Marrying in Italy for foreigners

Last update: September 2026

How to get married in Italy with a Civil Wedding

Marriage Requirements for a Civil Ceremony

To legally marry in Italy with a civil wedding, foreign citizens must provide the following documents:

📌 A valid passport

📌 A document proving they are legally free to marry. Depending on your nationality, this may be:

• A Nulla Osta
• A “Dichiarazione giurata” (United States citizens)
• A Certificate of Legal Capacity to marry(Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey)
• A Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) together with a Statutory Declaration (British citizens)

📌 An Atto Notorio, which is required in addition to the above documentation for U.S. and Australian citizens.

About the Author
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.

Nulla Osta al Matrimonio

Under Article 116 of the Italian Civil Code, foreign citizens must obtain a document confirming that there are no legal impediments to their marriage.

In most cases, this document is known as a Nulla Osta al Matrimonio and can be obtained through your country’s diplomatic authorities in Italy.

📌 Issued by your Consulate in Italy

If your Nulla Osta is issued by your Consulate in Italy, it will generally need to be legalized by the competent Prefettura before it can be used for marriage purposes in Italy, unless an applicable international convention or European Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 provides an exemption.

Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry (Munich Convention)

🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇪 Germany 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇹 Italy 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇲🇩 Moldova 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇹🇷 Turkey

Citizens of countries that are parties to the Munich Convention do not need to obtain a Nulla Osta.

Instead, they must obtain a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry from the competent authority designated by their country.

This certificate was specifically created to facilitate marriages abroad and offers a significant advantage: under the Munich Convention, it is accepted in Italy without the need for translation, legalization, or any equivalent formality.

It is issued directly in the applicant’s home country, rather than by the relevant consulate in Italy.

This generally makes the marriage procedure faster and more straightforward. The applicant does not need to collect and submit documents to the consulate in Italy for the issuance of a Nulla Osta, which, in many cases, must subsequently be legalized by the competent Italian Prefettura before it can be used within the Italian legal system.

The Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry issued under the Munich Convention therefore significantly simplifies and expedites the procedure for nationals of countries that are parties to the Convention.

However, since the certificate does not contain the applicant’s complete parental details, the Italian Municipality may also require a birth certificate to be submitted together with it.

📌 Nulla Osta Issued in the Home Country

In certain countries that have bilateral agreements with Italy, the Nulla Osta is issued directly by the competent authority in the applicant’s home country.

The home country that issues the null osta (or similar document) may need to have it “apostilled” (if the home country is part of The Hague convention).

A translation into Italian may also be required.

This can usually be completed either in Italy (before any Italian Court) through a sworn translation (asseverazione), at the Italian Consulate in the applicant’s home country, or by a certified translator in the country where the document was issued, provided that the legal system of that country formally recognizes and regulates the profession of translator for official purposes.

👉🏻Following some examples of the exception mentioned above.

🇬🇧United Kingdom

📌 If Residing in the UK:

• Obtain a Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) from your local registry office.
• Prepare a bilingual statutory declaration (English-Italian).
• Both documents must be legalized with an apostille by the FCDO.

📌 If Residing Outside the UK:

• Either return to the UK to obtain a CNI, or
• Apply for a Nulla Osta at the British Embassy in Rome.
  
  For more details check our guide on British citizen getting married in Italy.

🇫🇮 Finland

✅ Required Document: Certificate of Ability to Marry

• Issued by the local administrative authority in Finland.
• Must be translated into Italian by a sworn translator.
• Apostille required under the Hague Convention.

🇱🇹 Lithuania

✅ Required Document: Marriage Permit

• Issued by the Municipal Registry Office in Lithuania.
• Must be translated into Italian by a sworn translator.
• Apostille required under the Hague Convention.

🇲🇽 Mexico

✅ Required Document: Constancia de Resistencia de Registro

• Since May 14, 2015, certificates issued by the Civil Registers of Mexican States are the only valid proof of marital status.
• Confirms that no previous marriages are registered in the applicant’s name.
• Italian registrar officers accept this certificate for Mexican citizens marrying in Italy.

🇳🇴 Norway

✅ Required Document: Marriage Permit

• Issued by the Norwegian Registry Office.
• Must be translated into Italian by a sworn translator in Norway.
• Apostille required under the Hague Convention.

🇸🇪 Sweden

✅ Required Document: Nulla Osta (Certificate of No Impediments)

• Issued by the Registry Office of the Swedish Municipality of Residence.
• Must be translated into Italian by a sworn translator.
• Apostille required under the Hague Convention.
• If the Swedish citizen resides in Italy, authorization is issued by the Swedish Consulate in Italy.

🇵🇱Poland

The Nulla Osta is issued by the municipality of residence in Poland and is exempt from legalization. If the document is translated in Poland, the translator’s signature must be legalized with an Apostille.

🇭🇺Hungary

The substitute certificate in lieu of the Nulla Osta for marriage is issued to Hungarian citizens by the Embassy of Hungary(Circular No. 11/2013) and is exempt from legalization. The translation must be carried out in Italy before an Italian court, or at an Italian Consulate in Hungary.

🇸🇲 San Marino

✅ Required Document: Nulla Osta

• Issued by the Civil Status Office of the Republic of San Marino.
• Exempt from legalization.
• Requires a full birth certificate or birth certificate with annotations.

🇸🇾 Syria

✅ Required Document: Nulla Osta

• Issued by the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in Vienna.
• Must be legalized by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Must then be legalized again by the Italian diplomatic-consular office in Vienna.
• Translation into Italian must also be legalized by the Italian Consulate in Vienna.

🇧🇷 Brazil

✅ Required Document: Declaration for Marriage in Italy

• Issued by the Brazilian Consular Authorities.
• Must follow the model agreed upon by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Brazilian Embassy.
• Regulated under Italian Circolare 1/2009.

Town Hall Procedures – Civil Wedding

Once your documents are ready, they must be submitted to the Italian City Hall (Comune) where your civil wedding will take place.

1️⃣ Declaration of No Impediments (For Non-Residents foreign citizens)

If neither spouse resides in Italy and has not Italian nationality, instead of Marriage Banns, they must sign a declaration at the local City hall confirming:

• No kinship, affinity, adoption, or affiliation barriers exist.
• No legal impediments exist under Articles 85, 86, 87, and 88 of the Italian Civil Code.

🗓 Timing:

• Usually done 1-2 days before the wedding.
• No witnesses required at this appointment
• An interpreter is mandatory if at least one spouse does not speak Italian.

2️⃣ Marriage Banns (Pubblicazioni di Matrimonio) – For Residents regardless the nationality

If one of the spouses is resident in Italy, regardless of nationality, or is an Italian citizen residing abroad and registered with A.I.R.E., Marriage Banns must be published for 11 consecutive days (8 days of publication plus 3 additional days required by law).

The banns are published either at the competent Italian Consulate in the home country (for Italian citizens residing abroad and registered with A.I.R.E.) or at the Italian Municipality of residence.

The purpose of the banns is to allow any person who has concrete interest (with legal standing) to raise an objection if a legal impediment to the marriage exists under Italian law, including:

• One of the parties is already legally married to another person;

• One of the parties lacks the legal capacity required to marry;

• The parties are related by blood, adoption, affinity, or other family relationships prohibited by law;

• One of the parties has been declared legally incapacitated by a court due to mental incapacity;

• The marriage would violate the restrictions arising from a previous conviction for the murder, or attempted murder, of a former spouse of the other party;

• Any other legal impediment expressly provided for by the Italian Civil Code.
In practice, oppositions are extremely rare and are usually limited to specific cases provided by Italian Law.

Other Special cases

🇺🇸 U.S.A.

• “Dichiarazione giurata” at the U.S. Consulate in Italy, which replaces the standard marriage Nulla Osta provided by article 116 of the Italian civil code.
• The affidavit must be legalized at the competent Prefettura.
• Atto Notorio is required before an Italian court.
• No additional documents are required, even for divorced individuals unless it is specifically required by the court for the atto notorio or by the city hall where you get married.
  
  📌 We assist in:
• Booking the US Consulate and draw up the U.S. Affidavit
• Legalization of the Affidavit
• We handle the Court or the Italian Consulate abroad for the appointment for the atto notorio.

For more details, check our guide on how can an American get married in Italy.

🇦🇺 Australia

• The Australian citizen must obtain the Nulla Osta at the Australian Embassy in Rome.
• The Nulla Osta must be legalized at the Prefettura.
• The Australian citizen also needs an Atto Notorio to either be sworn before a court official in Italy or an Italian official at the competent Italian Consulate in Australia.
  
  
   📌 We assist in:
• Arranging the Embassy appointment to obtain the Australian Nulla Osta.
• Legalization of the Australian Nulla Osta
• We liaise with the Italian Court or the Italian Consulate in Australia to obtain the atto notorio.
  
  Learn more in our step-by-step guide for Australian marriage in Italy.

Sample of a Marriage Nulla Osta