The Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language (CILS) is the official title that denotes the degree of linguistic competency of Italian as a foreign language. The CILS is awarded by the University of Siena for Foreigners and is recognized by the Italian State on the basis of an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Most of Italian universities use the CILS as an entrance requirement.

Each CILS level is autonomous and complete: the certification for each level represents a degree of communicative ability which is adequate for specific social, professional and scholastic contexts. To obtain the Certificate in one of the levels, it is necessary to pass an exam composed of five sections with tests in listening comprehension, reading comprehension, analyses of the structures of communication, writing skills and speaking skills.

All exams are produced and evaluated by the Certification Centre of the University of Siena for Foreigners on the basis of European standards set by the Council of Europe. Candidates must obtain at least the minimum score in each section to be awarded the CILS.

If a candidate obtains the minimum score in only some sections, then the candidate may take subsequent exams in those sections in which he or she had not obtained the minimum score. The sections of the exam that have been passed are valid for one year from the date of the first exam.