Paperwork Required for

US Citizens

To marry in Italy

DOCUMENTS:

• Passport for a civilian.
• Birth certificate and permission to marry issued by the Commander from the military.
• If applicable, evidence of the termination of any previous marriage such as final divorce decree, annulment decree or death certificate.
• If under 18, Sworn Statement by parents or legal guardian consenting to the marriage.

TO BE DONE IN THE UNITED STATES:

• The above documents must be translated into Italian.
• Translated documents must be legalized for use in Italy with an"APOSTILLE" stamp, in accordance with the Hague Convention on the legalization of foreign public documents. In the US, the "Apostille" stamp is placed by the Secretary of State in the State where the document was issued.
• Under Italian law, all public documents, regardless of their origin, are considered to be VALID FOR ONLY 6 MONTHS from the date of issue. Make sure that all your documents to be submitted to Italian authorities have not been issued more than six months ahead of the wedding.
• Atto Notorio. This is a declaration stating that according to US laws, there is no obstacle to the citizens’ marriage. This declaration is to be sworn to by two witnesses (a witness may be of any nationality, but must be over 18, with proper identification), before an Italian Consul outside of Italy, or in Italy before a Court official. US citizens coming to Italy to get married are urged to obtain this declaration from an Italian Consul in the United States before leaving for Italy. In Italy an appointment should be arranged in advance. A fee is charged.

TO BE DONE IN ITALY:

These two steps only take a few minutes and can be arranged for the same day in one of the 5 consulates throughout Italy. Our staff accompanies you.

• Declaration, sworn to by the US citizen at US Consulate stating that there is no legal impediment to his/her marriage. Your legal status must be such that you can legally marry another person under Italian and US Law. After obtaining the declaration from the Consulate, it must be taken to the Prefecture to be authenticated (legalized), as described below.
• Authentication (legalization) of the aforesaid declaration must be done by the Legalization office of the Prefecture. Usual office hours are from 10am to 1pm Monday through Saturday. The required legalization can be obtained at any Prefecture. There is one in every provincial capital.
• A woman whose previous marriage was terminated within the last 300 days must obtain a waiver from the Procura della Republica (District Attorney), which is issued on presentation of a medical certificate that she is not pregnant.