How to get married in Italy for Australian citizens

How to get married in Italy for Australian citizens

How to get married in Italy for Australian citizens?

Once you decide to get married in Italy and especially where, you need to be informed about paperwork for a legally binding wedding ! For the couples who book my Full-Service Wedding Planning I take care of the paperwork procedure together with my legal advisor who is specilized in legal weddings for foreign couples in Italy.

Please consult the Italian consulate website:

https://italy.embassy.gov.au/rome/marriage.html

Two main documents are required for Australian citizens to get married in Italy:

• The Atto Notorio:  this should be obtained from the Italian Embassy or nearest Italian Consulate in the state where you reside before leaving Australia.  If you are unable to obtain the Atto Notorio from an Italian Consulate in Australia, you may obtain one from a Tribunale Civile (Civil Court) in Italy or from the civil registrar (ufficiale di stato civile) of the marriage office of the city where you plan to get married (note that you must call beforehand to set an appointment). In this last case, you must attend in person together with two adult witnesses. If either spouse or one of the witnesses does not speak Italian, it is necessary to provide also an Neither spouse can act as witness or interpreter. Payment at the Tribunale Civile is made in the form of revenue stamps which you should purchase in advance.
• The Nulla Osta: an Australian citizen intending to get married in Italy will need to make a Sworn Declaration (Nulla Osta) at the Australian Embassy in Rome or the Australian Consulate-General in Milan. You must have your Australian passport as this has to be presented to Embassy/Consulate officers when signing the Nulla Osta. A Nulla Osta states that there is no impediment to marriage and must be signed, whether you are single, divorced or widowed, in the presence of an Australian Consular officer at the Australian Embassy in Rome or Australian Consulate-General in Milan .  Please book an appointment.

 Important notes for your legally-binding wedding in Italy:

• Nulla Ostas sworn outside of Italy and Certificates of No Impediment are not considered valid in Italy.
• If you have been married previously, please provide evidence of the termination of your marriage. You have to provide your originaldivorce certificate or the death certificate of your late spouse. Photocopies are not acceptable.
• Please notice that the if the woman has been divorced and want to get remarried in Italy, she must wait a period of 300 days since the Official Decree before remarrying, if she wants to get married before she must contact the local Italian authorities and seek special permission from an Italian magistrate to remarry.
• The Nulla Osta (Sworn Declaration) expires within six months and payments may only be made via credit or debit cards at the Australian Embassy in Rome.  Cash will not be accepted.
• All certificates, including divorce certificates or death certificates certifying termination of your previous marriage, MUST be ORIGINALS. Photocopies are not accepted.
• Legalisation: Once the “Dichiarazione Giurata” has been issued, you must bring it to the Legalization Office (Ufficio Legalizzazioni) of the local Prefettura to legalize it. You will need to purchase stamp and present it for each document to be authenticated by the Prefettura.

The civil ceremony in Italy:

• Contact the marriage office (Town Hall) of the city were you intend to marry in order to obtain more detailed information on marriage requirements (including the list of documents that you need to present) for Australian citizens to get married in Italy.
• As a first step, take the Atto Notorio and Nulla Osta to the Town Hall or Marriage Office, in the Italian city where you plan to marry.
• If you do not speak Italian an interpreter is requested. The Town Hall will give you an appointment to lodge your Declaration of Intent to Marry, and another for the actual marriage ceremony. They will ask a fee for the rental of the marriage hall, and this may vary according to where you are getting married.
• After the The Declaration of Intent to Marry there will be the Civil Ceremony (sometimes in the same day, sometimes one or two days after, it depends on the Town Hall). You may apply for a marriage certificate (certificato di matrimonio) shortly before the wedding ceremony and you should receive it immediately after the ceremony (or sometimes the day after). To legalize it for Australian law, you have to ask to the Italian authorities at the Prefettura of the city where you get married the Apostille affixed to the Italian Marriage certificate. Please keep in mind that during the peak marriage season (May to September), it could be difficult to get an appointment for the marriage celebrant and to apply for the Apostille.
• If one of the parties marrying is Italian or is an Australian with Italian residency, the Italian authorities may require that Banns (pubblicazione di matrimonio) be posted for at least two weeks before the date of the marriage.

The above information is provided by the Consular Section of the Australian Embassy in Rome for the convenience of enquirers, but neither the Australian Government nor the Embassy can take any responsibility whatsoever in regard to the consequences of using the above information.

HOW IS A LEGAL WEDDING PERFORMED  IN ITALY?

Click to read the most important FAQ’s about how a legal wedding is performed in Italy   

To help you to get married in Italy, If you need a help to make appointments with Institutions (Town Hall and Prefettura) and information you can contact me, since that’s part of my Full Service Planning Service!

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