Skip to content The Italian marriage certificate proves that 2 people are legally married. You might need to apply for a marriage certificate to support the Italian Visa application of your spouse, enroll with your spouse as a family at a Municipality in Italy, and much more. In any case, with this guide we will explain how to get an Italian marriage certificate, or legalize a foreign one to make it valid in Italy.
What is a marriage certificate
A marriage certificate is an official document stating that two people are legally married. In most cases, government officials issue the marriage certificate after its civil registration.
Different types of marriage certificates in Italy
Marriage certificates in Italy can be divided into 3 main types:
- Marriage certificate (certificato di matrimonio): it contains the main information of the event, such as the bride and groom’s personal data, date and place of marriage;
- Marriage extract (estratto di matrimonio): it contains the same information as the marriage certificate, but has additional information, such as separation of property agreements or further agreements made after the marriage, dissolution etc.;
- Act of marriage (atto di matrimonio): it is a true copy of the original document present in the Registry of Civil Status in Italy, which includes in full all the data related to the two persons involved in the marriage. It includes potential annotations, like the name of the celebrating pastor and church, residence of the spouses, the property regime adopted etc.
Unless said otherwise, this article refers to the Certificato di Matrimonio when dealing with the legalization of a marriage certificate.
Marriage certificates online via ANPR
Since 31 March 2026, the ANPR portal has provided free online access to civil-status certificates and requests for extracts relating to records created digitally in ANSC. Users can sign in with SPID, CIE or CNS and request documents for themselves or minor children in the same registered household. Certificates can be downloaded directly; extracts become available after checks by the competent civil-status officer. If the record is not available through the service, contact the municipality’s civil-status office.
Marriage certificates are useful to prove family relations during immigration processes. This may include the Municipality registration or a family visa application. For these immigration processes, it is of the utmost importance that the names reported on the certificate match exactly with the names reported on the person’s identity document (i.e. passport). If the names don’t match, additional documents must be provided (i.e. affidavit of identity).
Italian marriage certificates are generally valid for six months from the date of issue, under Article 41 of Presidential Decree No. 445/2000, unless a legal or regulatory provision provides for a longer period. For use abroad, also check any requirements imposed by the receiving authority concerning how recently the document must have been issued.
Validity of foreign marriage certificates in Italy
In order to be legally valid in Italy, marriage certificates issued by foreign countries must first be legalized. The legalization must be completed in the country that issued the certificate and it might involve an attestation by the Italian diplomatic-consular representation abroad, unless an international convention on the exemption of legalization applies.
To be valid in Italy, the marriage certificate also needs a translation into Italian, except if is issued on multilingual format as provided for by international conventions.
Where a translation is required, check which form of certified translation the receiving authority accepts. Depending on the applicable rules, this may include a translation certified by an Italian consular authority or an authorised translator. International agreements and EU rules may remove or simplify translation requirements.
Validity of the Italian marriage certificate abroad
Similarly, Italian marriage certificates to be used in foreign countries must be legalized by the relevant authorities. Where no international convention applies, the certificate must undergo a full legalization process. This includes two main steps:
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Legalisation by the competent Prefettura, where required. Check its document requirements before applying: paper originals bearing the issuing official’s handwritten signature may be required. A document downloaded from ANPR should not be assumed to be suitable for apostille or legalisation merely because it is legally valid in digital form.
- Attestation by the diplomatic-consular representation of the destination country of the certificate. In these cases, a consular fee is usually due to legalize the certificate. If in need of a translation, note that many consulates have their own list of official translators.
Apostille for Marriage Certificates
Where the Hague Apostille Convention applies between the issuing and receiving States, an apostille replaces diplomatic or consular legalisation. First check whether an exemption removes the need for an apostille altogether. In particular, marriage-related public documents covered by Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 and issued by one EU Member State for submission to the authorities of another are exempt from apostille. A multilingual standard form may also simplify translation requirements.
For other destinations, consult the HCCH Status Table and check entry-into-force dates and any objections affecting the two States concerned.
If you are interested in legalizing or getting apostille for your documents, have a look at our legalization and apostille services.
Transcription of marriage certificates
Italian citizens who marry abroad can transcribe their marriage certificate in the Municipality where they are registered in the A.I.R.E. registers (list of Italian living abroad). Such process is required for instance when applying for a residence permit for a non-EU spouse of an Italian.
Applicants residing abroad who wish to apply for the transcription of their marriage certificates must do so through the competent diplomatic or consular Representation. Alternatively, the Italian citizen may submit the marriage certificate directly to the competent Italian municipality, with the legalisation or apostille and Italian translation required for that document, unless an exemption applies.
Multilingual marriage extracts issued in the standard form under the Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976 (CIEC Convention No. 16) are accepted between States bound by that Convention without legalisation or an equivalent formality and without a separate translation of the standard multilingual content.