Requirements for Weddings in Italy

Italy does not have many requirements for getting married - even with short notice. As a result couples that want to travel to Italy for a destination wedding can do so with confidence and arrive only a few days before their wedding date.

Wedding Requirements for Australian citizens
Wedding Requirements for British citizens
Wedding Requirements for Canadian citizens
Wedding Requirements for Danish citizens
Wedding Requirements for Dutch citizens
Wedding Requirements for Irish citizens
Wedding Requirements for New Zealanders citizens
Wedding Requirements for Norwegians citizens
Wedding Requirements for Russians citizens
Wedding Requirements for US Citizens

1. Wedding Requirements for Australian citizens

BEFORE ARRIVING IN ITALY

Before leaving Australia, you need to obtain an Atto Notorio (sworn declaration) from the Italian Embassy or Consulate in Australia in the state where you reside. Make sure you travel with your Australian passport. If you were married before, bring evidence of the termination of the previous marriage. If you are widowed, you must bring the death certificate of your previous spouse. Certificates can be obtained from the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

ONCE IN ITALY

In addition to the Atto Notorio, an Australian citizen intending to get married in Italy will need to make a Statutory Declaration (Nulla Osta). This Statutory Declaration must be signed whether you are single, divorced or widowed and you will do so in the presence of an Australian Consular officer at the Australian Embassy in Rome or Australian Consulate-General in Milan- A Nulla Osta literally states that "there are no impediments," or that one is free to marry. The Nulla Osta (Statutory Declaration) is valid for six months and, as of Apr07, costs the equivalent in Euro of A$50.00 per Australian Citizen. You will be assisted by one of our on site representatives in doing this step in Italy.
The Nulla Osta must then be legalised by the Uffico Legalizzazioni of the Prefettura. You will be assisted by one of our on site representatives in doing this step too. Nulla Osta and legalization can be done during the same morning.
If you did not obtain an Atto Notorio prior to coming to Italy or you currently reside in Italy, the Atto Notorio can be executed in Rome or Milan. If this is the case we will need to make an appointment. There is a cost that might vary to do this and includes fees, taxes, stamps, necessary witnesses and assistant.

CIVIL CEREMONY

If the wedding hall requires it, we will set an appointment with the Wedding Hall authorities, about two days before the wedding. At this time, you will make a Declaration of Intent to Marry. Sometimes the appointment for the Declaration and Wedding may fall on the same day.
If one or more of the parties is Italian or is an Australian with Italian residency, then Banns (pubblicazione di matrimonio) must be posted for at least two weeks before the date of the marriage.

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

Top page

2. Wedding Requirements for British citizens

You must publish the Banns at your local registry office in England. After 23 days of these publications of Banns the registry office releases a Certificate of Non Impediment.
The Certificate of Non Impediment will then be mailed by you with express courier (NOT regular mail) to the appropriate Embassy or Consulate we give you with payment of Nulla Osta fee. At this point our staff will follow up and make sure the Nulla Osta is issued and delivered to the wedding hall.
If you have been previously married and are divorced you must include the "Divorce Decree Absolute".
The following documents must also be presented to the British Consulate (also via correspondence) when you present your Non Impediment Certificate.

Certificate of Non Impediment issued by UK registrar
Long Birth Certificate issued by civil authorities, which must include names of both parents
Photocopy of passports (and bring passports with you)
Deed Poll (in case of change of name)
Decree Absolute of Divorce (in case of previous marriage)
Previous marriage certificate (for both!)

After some days the Consulate will release the necessary documents for you to marry (Nulla Osta). These will be sent to us via post or picked up by our coordinator and we will file them with the wedding hall.

At the present time the cost of the Nulla Osta is 92 Euro per person. The UK Consulates require a bank draft in Euro to be mailed along with the documents in order to process the paperwork. If the bank draft comes from UK, the total cost is 210 Euro (92X2+12 Euro for bank fees + 14 Euro for the express courier), but the bank draft must be drawn from an Italian bank.

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

Top page

3. Wedding Requirements for Canadian citizens

Canadian citizens are required to present to the Italian authorities a "NULLA OSTA" (certificate of non-impediment to the marriage). The Canadian Consulate does not issue a "Nulla Osta". However, to assist Canadian in meeting the requirements for appropriate documentation, the Canadian Consulate prepares a declaration containing the relevant information. This declaration is accepted by the Italian authorities for the purposes of Article 116.

To obtain this declaration from the Canadian Consulate, a Canadian Citizen must first complete and swear an AFFIDAVIT to the effect that there is no impediment to the proposed marriage. The affidavit can be sworn in front of a notary public in Canada or a consular official at the Consulate. If the affidavit is to be made at the Canadian Consulate the applicant should fill out the appropriate form and bring and present the following documents:

Certified copy of Canadian passport;
Proof of Canadian citizenship (Canadian birth certificate or Certificate of Canadian);
Document issued by the competent Vital Statistic authorities in Canada confirming that no registration of marriage appears in their records (if obtainable);
Complete details of the future spouse (full name, date and place of birth, residence, father's name and mother's maiden name - FORM B AFFIDAVIT);
Final divorce decree or death certificate of previous spouse (if divorced of widowed);
Parent's consent (if the person is under marriageable age)

PLEASE NOTE THAT Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

It is extremely important that your full name is written in the same way in all the following documents, otherwise the wedding office will not accept the paperwork: PASSPORTS & NULLA OSTA.

This is something that can happen if:

You have more surnames and they are not always expressly listed in all documents
The future bride has already been married before and is still keeping the name of her ex-husband. In this case please be sure that your passport and Nulla Osta contains your maiden name

We will assist in picking up the final Nulla Osta for you so you do not have to go to the Canadian Consulate here in Italy. We can verify with the Canadian Consulate if the papers are complete and correct to let you obtain the "Canadian declaration Nulla Osta" if so we ask you to send all the originals to the Canadian Embassy, in Rome or Milan; so they can prepare your document. The Canadian declaration document costs Euro 33 each.

This document will then be authenticated by us for you at the "Prefettura office - Ufficio Legalizzazioni". Once the declaration has been obtained and legalized, it is presented to the marriage Office of the Municipality in Italy, Banns are waived if neither party is Italian nor residing in Italy.

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

Top page

4. Wedding Requirements for Danish citizens

At your town hall in your home town in Denmark (vital record department) you need to request:

International form to get married in a foreign country
Passports
Have the form issued in both English and Danish languages
Specify that you require this to get married in Italy.
Send us a copy of everything via fax or scanned.
The document “AEGTESKABSATTEST” is used as a “NO IMPEDIMENT to the marriage”, so it needs to say:
- That you are free to marry.
- Include your full personal data such as (full names, birth dates and location of birth etc…) for yourself and your future spouse.

We can expedite all documentation via post so that you do not have to do anything in person.

For the Nulla Osta there is a cost of about Euro 30 per person.

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

Top page

5. Wedding Requirements for Dutch citizens

If you wish to get married in Italy by civil ceremony, you need the Nulla Osta (a document issued by the Dutch authorities that testify that there is no impediment for the wedding). The Nulla Osta can be issued by the General Consulate of Holland in Milan or by the foreign affair office in Denhaag (AIA).

The following documents must be presented by the Dutch citizen to obtain the Nulla Osta:

birth certificate (international form/ Multilanguage)
Certificate of free marital status issued by the town hall where you are registered.
Divorce decree ( in case of precedent marriage)

The following documents must be presented by the foreign citizen to obtain the Nulla Osta (in case that the spouse is not Dutch):

Birth certificate,
Cumulative certificate: with residence, free marital status, citizenship.

ALL the documents mentioned here above can be substituted (except the birth certificates) by a bilateral declaration of free possibility of marriage that can be issued by your town hall of residence in Holland.

In order to get the Nulla Osta in HOLLAND you can send the letter of request for the Nulla Osta to the FOREIGN OFFICE DPC/CJ department- Legalization, CP 20061 EB’s Gravenhage. (Tel. 0031+70.3486486) The cost to have the document is about 45,38Euro, ask directly to this office how to send the payment. In about 6-8 weeks the document is issued.

OR having this issued here in Italy by the General Consulate in Milan; Send the letter of request for the Nulla Osta to the Dutch Consulate in Milan, with all the documents required. Address : CONSOLATO GENERALE dei PAESI BASSI, Via S. Vittore 45, 20123 Milano. (tel +39.02.48558421-fax +39.02.48558452).

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

Top page

6. Wedding Requirements for Irish citizens

FOR CIVIL CEREMONY

The following documents are required to proceed with a wedding in Italy; these documentation requirements are only applicable to Irish passport holder. If one of both passport holders are not Irish we recommend that you contact your Consulate as the procedure may differ from country. Please read this section carefully. Photocopies of documents are not legally valid except in the case of your passport which you will need to travel. List of documents:

Original full length birth certificates
Original no impediment certificate issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs
Photocopy of current passport
Completed witness form if required

The no impediment certificate is obtained from the department of foreign affair. We recommend applying for this a couple of months before you intend to marry as it takes about 6 week to process. This certificate states that you are free to marry. You may also need to be aware that two witnesses will be required for your ceremony and photocopies of their passport will also need to be sent, along with your documentation. Witnesses can be arranged by our wedding planner in Italy if necessary. Charges may be incurred for this service. Please note the witnesses must be over 18 years of age.

FOR CATHOLIC CEREMONY

You will need to see your local parish priest to gain his and the bishop’s permission to marry abroad. You will then be given a religious no impediment certificate. In addition, you will be probably required to attend a premarital course at your church, however your priest will inform you of exactly how to proceed. List of documents:

Certificate of baptism
Certificate of confirmation
Religious no impediment certificate

This documents, together with all those required for the civil ceremony, need to be sent to our office no later than 7 weeks prior the wedding date; this will be processed at the Irish Consulate and with the Bishop by our wedding planner.

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

Top page

7. Wedding Requirements for New Zealanders citizens

Marriages conducted in Italy are recognised in New Zealand provided they are in accordance with Italy’s laws. A marriage in Italy is not, however, automatically registered in New Zealand. It is not possible for a couple to remarry each other in New Zealand if they have already been married overseas. If either party is divorced, they will need to present to the Italian authorities an original or certified copy of the decree nisi or order of dissolution of marriage, together with an official translation into Italian issued by the Italian Embassy in Wellington. This applies to orders of dissolution of marriage or decree nisi issued in New Zealand. If the document was issued by the Family Court of Australia, the translation should be effected at the Italian Embassy in Canberra.

Documentation required by the New Zealand Embassy in Rome:

The Italian authorities require proof that foreigners intending to marry in Italy are not already married. This proof can be obtained by applying for a Certificate of No Impediment from the Registrar-General’s Office, P.O. Box 31-115, Lower Hutt, New Zealand (Tel: +64 4 569 4489 or Fax: +64 4 566 5311). This usually takes two weeks for the application to be processed. The processing fee is NZ$40.00 + GST. If you live in Italy, the Embassy can forward the completed application form to the Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages for you. The fee can be paid in Euro and is currently €20.00.
Once the Embassy receives the original copy of the Certificate of No Impediment it can issue a document required by the Italian authorities called a Nulla Osta. This contains information from the Certificate of No Impediment and from the attached form that you both need to complete, sign and return to the Embassy.
Please ensure you complete the section requesting an address in Italy, even if it is a temporary address, such as a hotel. When you return the completed form, you should attach a certified copy of the biopages of your and your partner’s, passports.
The completed form and certified passport pages should not be sent by facsimile. The Embassy requires original copies.
When the Nulla Osta has been prepared, we will advise The Agency you are working with so that they may collect it. If you and your partner are New Zealanders, a Consular Certificate will also be supplied by the Embassy. The Embassy currently charges €23.00 processing fee for the Nulla Osta and €20.00 for courier fee within Italy. The fees should be sent (together with documentation) to the Embassy by bank draft (in Euro), made out to the New Zealand Embassy.

Once you have the documents provided by the Embassy, we will take them to be legalised at the Prefettura (section of the Italian Department of Internal Affairs) in Rome or in the town/city nearest to or where you plan to get married.

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

Top page

8. Wedding Requirements for Norwegians citizens

Norwegian citizens wanting to marry in Italy must present their Nulla Osta "Attest til bruk for ekteskapsinngåelse etter utenlandsk rett", which is released by the Vital Statistics Office (Folkeregisteret) of the last city of residence in Norway. From the 1st of January 2005 the Nulla Osta is no longer released by the Consulates. The Nulla Osta upon request will be written up in Italian and must have the:

First and Last name
Citizenship
Civil status (single, divorced or widowed) of the person
All clear/permission to marry in Italy

A few wedding halls will require that the birth certificate showing the names of the parents accompany the Nulla Osta. This can be obtained by your Vital Statistics Office. Divorced women must attach the divorce decree showing the date of sentence for divorce. 300 hundred days must pass between the divorce sentence and new wedding date. All documents submitted including certificates must be translated by an authorized translator in Norway. An Apostille from the Fylkesmannen according to the Hague Convention must be applied on all certificates. For a church wedding the priest usually requires the exact same documents PLUS can request the baptism certificate which must once again be translated by an authorized firm in Norway and the Apostille Seal applied. Additional catholic paperwork may apply – check with your coordinator planning the wedding.

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

Top page

9. Wedding Requirements for Russians citizens

In order to get married in Italy a Russian citizen needs a Nulla Osta which may be obtained by showing the following documents to the Russian Embassy in Italy:

2 original Russian passports, one for Russia and one for foreign countries;
Original Birth Certificate;
If previously divorced/widowed, you need to show your divorce decree or death certificate
If documents bear different names, you have to show the document where we can see that you changed it officially.
Residence permit.

The cost of the certificate is Euro 95 per person. The couple must apply for the Nulla Osta in PERSON no one else will be allowed in the Embassy or Consulate to assist them.

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

Top page

10. Wedding Requirements for US citizens

There are only 3 items that are necessary to marry in Italy.

ATTO NOTORIO

It consists of a meeting in front of the Italian Consulate with witnesses in which a declaration relative to the civil status (single, divorced etc…) of the couple is made. An official document is then drawn up to present to us for filing purposes here in Italy. Please be sure that at the top of the page of the Atto Notorio the detail "Repubblica Italiana" and "Consolato Generale D'Italia" are specifically written, otherwise the Atto Notorio is not valid.

This is in effect an AFFIDAVIT done before the ITALIAN CONSULATE (or in Italy). To obtain it, you must first have the following documents: US passport, Birth certificate, If previously divorced/widowed, your divorce decree or death certificate.

You need to set up an appointment yourselves with the nearest Italian Consulate to where you live and ask how many witnesses are required - it varies from location to location. Eventually if you choose to, the Atto Notorio CAN be done in Italy for a fee. Translations required.

Your Birth and or divorce/death certificates must be translated into Italian and Apostilled through the Secretary of State's Notary Public of the state the document originated in. The translations are authenticated by the Italian Consulate. Our company does provide translation services.

The ATTO NOTORIO in some cases MAY BE DONE IN ITALY, if time does not permit you to do it in the US or if you live in a state where there is no Italian Consulate. If you decide to do it in Italy, the cost is €550.00 including witnesses, interpreter, legal costs, duties and taxes. Takes one morning, so calculate an extra day, please. Since the cost to do it in the US is almost nothing, this is a last resort!

APOSTILLE - (Done via mail)

This peculiar word means that the original documents (birth and, if applicable, divorce) which need to be presented to the Italian Consulate have been:

Sent to the Secretary of State's Notary Public of the state from which the document originally is from for authentication (or Apostille seal).
The APOSTILLE is simply the seal of the Notary Public of the State in accordance with the Hague Convention, which means that the documents can be used officially even in a foreign country. It is NOT a regular Notary Public stamp!!

When the Atto Notorio is done and the Apostille also, you must:

Fax us a copy in Italy so we can verify that everything is complete, at least 4 weeks prior the wedding.
After we give the OK, bring the originals of your documents with you when you come to Italy. HAND CARRY YOUR DOCUMENTS, do not check them with your luggage.
KEEP A COPY OF YOUR DIVORCE DECREE, IF APPICABLE, TO TAKE TO THE US CONSULATE IN ITALY when you arrive.

All birth and/or divorce certificates must be translated into Italian. You must have the translations authenticated by the Italian Consulate in the U.S. when you go for your Atto Notorio. We offer translation services for an additional cost.

NULLA OSTA and PREFECT'S OFFICE

We assist with this, it takes at most a few hours and must be done approximately 3 weekdays prior to the wedding. The Nulla Osta is the final declaration to be made IN ITALY before the US CONSULATE or EMBASSY stating that you are free to marry. Cost is approximately €50 per person give or take €5/€10. You must pay in CASH, we cannot pay for you. Then this NULLA OSTA must be authenticated in the nearest Prefect's office (we do this for you, but you must come along!).

Please note that it is extremely important that your full name is written in the same way in all the following documents, otherwise the wedding office will not accept the paperwork: Passports, Atto Notorio and Nulla Osta.

Here is a step-by-step procedures :

Send us LEGIBLE copies of your passports, in addition to the following information for you, your future husband, your best man, and your maid of honour: full name, date and place of birth, current address (legal residence), and profession.
Order your birth certificates (and divorce decrees, if applicable) and request the Apostille from the state you were born in. The apostilles can not be required earlier than 6 months before the wedding.
Once you have requested your birth certificates (and divorce decrees) make an appointment with the Italian Consulate for your Atto Notorio. This document can not be issued more than 3 months before the wedding otherwise it will expire.
You must bring several witnesses with you to the appointment. Some Consulates require only 2 witnesses per couple (not relatives) to witness the Atto, while others can require up to 4 per person to appear (a total of 8), so find out how many people must come with you. The witnesses that accompany you to the Italian Consulate don't necessarily have to be your best man and maid of honour; other people who know you can act as your witnesses at the Italian Consulate.
Get the birth certificates (and divorce decrees) translated before you go to the Italian Consulate. If you prefer, you can fax them to us for translation; there is a Euro 40 fee per certificate (with the exception of multiple-page documents, for which there is an extra charge).
Go with the correct number of witnesses to the Italian Consulate in the US for your Atto Notorio. Bring the originals (with the Apostille) and the translations of your birth certificates (and divorce decrees) to this appointment. Make sure that the Consulate stamps the translations of your documents if the Consulate did not do the translations themselves.
Right after your appointment at the Italian Consulate; fax us copies of all of your documents. We will check everything and continue the paperwork on this end. Keep the originals and hand carry them when you come to Italy (don't check them at the airport).
IN ITALY: several days before your wedding (generally 3 working days prior), go with our local assistant to the US Consulate in to get the Nulla Osta (sometimes referred to as the sworn statement). Bring all of the originals of your documents and your passports with you. After the US Consulate visit, you will be accompanied with our assistant to the Prefettura, where a government official will authenticate your documents. Finally, our assistant there will take everything to the town hall where you will be married, so that they can finish the paperwork.

Particular Consulates do not follow the above procedures; you will be advised by your Wedding Planner on the exact steps that need to be followed.

PLEASE NOTE that Italian law states that at least 300 days must pass before a woman can remarry if she was previously divorced.

A woman who has been divorced less than 300 days from the proposed wedding date cannot have a civil ceremony, symbolic only.

PAPERWORK EXPIRES AFTER 3 MONTHS

Top page