 and C1 are on 18 March, 10 June and 19 November; C2 on 20 May and 19 November.

You do not need a course first, and you do not need to have passed a lower level. Before registering, you open an account on the PLIDA site; the centre then registers you and sets the fee. The PLIDA head office sets a maximum price that no centre may exceed.

Each of the four skills is marked out of 30, and you pass only with at least 18 in every one of them. A strong reading score does not make up for a weak writing score.

A partial pass is kept. If you pass one, two or three skills, you can keep those scores and resit only the others, in later sessions, within 18 months of the date you first sat the exam. You can resit them over more than one session, and you pay a partial fee.

Our reading: the 18 months run from your first sitting, not from the latest resit. With four B1 dates a year, that is about six chances to complete it, if your centre runs every session.

The first time you sit a level, you must take the whole exam. You cannot register for single skills until you have sat the complete exam once.

The rules give the head office 60 working days to send results to the centre, counted from when it receives all the exam material from that centre. The certificate shows the level, the score for each skill and the total. You can check results and download the certificate from your PLIDA account.

You can ask to see your marked test at the PLIDA head office: the request must arrive within 15 days of the results, and tests are kept available for 60 days. The rules say the head office's marks are final (insindacabili).

The registration fee is not refunded. If you withdraw at least 15 days before the exam, through your centre in writing, you get a credit usable in the next 18 months. If you miss the exam, you get the credit only with a medical certificate or similar document sent within 15 days after the exam.