Paperwork Assistance
Civil and religious paperwork is required to marry in Italy and each citizenship has a different set of requirements.
One of the key services included with Distinctive Italy is the expert assistance of your Italian wedding planner in handling the paperwork so that you don't have to worry.
Formalities differ from region to region, and city to city, and it takes a high level of experience to navigate the complexities of this aspect of Italian wedding planning. After 20 years of planning weddings in Italy we have worked with every possible citizenship and situation.
We have experience in handling legalities for weddings in Italy for couples from all over the world.
Below are links to the most requested nationalities but we handle many others:
While there are no residency requirements to marry in Italy, depending on your nationality there are specific steps that must be completed in order to formalize your Italian wedding and make it legally binding.
AUSTRALIAN CITIZENS WISHING TO BE MARRIED IN ITALY – DO NOT START THE LEGAL REQUIREMENT PROCESS PREVIOUS THAN 6 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING DATE
Australian citizens wishing to be married in Italy require the following documentation:
- original full birth certificate, translated into Italian and legalized (both certificate and translation) by means of an Apostille (issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
- Single Status Certificate (issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages), translated into Italian and legalized (both certificate and translation) by means of an Apostille (issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
- valid passport
The abovementioned documents must be presented to the Registrar of the chosen Italian municipality within 90 days from their date of issue.
In addition, Australian citizens are required to obtain an “Atto Notorio” which is a statutory declaration that must be signed individually by each of the parties, along with 4 able witnesses, in which it is stated that, according to Australian law, there is no impediment to the marriage.
The 4 witnesses must be over the age of 18, hold a current form of photo i.d. and must not be related to the future bride or groom. In the event that you are not able to obtain this declaration before your departure, the “Atto Notorio” can be prepared in Italy via an Italian Tribunal (Tribunale). Should you wish to obtain the document locally before leaving Australia, please contact the Consulate no later than 2 months prior to departure, in order to arrange for its issue.
An appointment will be given for this purpose. In order to prepare the “Atto Notorio” the Consulate will need to receive, at least a week prior to the appointment date, all the relevant information required to draft the document, such as:
• name, surname,
• place and date of birth of bride and groom
• name& surname of parents of bride & groom (mother's maiden name please)
• passport number, date and place of issue of bride and groom
• residential address of bride and groom
• if one of the parties is not an Australian citizen, if either party is divorced, supply the citizenship of other party name & surname, place & date of birth of previous spouse, as well as date of divorce and name of the Court that issued the divorce decree.
On the day, you will be required to produce: birth certificate, passport, proof or residential address and, if the case may be, the decree nisi or certificate of divorce.
All four (4) witnesses will need to accompany you on the day - bride and groom may use the same witnesses if both require the issue of an “Atto Notorio”.
Along with your personal details (as above) please supply the following information regarding the witnesses:
• name, surname, place and date of birth, residential address
• details of their photo-id (passport or license): number, place and date of issue, expiry date (the same document will need to be presented on the day).
The cost for the issue of an “Atto Notorio” is € 30,00 (subject to change).
The “Atto Notorio" must then be presented to the Australian Diplomatic Missions in Italy (either the Australian Embassy in Rome or Consulate in Milan) in order to obtain the “NULLA OSTA” (NO IMPEDIMENT CERTIFICATE), as required by art.116 of the Italian Civil Code.
If one or both of the future spouses is divorced, the original Divorce Decree, translated into Italian and legalized (both certificate and translation) by means of an Apostille (issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) will need to be submitted to the Registrar of the chosen municipality, along with the rest of the documentation. All original documents must be translated by a professional, certified translator. The translation must then be stamped/authenticated by the Italian Consulate official.
DECLARATION of INTENT
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 Promessa di Matrimonio, or 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.
IMPORTANT!
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
* Nulla Osta
Please be sure that your passport, Atto Notorio and Nulla Osta contains the bride's maiden name.
- See more at: http://www.distinctiveitalyweddings.com/paperwork-requirements-for-us-citizens.html#sthash.njVIYPQR.dpuf* Passports
* Atto Notorio
* Nulla Osta
Please be sure that your passport, Atto Notorio and Nulla Osta contains the bride's maiden name.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY also the details on the Australian Embassy link: http://www.italy.embassy.gov.au/rome/Marriage.html
Important new procedures for British Nationals resident in the UK wishing to get married in Italy were introduced on 1 March 2013.
Please visit this link for specific details as where you reside and the citizenship of your future spouse determine the exact process: https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad
STANDARD SCENARIO
When both parties are British nationals and both are resident in the United Kingdom.
You cannot start the documentation process more than 6 months before your wedding date, or 3 months if you are resident in Scotland.
There are 4 simple steps that each British national, resident in the UK, must follow to get the right paperwork for marrying in Italy.
Step 1 – Certificate of No Impediment (CNI)
You need to obtain what’s called a Certificate of No Impediment, which is issued in the UK. Request that your CNI be valid for 6 months.
To do this you must give notice of marriage to your local registry office. After your notice has been posted for the required period you will be issued with a ‘Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage’, signed and dated by your local Registrar.
It is essential that the names you give to the Registrar, which will appear on your Certificates of No Impediment, are exactly the same as written in your passports. For example, Jim Harris on the Certificate, and James Harris-Ford on your passport might mean that the Italian authorities will reject your paperwork and refuse to allow the marriage to go ahead. Please take your passport with you to the Registry Office, just to be absolutely certain.
STEP 2 – THE STATUTORY DECLARATION
While you are waiting for your Certificate of No Impediment you should make a statutory declaration before a solicitor or public notary in the UK. Please find a bi-lingual statutory declaration form attached to this email. The declaration is required by the Italian authorities and gives additional information that is not detailed on your Certificate of No Impediment.
The solicitor or public notary will charge a fee for this service. Fees will vary so it might be worth shopping around. Be sure the solicitor stamps your statutory declaration with their notary stamp or it will not be valid.
Step 3 – Legalising your documents for the Italian authorities
When you have your Certificate of No Impediment and you have made your Statutory Declaration, you need to send them both to the Legalisation Office for each to be legalised with a Hague Apostille. The Legalisation Office will charge for this.
Step 4 – Translation of your Certificate of No Impediment
Once both these documents have been legalised, you will then need to have the legalised Certificate of No Impediment translated. As it will become an Italian legal document it should be translated by a translator based in Italy and sworn before the Italian courts or an Italian Justice of the Peace. (Please note that Italian Town halls may also accept other types of official translation not covered in this guidance). If you’re using a wedding planner in Italy they may be able to provide this service. A fee will be charged – fees vary depending on the translator. DIW provides the service of translation and courier service - please inquire with your planner. They will also charge a delivery fee to have the translation couriered back to you or to your wedding planner.
The Statutory Declaration does not need to be translated since it is already in both languages.
Each British national resident in the UK should have:
- a Certificate of No Impediment – issued in the UK, legalised in the UK and then translated officially in Italy
- a bilingual Statutory Declaration legalised in the UK
- passport
- any further documents specifically requested by your Comune (town hall) of marriage.
Once all of these documents have been prepared, they should be sent direct to either your wedding planner or to the town hall where you intend to get married. There is no longer any requirement for wedding documentation for British nationals resident in the UK to be sent to any British Consular Section in Italy for further processing.
It is always advisable for you, or your wedding agent, to check with the town hall where you intend to marry regarding extra documentation, for example photocopies of the passports of your witnesses, or how many days prior to the wedding you need to visit their offices.
Please note, under Italian law, a woman who has been divorced or widowed and wishes to re-marry in Italy cannot do so until 300 days have passed from the date of her divorce/death of husband.
Finally please note that your Certificate of No Impediment will be valid for six months from the date on your English, Welsh or Northern Irish CNI or three months if presenting a Scottish CNI.
For further easy-to-follow guidance have a look at these videos:
CLICK ON LINKS - from the Canadian Embassy web site: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/italy-italie/consular_services_consulaires/marriage-mariage.aspx?lang=eng
You wish to get married in Italy?
Certificate of marriage celebrated in Canada
You wish to get married in Italy?
Italian law requires EACH non-Italian wishing to be married in Italy to present a "Nulla Osta" (Certificate of non-Impediment) or equivalent documentation.
The Government of Canada does not issue "Nulla Osta". However, to assist Canadians to meet the Italian requirements, the Embassy of Canada issues a declaration containing the relevant information.
Requests for the declaration can be made by mail or in person,
Obtaining a Declaration (Nulla Osta) from the Embassy in Rome
You must first complete and swear an affidavit to the effect that there is no impediment to the proposed marriage. You may swear the affidavit in Canada, at the Embassy in Rome or at one of our Consulates, or at another Government of Canada office abroad.
Then, the affidavit and the attached documents listed below must be sent or brought,
Each Canadian Citizen must:
complete and swear an affidavit. The affidavit may be sworn:
- in Canada before a Notary public
- in Italy at the Embassy or one of the Consulates
- abroad at any Embassy or Consulate of Canada.
submit the sworn affidavitto the Embassy of Canada in Rome, together with all of the following supporting documents, by mail or
- certified true copy of his/her own valid Canadian passport
- proof of Canadian Citizenship:original or certified true copy of a marriage record search issued by the Vital Statistics office of each Canadian Province and/or Territory where he/she resided since reaching the age of 16; each search must cover the entire period during which the person has resided in that Province or Territory
- for persons born in Canada, original or certified true copy of both sides of the long-form birth certificate, which includes information on the parents
- for persons born outside of Canada, original or certified true copy of both sides of the Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
- original or certified copy of the applicant’s final divorce certificate or decree (if divorced)*
- original or certified copy of a deceased spouse’s death certificate(if widowed)*
- certified copy of the fiancé(e)’s valid passport
- copy of the consular processing fee payment receipt, or payment in person by MasterCard or Visa
- mailing/pick-up instructions (mailing is done by registered post to a foreign or Italian address at no additional cost)
IMPORTANT:If you and your fiancé(e) are both Canadian citizens, you will each need to swear an affidavit, and each obtain a declaration from the Embassy of Canada. Please consider that fees will, therefore, also be doubled.
*Since the new affidavit no longer has all of the divorce data, the Italian municipalities will require that you have your divorce decree or death certificate translated by an official translator and have them authenticated (or notary stamp). These will be presented to the municipality during your declaration.
Fees
Fees are payable for each declaration and for each affidavit, if sworn at the Embassy; they are non-refundable. For more information, please see Fees and Method of Payment.
Where do I submit the application?
By mail or courier:
Embassy of Canada
Consular Affairs (LN)
Via Zara, 30
00198 Rome
Italy
In person: same address as above,
What to Do After Obtaining the Declaration
Your wedding planner will assist with these next steps:
- Present the declaration to the competent "Prefettura - Ufficio Legalizzazioni" (provincial authority) to be formally authenticated.
- After it has been authenticated, you must present it to the Marriage Office of the Municipality in Italy. Banns are waived if neither party is Italian nor residing in Italy.
- The Municipal authorities will request the couple to return (usually in 2 or 3 days) with 2 witnesses PLUS an interpreter (if one or both parties are not familiar with the Italian language) to execute a declaration before the "Ufficiale dello Stato Civile" (Registrar of Vital Statistics) of the Municipality. Arrangements are then concluded and a date is scheduled for the civil marriage ceremony. Two witnesses PLUS an interpreter (if necessary) must be present at the civil marriage ceremony.
What to Do After the Marriage
Marriages that are legally performed in a foreign country are usually valid in Canada, and you do not need to register them in Canada. If you have questions about the validity of your foreign marriage, contact the Vital Statistics Office of your province or territory.
It is recommended that, before leaving Italy or with the help of the wedding planner if one is present, the newly-married couple obtain from the municipality (Comune) where the marriage was celebrated several copies of a marriage certificate in multilingual format, called Estratto dell’atto di matrimonio in formato plurilingue.
IMPORTANT!
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/Affidavit
Bride: please be sure that your passport and Nulla Osta contains your maiden name.
Nulla Osta Procedure for Irish Citizens wishing to marry in Italy
https://www.dfa.ie/travel/our-services/marriage-and-civil-partnership-abroad/
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/birth_family_relationships/getting_married/getting_married_abroad.html
1. If you are travelling on an Irish passport you must complete a:
- Statutory Declaration
- Two page questionnaire.
If your fiancé(e) is Irish he/she must also complete a full set of forms.
2. If you are divorced you must make a statutory declaration on form MP2B.
3. If either you or your prospective spouse are under 18 years of age and either of you is ordinarily resident in Ireland you must make an application to the Court for an order granting you permission to marry. You should seek legal advice prior to making the declaration.
4. The statutory declaration form in each set must be completed in the presence of and witnessed by one of the following:
1. A Notary Public 2. A Commissioner for Oaths 3.A Solicitor
It is a criminal offence punishable by a fine and or imprisonment to make a statutory declarationwhich is to your knowledge false or misleading in any material respect.
Timeline for applying for your Certificat de Coutume/Nulla Osta
5. The application forms for Certificat de Coutume/Nulla Osta/Letter of No Impediment to civil marriage cannot be completed earlier than six months before the date of the intended marriage. That is, the date the Statutory Declaration is completed in the presence of the Commissioner for Oaths, Notary Public or Solicitor, cannot be earlier than six months before the date of the intended marriage.
6. The application should be returned to the Department of Foreign Affairs or nearest Irish diplomatic mission at least 4 months before the date of the marriage.
Where to Make an Application
Irish citizens who are resident in Ireland should make their application via the Department of Foreign Affairs at the following address:
Consular Section
Department of Foreign Affairs
St. Stephen’s Green
Dublin 2
Telephone: (01) 408 2568
Or for the Munster area:
Consular Services
Department of Foreign Affairs
1A South Mall
Cork
Telephone: (021) 4944763 or (021) 4944777
Irish citizens who are resident abroad should make their application to their nearest Irish Mission. If you are resident in Italy, an application should be made to the Embassy in Rome.
Applications should be made at least four, but not more than six, months before the marriage is due to take place.
The Embassy will issue your Nulla Osta one month before the date of your wedding.
Required Documentation
7. The applicant(s) should furnish the Department of Foreign Affairs with the following documentation :
- Original Long form of civil birth certificate
- Court Order if you are under 18 years
- Original Death Certificate of previous spouse if widowed
- Original Petition and Final decree of divorce: if divorced
- Copy of Passport
- Fee Euro 66 currently
* Applications that are not in order will be returned immediately*
8. When returning the completed forms, ensure that all documents requested are included. All Certificates and divorce papers must be original documents. (For further information on obtaining original birth or death certificates, please visit www.groireland.ie.) A photocopy of the details page of current passport is acceptable. These will be returned after inspection.
Fees:
9. Ensure that the appropriate fee is included. If applying to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the fee for Nulla Osta for Italy is €20 per couple (regardless of whether one or both persons are Irish). Payment can be made by cheque, payable order or bank draft and should be made payable to the Secretary General, Department of Foreign Affairs.
10. If applying to the nearest Irish Diplomatic Mission, details of payment can be obtained from the relevant Mission.
11. A marriage will only be recognized in Ireland if it is civilly registered in the country in which it takes place. Therefore, it is essential that full details of venue of the marriage, the date of the marriage, the full title of the person performing the ceremony *and the title and address of the Civil Registry Office at which the marriage is to be registered, are entered at Questions 12,13 and 14 on the questionnaire. (The name of the person performing the ceremony may not be available in advance. If not, it is in order to insert ‘Registrar of the Day’ or ‘Priest of the Day’ etc.)
*With regard to marriages that take place in the Irish College in Rome, it is sufficient only to give details of the Church, as all marriages that take place in the College are civilly registered in the local Comune.
Applying for a Nulla Osta
To marry in Italy, Italian authorities require a document called a Nulla Osta issued by the New Zealand Embassy. This document is similar to a New Zealand Certificate of No Impediment to marriage.
Send the following (by courier, post or deliver in person, faxed copies are not acceptable) to the New Zealand Embassy in Rome:
- An original Certificate of No Impediment issued by the Department of Internal Affairs.
- Certified copies of the biodata pages of the passports of the bride and groom
- A completed and signed form “Particulars for inclusion in a Nulla Osta" (contact our staff for a copy of this document)
- The fee for processing the Nulla Osta is Euro 40; payable to 'New Zealand Embassy' by bank draft (assegno circolare).
- Fee for your documents to be returned by courier is Euro 30. A single bank draft of Euro 70 is acceptable. If you lodge your application in person we can accept the cash equivalent.
- The original copy of the decree nisi or order of dissolution if either the bride or the groom is divorced. (Note If the bride is divorced, 300 days must have passed since the dissolution/decree nisi was registered).
- It usually takes a week for the Embassy to prepare a Nulla Osta once all the required correct and complete documentation and fees have been received.
- The documents can then be collected in person or couriered to you or your agent, not to the offices of the Italian authorities.
- A covering letter with your contact details, the date you intend to get married and any other information you consider useful.
Documents expire after 3 months so please do not obtain them too far in advance.
While there are no residency requirements to marry in Italy, depending on your nationality there are specific steps that must be completed in order to formalize your Italian wedding and make it legally binding.
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS for AMERICANS - 3 steps
1 - ATTO NOTORIO - done in the US 3 months prior to your wedding day. Can be done in Italy with our assistance provided we have ample advanced notice - (recently this is becoming more difficult).
Before leaving the United States, you need to obtain an Atto Notorio (sworn declaration) from the Italian Embassy or Consulate in the state where you reside. You must set up an appointment with the nearest Italian Consulate to where you live and verify how many witnesses are required (it varies from location to location).
An Atto Notorio is an affidavit done before the Italian Consulate in the US (or before a magistrate in Italy). It consists of a meeting in front of the Italian Consulate with witnesses (4*) in which a declaration relative to the civil status (single, divorced etc…) of the couple is made. An official document is then drawn up for filing purposes here in Italy.
*Some Italian Consulates only require two witnesses for the Atto Notorio but the town hall in Italy may require that you have 4. Please double check prior to booking your appointment.
In order to obtain an Atto Notorio you must prepare the following documentation:
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- If previously divorced/widowed, your divorce decree or death certificate
- Translations of all of the above except your passport.
Please note that all certificates including divorce certificates or death certificates certifying termination of your previous marriage MUST be ORIGINALS. Photocopies are not accepted.
Please be sure that at the top of the page of your Atto Notorio the detail " Repubblica Italiana" and "Consolato Generale D'Italia" are specifically written, otherwise the Atto Notorio is not valid.
TRANSLATIONS of DOCUMENTS
Your Birth and or divorce/death certificates must be:
- Translated into Italian
- Apostilled through the Secretary of State's Notary Public of the state the document originated in. Note: if you are a naturalized US Citizen you may be required by the Italian Consulate to apostille your birth certificate through the Consulate/Embassy of the country you were born in.
- Some town halls also require that your translations be Apostilled by the Secretary of State's Notary Public.
- The translations of your certificates must be authenticated by the Italian Consulate (stamped with a seal).
- Translations must be done by a certified translator - the Italian Consulate will provide a list of approved translators.
- Some Italian Consulates require that your translations be also apostilled. So please have your translations also apostilled.
- In addition Italian Consulates are now requesting the certificate of no appeal in case of a previous divorce.
APOSTILLE
Is obtained via mail, you do not have to go in person. You must mail your certificates to the Secretary of State's notary public office requesting an apostille. They will mail it back to you. If time is of the essence, this procedure can be expedited by pre-paying the courier service. The Secretary of State's notary public office is in the state's capitol. (ex: for Florida, it will be in Tallahassee). A standard notary public seal is NOT an apostille.
EMAIL DOCS to US
After you have completed your Atto Notorio you must email a copy to us. We will verify that everything is complete.
Bring the originals of your documents with you when you come to Italy. HAND CARRY YOUR DOCUMENTS, do not check them with your luggage.
If you cannot obtain an Atto Notorio prior to coming to Italy or you currently reside in Italy, the Atto Notorio can somtimes be arranged in Italy; there is a cost for this service if done by us.
2 - NULLA OSTA - (Done in Italy with our staff)
Once in Italy, in addition to the Atto Notorio, an American 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 American Consular officer at the American Embassy in Rome or Consulate-General in Milan, Genova, Venice, Florence or Naples. 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 2011 costs $55 per person (some consulates accept credit cards, others cash only).
Ask the Consulate to state on the Nulla Osta that you are a "tourist in transit".
The Nulla Osta must then be legalised by the Uffico Legalizzazioni of the Prefettura. Nulla Osta and legalization can generally be completed in one morning and are done with our assistance.
IMPORTANT!
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
* Nulla Osta
Please be sure that your passport, Atto Notorio and Nulla Osta contains the bride's maiden name.
3 - DECLARATION of INTENT
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 Promessa di Matrimonio, or 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 American with Italian residency, then Banns (pubblicazione di matrimonio) must be posted for at least two weeks before the date of the marriage.
Documents expire after 3 months so please do not obtain them too far in advance.
Parish Permission
Formal letter from your parish priest granting permission for the wedding to be performed in the church you choose.
This letter is required by the Italian Curia (Diocese) to show that you have received permission from your parish priest to have your wedding ceremony performed in Italy. It should certify that your priest knows you and allows you to get married at the Italian Church of (exact name) at the specific date. This letter needs to be written on the letterhead paper of your Parish.
The letter from the priest must also state that you have fulfilled all PRE CANA procedures, and should include the certificate showing that you attended the premarital classes.
Bishop Permission
Your priest should also secure a letter from the Bishop of the parish stating the same as above and this letter should also be written on letterhead. The Bishop's permission to the wedding is one of the most important requirements for the Italian Curia. The letter must certify that:
- You have no impediment to get married at the Italian Church of (name of the church) at the date (the date you are asking).
- This letter must be written on the letterhead paper of your Bishop's office.
- This letter shows that approval has been given by the authority over the priest who has written the letter referred in # 1.
Prenuptial Inquiry Form
The original prenuptial inquiry form has to be issued by your parish and be on formal church letterhead of your Parish. The prenuptial inquiry form is not just the certificate but rather a type of signed questionnaire with church seals/signatures. Moreover this document must be stamped or sealed by the local Bishop's office (NOT just your priest).
A Prenuptial Inquiry is issued by the archdiocese of your city/town. It is the prenuptial investigation which your priest completes together with you. Your priest completes the questionnaire stating it has been approved so you can get married, signing the document as final approval.
Then this document has to be sealed by your local Bishop, so the Italian Curia/Diocese has the proof that it has been definitely approved by a higher member of the Catholic Church in your country.
Certificates
ALL certificates of baptism, first communion and confirmation must be sent together with the Prenuptial inquiry form and letters mentioned above and must also be stamped by the local Bishop's office. All these sacraments have to be received in order to have the Catholic wedding performed. Ask your Parish who performed these sacraments to provide these certificates. If you have problems obtaining the originals, ask for copies that have to be sealed by your local bishop. The seals of the bishop, are required on these documents by the Italian Curia.
For Catholic weddings with Civil validity
Original of the civil wedding certificate, (in event the Italian priest is not performing the civil part of the marriage the civil ceremony must be performed prior to the religious ceremony and that original certificate must be presented to the Italian priest) This would apply if you are not asking to be civilly married at the same wedding ceremony in Italy or in case that the Italian priest should not be able to do the civil and religious wedding together).
Please note: a wedding license is NOT a civil marriage certificate.
Permission of mixed religions
If one of you are not Catholic you will be required to obtain another document such as "Permission of mixed religions" to testify that the wedding celebration can be performed by the Italian Church. Generally this document is issued by the local Bishop of your country. Ask this information to your Parish, so they can help you to obtain this special permission.
All the documents mentioned MUST be sealed or stamped by the Bishop's parish office. Please send your wedding planner a scanned copy of your documents once they are completed for review. Once this is done you will be asked to send all the ORIGINALS directly to the Italian Diocese, so they can proceed with the preparation of documents.
It is not possible to complete the Catholic marriage requirements without providing the originals documents.
NOTE: The Italian priest or Diocese has final say on granting official permission for the wedding to move forward after seeing the paperwork.
Keep the original documents with you, do not send these here in Italy before receiving the Italian Church approval based on the copies you send us.
Do not mail anything to Italy without first verifying the mailing address of where they should be sent.
Divorce
The above refer to a couple that has never been married previously. If you have been divorced in the Catholic church and your marriage was not officially annulled you cannot marry in the Catholic church. Please advise us if you have had your marriage annulled.
Expiration of Documents
Documents should not be done more than 6 months in advance or they expire. (Exception of the Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation, that are issued when you received these sacraments).
For Catholic weddings only (not including the Civil portion), a certificate of civil marriage (note that the marriage license is not enough), is also required. The civil wedding certificate never expires. The only case is that the couple has divorced and want to get married again in the Church. In this case a civil reconciliation is required.
