How U.S. Citizens Can Legally Get Married in Italy

Instead of obtaining a Nulla Osta, U.S. citizens must:

• Swear the “dichiarazione giurata” (sworn statement) before the U.S. Consulate in Italy
• Legalize the consular signature at the competent Prefettura
• Obtain an “atto notorio” in Italy, either at a Court in Italy or at the Italian Consulate in the U.S.
• Present the above-mentioned documents at the town in Italy where you intend to get married for their evaluation
• If both are non-resident foreign citizens, they must attend the appointment where the spouses declare no impediments to kinship, affinity, adoption, or affiliation between them under art. 87, numbers 1, 2, and 4 of the civil code, nor are there any other impediments according to art. 85, 86, and 88 of the same code.
• Celebrate the civil wedding before the Mayor or their deputy in the presence of two witnesses and an interpreter where required.
  

Last review: September 2026

American Citizens Getting Married in Italy: Legal Requirements

This comprehensive guide walks you through each legal and bureaucratic step, ensuring your marriage is recognized both in Italy and the United States.

• U.S. Consular “dichiarazione giurata” (Sworn Statement)
• Legalization of the “Dichiarazione giurata” (Sworn Statement)
• Atto Notorio
• Declaration of no impediments at Town Hall
• Legal Wedding Ceremony in Italy
• Making the Marriage Valid in the U.S.
• Choosing the Applicable Property Law
• What documents U.S. Citizens need to marry in Italy

What documents are required for American citizens to marry in Italy?

Step 1: Secure U.S. Consulate appointment for the “Dichiarazione giurata” (Sworn Statement)

The couple must visit the U.S. Consulate in Italy — to fill out the DICHIARAZIONE GIURATA (sworn statement) stating there are no legal impediments to the marriage, according to the laws applicable in State where the applicant lives.

📌 Important: You must sign the “DICHIARAZIONE GIURATA“ in the presence of the U.S. Consular official, not in advance.

This document is the replacement of the standard Nulla Osta required under Article 116 of the Italian Civil Code.

Instead, it legally replaces the Nulla Osta for U.S. citizens who wish to marry in Italy.

This alternative procedure is fully recognized and accepted by the Italian legal system under the agreement between the diplomatic representatives of the United States and Italy, formally ratified by Italian Legge n. 1195 of 13 October 1965.

As a result, American citizens can marry legally in Italy without obtaining a traditional Nulla Osta, while remaining in full compliance with Italian marriage law.

Step 2: Legalize the “DICHIARAZIONE GIURATA”

The next step is the legalization of the “Dichiarazione Giurata” by the competent prefettura.

This can be done immediately after the couple signs the “dichiarazione giurata” at the U.S. Consulate in Italy, often on the very same day.

This legalization is essential because it ensures that the “dichiarazione giurata” is fully accepted by the Italian Town hall where the couple intends to marry.

The reason is simple: the signature of the U.S. Consul or their deputy is officially registered with a specific prefettura, which is the only authority entitled to verify and legalize it.

It is important to note that not every prefettura is authorized to legalize a consular “dichiarazione giurata”.

Only the prefettura where the Consul’s or consular officer’s signature is registered can carry out this step.

This is a crucial part of the process as it allows the “Dichiarazione giurata” -which is technically a foreign document- to be formally recognized within the Italian legal system.

The competent prefettura verifies that the signature of the U.S. Consul or their deputy on the “dichiarazione giurata” matches the signature on file.

Once verified, the prefettura applies an official legalization stamp, certifying that the sworn statement is valid and legally recognized in Italy.

Only after this step can the “Dichiarazione giurata” be submitted to the Italian Town hall, together with the atto notorio (explained in the next section), in order to proceed with the civil marriage.

Once this process is completed, the documents are fully valid for a civil wedding in Italy.

Please note that, under Italian law:

• the consular “dichiarazione giurata (sworn statement) as every marriage Nulla Osta, is valid for 180 days;
• the atto notorio is valid for 90 days.

🕒 In practice, we generally obtain both the legalized “dichiarazione giurata” and the atto notorio on the same day.

By around 2:00 PM, you have all the required documents in hand and are ready to move forward with the final steps at the town hall.

Step 3: Obtain the “Atto Notorio”

🚀 Quickest route

With our team by their side, the couple appears before the Italian Court to obtain the Atto Notorio, a formal declaration confirming that both parties are legally free to marry.

Although the Atto Notorio is not technically an oath, it is issued under the personal legal responsibility of the applicants.

Any false declaration made during this procedure constitutes a criminal offence under Italian law.

For this reason, the Atto Notorio is treated by Italian authorities as a highly reliable legal document and is a key requirement for a civil wedding in Italy involving U.S. citizens.

✅ We prepare the atto notorio for the declarants. Depending on the policy of the competent Court, it may be drawn up as a single joint act covering both parties or as two separate acts, one for each party. At Italian diplomatic and consular offices in the United States, two separate acts, one for each U.S. citizen, are generally required

✅ We provide the two required witnesses (before the Italian Consulate abroad, four witnesses are generally required). The witnesses to the Atto Notorio must be unrelated to the U.S. citizen by blood or marriage and must have no legal interest in the effects produced by the Atto Notorio.
✅ All you need is your valid passport, no other documents required.
✅ Some Courts required the presence of an interpreter, although the Italian law does not require one for the atto notorio.
✅ We schedule the fast track procedure so you can receive your Atto Notorio the same day, keeping your wedding timeline in Italy on track.

This step officially confirms there are no legal barriers to your marriage under both Italian and U.S. law.

Atto Notorio at the Italian Consulate in the U.S.

The Atto Notorio can also be obtained at the competent Italian Consulate to your residence in the U.S.
However, this process usually takes longer because consulates often have long waiting lists and limited staff.

In addition, Italian consulates in the U.S. are generally stricter and require more documentation.
For example, you will need to provide your birth certificate and, if applicable, your divorce decree or the death certificate of a previous spouse if applicable.
These documents must be legalized with an apostille according to The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, at the competent U.S. Secretary of State office and translated into Italian.

The translation must then be sworn in a process called Dichiarazione di conformità, where the translator takes an oath confirming the accuracy of the translation.

Although Italian Legge 1195 of 13 October 1965 formally requires four witnesses for the atto notorio declaration in cases involving U.S. citizens marrying in Italy, most Italian Courts now require only two witnesses in practice.

This consolidated court practice significantly simplifies the procedure, making it easier and faster to obtain the atto notorio directly before an Italian court, without unnecessary logistical complications for the couple.

As you can imagine, this option can be a real bureaucratic challenge.

That’s why we always recommend obtaining the Atto Notorio directly in Italy, where, thanks to our guidance, no additional documents are required by the Court we work with, and the process is much simpler and faster.

Step 4: Declare Absence of Impediments at Town Hall

Before the wedding (typically 1–2 days prior the civil wedding day), the couple must declare at the municipality that:

• There are no legal impediments such as kinship, adoption, affiliation or affinity (Art. 87, points 1, 2, and 4 of the Italian Civil Code)
• No other obstacles under Articles 85, 86, or 88 of the Italian civil code exist

📌 Interpreter Required if one or both do not speak Italian fluently.

No witnesses are needed for this appointment.

Special Importan Note:

‼️If either party is resident in Italy, or is an Italian citizen residing abroad, including dual U.S. Italian citizens permanently resident in the United States, the standard procedure described above does not apply.

In these cases, Italian law requires the completion of marriage banns (pubblicazioni di matrimonio).

Where the Italian party is formally resident in Italy, the marriage banns are filed with the Municipality of residence in Italy.

➡️ Where the Italian party is resident in the United States and duly registered with A.I.R.E., including dual U.S. Italian citizens, the marriage banns must be initiated through the competent Italian Consulate in the United States.

To find out which Italian Consulate in the U.S. is competent for your area, whether to begin the marriage banns process or to determine where to obtain an Atto Notorio, please check the official Consulate Finder provided by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This second scenario requires particular attention, as it involves a different allocation of responsibilities between Italian and U.S. authorities.

Because the Italian citizen resides permanently in the United States, the Italian Consulate in the U.S. is responsible for reviewing and assessing the marriage documentation.

This time to avoid unnecessary travel to the American citizens in Italy the “dichiarazione giurata” can be replaced by a sworn statement before a notary public in the U.S. and legalized with the apostille at the Competent Secretary of State in the U.S.
The notarial sworn statement must also be translated in Italian and authenticated by the Italian consulate through the procedure “certificazione conformità di traduzione“.

We explain this simplified route in this video below.

Once issued, the apostilled and translated (into Italian) sworn statement must then be submitted to the Italian Consulate in the United States together with the atto notorio, allowing the marriage banns procedure to be formally initiated.

After the marriage banns are posted and published, an 11-day waiting period applies. Only once this period has elapsed may the couple proceed with the civil marriage.

Where the marriage banns are completed through the Italian Consulate in the United States, the Consulate must formally transmit a delegation (delegation) to the Municipality selected for the civil marriage, which may be any City Hall in Italy.

Where the marriage banns are completed in Italy, because either party is formally resident in Italy, the civil marriage may take place either in the Municipality where the banns were initiated or in any other Municipality in Italy, subject to acceptance by the receiving Municipality.

Step 5: Celebrate Your Legal Wedding in Italy

The ceremony takes place at the town hall before the Mayor (or delegate), with:

Two witnesses with valid ID and Interpreter if needed

This is your official and legally binding civil wedding in Italy!

Step 6: Post-Wedding Documents to ensure your marriage is valid in the U.S.

To ensure your marriage is valid in the United States, we will:

1. We will request an official Italian marriage certificate from the town hall (we generally ask the “estratto per riassunto dell’atto di matrimonio as inside it there written the selection of the couple for the law that will govern their property regime.
2. We will inquire the competent Prefettura to obtain an apostille (according to The Hague convention which Italy and U.S. are part of) to authenticate the certificate and make it recognizable in the U.S.
3. We will hire at our expense a professional translator that will translate the certificate via asseverazione (sworn translation) at the Italian Court.
4. We will then contact the competent Public Prosecutor’s Office to obtain a second apostille for the translated version, as this document must also be valid within the U.S. legal system. This ensures your marriage certificate is fully recognized in the United States.

📌 This double apostille process ensures both the original and translated marriage certificate are fully recognized under The Hague Convention.

Choosing the Applicable Property Law under European Regulation

One of the most important (and often overlooked) legal aspects for couples getting married in Italy concerns their matrimonial property regime.

Under article 22 of European Regulation 2016/1103 of 24 June 2016, spouses have the right to choose the law that will govern their matrimonial property regime instead of having it determined automatically by conflict-of-law rules.

In practical terms, before or at the time of the civil wedding in Italy, the couple may formally request that their matrimonial property regime be governed by:

• the law of a State of which one of the spouses is a citizen; or
• the law of a State in which one of the spouses is habitually resident.

For American couples, this can be particularly important. It allows them to maintain consistency between their marriage in Italy and their broader legal and financial planning in the United States.

This choice is not automatic.

It must be expressly declared and properly recorded during the marriage procedure. When correctly requested, the Italian authorities must record the spouses’ choice in the marriage records.

After the wedding, the spouses may request an important document known as the estratto per riassunto dell’atto di matrimonio.

This document is particularly significant because it is the only Italian marriage certificate that records the law chosen by the spouses to govern their matrimonial property regime.

Neither the standard full Italian marriage certificate nor the multilingual certificate (estratti plurilingue according to Vienna Convention) contains this information.

For international couples, and especially for couples who may need to demonstrate abroad which law governs their matrimonial property regime, the estratto per riassunto dell’atto di matrimonio is therefore the most important marriage certificate issued by the Italian authorities.

Special Case: Women Divorced Within the Previous 300 Days

Italian law provides special rules for women whose previous marriage ended less than 300 days before the intended wedding date.

In these cases, an authorization must generally be obtained from the competent Italian Court before the marriage can proceed.

The court may waive the 300-day waiting period upon presentation of appropriate evidence demonstrating that there is no possibility of confusion regarding paternity.

We regularly assist with this procedure by coordinating with the competent court, preparing the application, and arranging the medical documentation required by the authorities.

After this comprehensive guide if you are wondering weather a legal marriage contracted in Italy is recognized in Italy you should read our article is a marriage in Italy valid in the U.S.

Written by Alessandro Pirrò
Alessandro is a former legal advisor to the Italian Government and has worked with top law firms in Rome, focusing on international marriage and recognition abroad. He now supports foreign couples getting legally married in Italy, offering expert guidance on paperwork, consular requirements and legal recognition in their home country.

We will be your Legal Advisors for your Civil Wedding in Italy

Due to our experience in law firms and the foreign offices of the Italian public administration, we gained significant expertise in Consular affairs, and we are trained to solve the most complicated procedures such as:

• All information about the Nulla Osta
• Assistance with Catholic wedding for American citizens marrying in Italy
• Assistance with the Atto Notorio