US citizens planning to marry in Italy must present certain documents and comply with specific requirements of Italian law in order to obtain a marriage license.
The requirement to have a civil wedding are the same allover Italy but I do highly raccoment to discuss with your wedding planner further.
To have a cvil wedding for Amarican citizen the procurede have to be spit into two step: Before & After your arrival in Italy
In USA
- Check that you have a valid US PASSPORT
- Your original birth certificate have to show the name of both parents and need to be traslante and get the apostille
- In case you been married before, you need to get the EVIDENCE OF TERMINATION OF ANY PREVIOUS MARRIAGE
Any previous marriage of the bride must have been dissolved at least 300 days before the date of the proposed marriage. All documents originating out of Italy be translated into Italian and authenticated by the nearest Italian Consulate having jurisdiction over the place of issuance in the U.S. before they can have any legal validity before Italian authorities. Both the original documents and the translations MUST be legalized for use in Italy, with the so-called “APOSTILLE” stamp, in accordance with The Hague Convention on the legalization of foreign public documents.
Get your Atto Notorio
Before leaving the United States to get married in Italy, it is advisable to obtain an Atto Notorio from the Italian Consulate closest to your current residence. If you decide to request the Atto Notorio in Italy should advice the wedding planner in advance in order to be able to fix an appointment with the Court since some Courts may have long waiting lists for this service. The Atto Notorio can be executed at any Tribunale Ordinario in Italy. It requires many stamps, two witnesses over 18 years of age and an interpreter. You, the witnesses, and the interpreter must show proof of recent entry into Italy.
In Italy
Require the Nulla Osta (affidavit)
A Nulla Osta states that “there are no impediments,” or that one is free to marry, according to the laws of the State of which the citizen is a resident. Your legal status must be such that you can legally marry under Italian and US law. To obtain a Nulla Osta you should visit the Consular Section nearest you wedding destination. The Nulla Osta is valid for six months. The Nulla Osta must be stamped by the Legalization Office of any Prefettura in our Consular District. Your wedding planner beside the assistance during your Nulla Osta will also provide to legalize your documents for you.
Do the Declaration of Intention to Marry
Few days before your wedding you should go to the Town Hall where you’ll get married to do the decalration of Intention to marry required by the Italian law.
I take for granted that befeore you book your flight for you destination wedding you have to arrange in advance with your planner the appontment to make all the docuemnto legalisation in Italy.
If you are British citizen, you can find the civil documentation info by clicking here
As each nationality has the own specific rules, feel free to contact me for more information
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