A quick guide to understand how to get your marriage nulla osta to marry in Italy as a foreigner.

Besides Planners, we have been legal consultants for the Italian foreign offices! This experience allowed us to gain deep expertise in foreign affairs.

Italy is a dream destination for many foreign couples looking to tie the knot amidst its captivating landscapes and enchanting atmosphere. 

A vital aspect of organizing a civil wedding in Italy is understanding the legal requirements, including the Nulla Osta or sworn statement if it is an American wedding.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of obtaining the Nulla Osta and highlight the significance of having a legal wedding planner to assist you every step of the way.

1. Understanding the Nulla Osta for civil weddings in Italy

The Nulla Osta, as per article 116 of the Italian civil code, is a document stating there are no legal impediments to the marriage of foreign citizens in Italy according to the laws of:

• Your country of origin
• The Italian Republic

There are two primary methods for obtaining the Nulla Osta for a civil wedding in Italy:

1.1. Requesting the Nulla Osta through your consulate or embassy in Italy (most accepted by town halls)

As a legal wedding planner specializing in civil weddings for foreigners in Italy, we can expedite this process thanks to our extensive experience with consular affairs. 

You may need to provide us with documents issued by your local authority, and we’ll ensure your Nulla Osta is ready in Italy promptly.

1.2. Obtaining the Nulla Osta via your country of origin’s public administration (rarely accepted in Italian town halls, but often accepted in the Italian Consulates abroad if you have to start the notice of marriage abroad as an Italian citizen living abroad)

This method involves acquiring a document stating your free marital status or a certificate of no impediments to marriage according to your country of origin’s laws. 

You’ll then need to legalize and translate the document at the Italian embassy in your country or use the official translator if provided by your country’s legal system of provenance. 

Concerning the legalization, using the services provided by the Italian consulate in your country of origin could be unnecessary if your Government signed a Convention (e.g., Hague Convention). 

In this case, putting a stamp (apostille) on the documents to legalize will be enough. 

Generally, every country has its own public institution that provides the apostille service. 

Another international conventions which simplifies the legalization process is the Munich Convention as it consents to obtain a multilingual certificate of marriage capacity in lieu of the nulla osta.

These convention eliminates the need for translation and legalization, making the process more straightforward.

Please note that only some countries are allowed to release the nulla osta in the country of origin instead in the consulates in Italy. 

Following there is a list of them:

SPECIAL CASES

Austrian, Swiss, and German citizens must produce the certificate of marital capability, issued by the Civil Status Office of the Municipality of residence (belonging) in the country of origin (exempt from legalization thanks to the Munich Convention).

Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, and Luxembourg must produce the certificate of marital capability also by inquiring at the respective Consulate about the Authority responsible for issuance if you are abroad.

Norwegian citizens: must request the nulla osta directly from the Registry Office of the of the residence in Norway. The NULLA OSTA will be issued, complete with Apostille, in Italian or Norwegian language with translation made by a sworn translator in Norway (Italian “Circolare” 65/2004).

Polish citizens: (Italian Circolare 33/2005) must request the nulla osta from the Head of the Polish Civil Status Office or the Consul if the Polish citizen:

• has not had residence in Poland
• is unable to trace back to the place of last residence in Poland
• left Poland before the age of 16 and resides permanently abroad

Brazilian citizens: present a statement for the purpose of marriage in Italy, issued by their consular authorities in accordance with the model agreed by our Ministry AA.EE. and from the Embassy of Brazil (Circ. 1/2009)

Swedish citizens: residents in SWEDEN must request the nulla osta from the Registry Office of the Municipality of residence in Sweden, which issues it in Swedish language with translation made by a sworn translator who will certify the conformity to the original;

If resident in ITALY, they must request the nulla osta from the Swedish Diplomatic Authority (Circ. 2/2010)

Slovak citizens: a CERTIFICATE attesting the absence of impediments to marriage issued by the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in ROME replaces the nulla osta (art. 116 c.c.) (Circ. 29/2011).

British citizens: (Italian Circolare 6 and 13/2014) residents in the United Kingdom, in replacement of the nulla osta ex art. 116 c.c. must present:

• the certificate of no impediment issued by the local authority of the country of origin, apostilled and duly translated,
• a legalized bilingual sworn statement, made by the interested parties before a British solicitor or notary.
• While BRITISH residents in WALES and ENGLAND, who intend to marry in Italy an Irish citizen or BRITISH residents in a THIRD COUNTRY (circ. 10/2015), can present the usual NULLA OSTA (art. 116 c.c.) issued by the British consular authority or the certificate of no impediment and the bilingual sworn statement made before a British solicitor or notary

Hungarian citizens: the certificate replacing the nulla osta for marriage is issued to Hungarian citizens who wish to marry in Italy by the Embassy of Hungary (Italian Circolare 11/2013)

Finnish citizens: the Nulla Osta for Finnish citizens who intend to marry in Italy is issued by their local authority and conforms to the model attached to the Italian Circolare 1/2014

Lithuanian citizens: Lithuanian citizens residing in Italy who intend to marry in Italy must request the NULLA OSTA from the Municipal Offices of their own Country (Italian Circolare 2/2014)

Danish citizens: The Nulla Osta, provided with Apostille, will be issued by the Registry Office of the Municipality of residence in Denmark in Danish, English and German language with translation into Italian made by a sworn translator in Denmark. The certificate is valid for 4 months. (facsimile attached to Circ. 18/201

Conclusion:

Understanding that get around the so-called Nulla Osta and its role in civil weddings for foreigners in Italy is crucial for a successful and stress-free celebration. 

With the assistance of an experienced legal wedding planner, you can navigate the complex process and focus on planning your dream Italian wedding. 

Who will be your Counselor and Planner?

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.