Registration of Marriage Certificates Issued Outside Italy for Italian Citizens
If an Italian citizen, or both spouses, are Italian, their marriage must be registered in Italy. Additionally, if there are previous marriages and divorces, these must be registered as well before proceeding with the new marriage registration.
Required Documents for Marriage Registration in Italy
To register a marriage in Italy, the following documents must be submitted:
-
A request form for the registration of the marriage or civil union.
-
The marriage certificate, issued by the competent Vital Statistics Office of the country or state where the marriage took place. The certificate must include the full names and dates of birth of both spouses, as well as information about any previous marriages.
The document must be a long-form certificate or one that includes statistical information. If the marriage certificate does not provide details on previous marriages, a Marriage License must be included, along with its Apostille and an Italian translation.
In most U.S. states, this document is referred to as a “Marriage Record.” In some states, the marriage certificate consists of four sections: Application, License, Certificate, and a final section containing information on previous marriages. This final section must be visible and should not be cut or obscured.
-
A typewritten translation into Italian of the marriage certificate. The translation can be completed by the applicant (if proficient) or by a qualified translator. The entire certificate must be translated word for word, with no summaries or conversions allowed.
-
Apostille of the marriage certificate, issued by the competent authority of the country or state where the document was issued.
-
Copies of the Italian spouse’s identity documents, including their Italian Identity Card, Italian Passport, and Certificate of Italian Citizenship. A copy of the non-Italian spouse’s identification document (passport or equivalent) must also be included.
If the certificate is a document other than A4, and/or printed on both sides, and/or with glued attachments, please provide a copy of each side on a single face sheet.
IMPORTANT NOTICES:
Legal Implications of Surrogacy for Italian Citizens
With the enactment of Law No. 169 of November 4, 2024, which comes into force on December 3, 2024, surrogacy is now considered a crime for Italian citizens, even if it is carried out abroad. This means that Italian law applies regardless of whether surrogacy is legal in the foreign country where it took place.
Surrogacy is punishable under Article 12, Paragraph 6 of Law No. 40 of February 19, 2004, which already provided sanctions for surrogacy performed on Italian national territory.
Consular Procedures Regarding Surrogacy
In compliance with Article 38, Paragraph 1 of Legislative Decree No. 71 of February 3, 2011, any Italian consular authority that receives a birth certificate for a child suspected of being born via surrogacy must inform the competent Italian judicial authorities. This notification will occur when the birth certificate is transmitted to the relevant Italian Comune (municipality) for registration.