Last updated: October 2025
Get Assistance to Marry in Italy as a Refugee — Without the Need for a Nulla Osta
Getting married in Italy is a dream for many international couples — and yes, it is absolutely possible even if one of the partners has refugee status.
At The Legal Wedding Planner, we assist couples from all over the world, including refugees and displaced persons, ensuring that their marriage in Italy is fully legal, recognized abroad, and handled with compassion and care.
1. Can a Refugee Get Married in Italy?
Yes.
Under Italian law, foreign citizens — including refugees — can legally marry in Italy.
Normally, Article 116 of the Italian Civil Code requires foreigners to present a Nulla Osta, a certificate from their country confirming that there is no legal obstacle to marriage.
However, the Italian Ministry of the Interior, through Official Circolare No. 1 of 12 January 2022, clarified that this requirement does not apply to refugees.
Instead, refugees may provide:
- a certificate or other suitable act proving they are free to marry, or
- a self-declaration (atto notorio or substitute declaration) under Presidential Decree 445/2000.
This reform was designed to remove discrimination and ensure that refugees can exercise their right to marry even if their home country cannot issue official documents.
The UNHCR is no longer involved in this procedure — everything is handled directly with the Italian Civil Registry (Ufficio di Stato Civile).
2. Entering Italy with a Refugee Travel Document
Before planning your wedding in Italy, it’s important to understand the rules that apply to your entry into the country. Refugees can legally marry in Italy, but depending on where they currently live, the travel and visa requirements may differ.
Italy fully recognizes the Refugee Travel Document issued under the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
This document allows refugees to travel internationally, but entry requirements into Italy depend on the country that issued the document and the bilateral agreements in place.
In general, refugees who hold a 1951 Convention Travel Document may enter Italy either visa-free or with a short-stay Schengen visa, depending on their country of residence:
- Refugees living in countries that have a visa-waiver agreement with Italy or the Schengen Area (for example, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan) can normally enter Italy without a visa for stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
- Refugees residing in countries that are not part of the visa-waiver list must apply for a short-stay Schengen visa (Type C) for tourism or marriage purposes at the nearest Italian embassy or consulate before travelling.
To enter Italy, the Refugee Travel Document must:
- be valid for at least three months beyond the planned stay,
- clearly state that it was issued under the 1951 Geneva Convention, and
- be accompanied by proof of residence and return travel plans.
🔹 Important:
Each Schengen country applies its own visa policy toward holders of refugee travel documents.
Even if Italy allows visa-free entry for certain nationalities, other Schengen states may require a visa.
Therefore, if you plan to travel beyond Italy, it is essential to verify the entry rules of each destination country in advance.
If the refugee has later acquired citizenship of another country, the entry process follows the rules applicable to that nationality — which may allow visa-free travel for short stays in Italy.
3. Choosing the Right Municipality
One of the most important decisions is where to get married.
In Italy, not all municipalities (Comuni) have the same level of experience in handling marriages involving foreign nationals or refugees.
At The Legal Wedding Planner, we recommend allowing our team to select the municipality for you.
We collaborate with a network of Italian towns experienced in immigration and refugee-related documentation, ensuring that every legal step is accepted without unnecessary delays or misunderstandings.
Choosing the right Comune can save weeks — sometimes months — of waiting.
4. Step-by-Step Process and Timeline
Once the couple’s documents are ready, the process generally takes 6 to 10 weeks.
The main stages include:
- Verification of personal documents and status.
- Preparation of the atto notorio (self-declaration before an Italian Court).
- Coordination with the selected municipality.
- Booking the appointments for the declarations and the civil ceremony.
- Providing interpreters and witnesses if needed.
- Issuance of the official marriage certificate.
All procedures can be coordinated remotely by our team — from document preparation to communication with Italian authorities.
5. Recognition of the Marriage Abroad
After your wedding in Italy, your marriage can be legally recognized both in your country of residence and in any other country where you need official recognition — for example, Germany, the United States, Canada, or Australia.
Recognition in European Countries (Vienna Convention)
For European countries that are signatories to the Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976 on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil-status records, the process is simple and immediate.
The estratto plurilingue dell’atto di matrimonio (multilingual extract of the marriage certificate) is issued on the wedding day and requires no translation or legalization.
This document is valid and directly recognized in all participating European countries.
Recognition in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Other Hague Convention Countries
For countries that are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961, the procedure is slightly more complex — but it is entirely managed by our team.
In this case, the marriage certificate must be:
- Apostilled by the competent Prefettura;
- Translated by a sworn legal translator (traduzione asseverata) before the Italian Court;
- Apostilled again by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (Procura della Repubblica) to ensure the translation’s international validity.
Why This Step Matters
Each country has specific rules for recognizing foreign civil acts.
For this reason, it is essential that you let us know where you intend to have your marriage recognized, so we can apply the correct legal procedure from the very beginning and ensure full international validity.
6. Legal Framework and Property Regime
Under Article 30 of Italian Law No. 218 of 31 May 1995, international couples may choose which law will govern their matrimonial property regime — either the law of their residence or the nationality of one of the spouses.
We guide our clients through this choice, once they decide where they will live after the wedding.
7. How The Legal Wedding Planner Can Help
Our team specializes in international and refugee-status marriages in Italy.
We handle every aspect remotely — including:
- document collection and legalization,
- coordination with embassies and consulates,
- scheduling court and town-hall appointments,
- interpreter and witness arrangements,
- and recognition of the marriage abroad.
We have successfully assisted many couples who were separated by borders, war, or migration restrictions — helping them finally reunite and celebrate their marriage in Italy.
Final Thoughts
Love should never be limited by borders or bureaucracy.
Italy recognizes that refugees have the same right to marry as any other person — and with the right legal guidance, the process can be smooth, fast, and fully valid both in Italy and abroad.
If you’re ready to begin, our team is here to make your Italian wedding dream a legal and emotional reality.
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.
Your Legal Advisors for Getting Married in Italy as a Refugee
Our firm’s specialized legal consultation services are designed to assist you in successfully meeting these requirements, thereby facilitating the legal recognition of your marriage in both Italy and the U.S.
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 procedure such as:
1) Nulla osta process, legalization procedure, Court hearings for the refusal of the town hall when there documents missing , legal translation, apostille procedure, emergency procedure for legalization.
2) Same-sex couples that want to celebrate a civil union in Italy as in their country the union is forbidden;
3) Couples that come from countries where divorce is not allowed;
4) Italians living abroad registered at AIRE that need to recover their document to start the marriage banns in the Italian Consulate;
5) Assistance with people that come from countries that do not release the nulla osta;
6) American and Australian couples who needs assistance with “atto notorio” in an Italian Court or the Italian Consulate in the USA or Australia.
7) People with refugee status who have requested asylum in Italy.
