Vital Records

Consulate General of Italy
Vital Records Department
2590 Webster Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
FAQs - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

PRIVACY POLICY ACKNOWLEDGMENT: In submitting documentation to this Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco, you confirm that you have read and understood the information in the privacy document posted on our website pertaining to the handling of personal data that you submit to this office per EU regulations (RGPD). To view the privacy document, click here.

REQUIREMENT FOR SUBMISSION OF VITAL RECORDS BY THIS CONSULATE GENERAL
This Consulate General is responsible for the submission of vital records of Italian citizens who reside in this Consular jurisdiction (Click here to check which states are part of this Consular jurisdiction). You first must be registered in AIRE through this Consulate in San Francisco before submitting vital records for registration.

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NOTICE FOR CITIZENS RESIDING IN ITALY and/or RESIDING IN A DIFFERENT CONSULAR JURISDICTION
If you do not reside in this Consular jurisdiction, this Consulate will only authenticate the documentation necessary to register vital records issued in this jurisdiction. To get your vital records authenticated, please send the following documentation to the following address:

Consolato Generale d'Italia
NOTARY DEPARTMENT - TRANSLATION AUTHENTICATION
2590 Webster Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
U.S.A.

Complete documentation required to register the vital record(s) in Italy EXCEPT this Consulate General's registration form. Use the registration form of the Italian office that has jursidiction over the applicant's city of residence.
Request form for authenticating a translation - click here
A pre-paid and self-addressed envelope in which to return the legalized document(s) - we CANNOT accept FEDEX
1. Please note: if documents will be returned to destinations outside of the United States, we strongly recommend that you utilize a shipping/delivery service specialized in international shipments FROM the USA to other countries.
MONEY ORDER made out to Italian Consulate General - San Francisco in $$US DOLLARS for the fee required for "l'attestazione di conformità di un documento non eseguito in Consolato (art. 72A)" (Declaration of conformity of a document not executed in this Consulate) - click here for Consular Fees

Our office will return the legalized documentation to you in the pre-paid envelope you provide. You must then submit the authenticated documentation for registration to the Italian authority in Italy (or abroad) in whose jurisdiction you reside.

DEADLINES FOR AUTHENTICATION REQUESTS

In order to ensure that payments for the authentications are deposited by the end of the trimester, requests must be received by the Consulate no later than the dates listed below. Any requests received after these dates cannot be guaranteed processing before the currently posted Consular fees expire. In such cases the entire request (including the expired payment amount) will be returned to the applicant who will need to re-send the request to the Consulate with a new payment for the amount of the updated consular fees.

Trimester	Consular Fees Valid From - Until	Request Must Be Received By the Consulate No Later Than
I	January 1st - March 31st	March 15th
II	April 1st - June 30th	June 15th
III	July 1st - September 30th	September 15th
IV	October 1st - December 31st	December 10th

Please Note: requests with incomplete or missing documentation cannot be processed will be returned to the applicant.

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VITAL RECORDS ISSUED IN OTHER JURSIDICTIONS AND/OR FOREIGN COUNTRIES:
- For vital records issued WITHIN the UNITED STATES in other Consular jurisdictions :

1. 1. Visit the website of the Italian Consulate in whose jurisdiction the original document was issued (click here for a list of Italian Consulates in the United States)
  2. Obtain the required documentation listed on the competent Italian Consulate’s website under the Vital Records section
  3. Verify by EMAIL with the competent Italian Consulate that the documentation you obtained is correct and complete.
  4. Once you have received confirmation that the documentation correct and complete, mail all original documentation by REGULAR or PRIORITY MAIL to the Italian Consulate General in SAN FRANCISCO to the attention of VITAL RECORDS DEPARTMENT (complete address listed at the top of this page).

- For vital records issued in OTHER FOREIGN COUNTRIES (outside the USA)
  
  To register a vital record issued outside the United States of America, you must obtain all documentation listed on the website Italian Authority in whose jurisdiction the vital record was issued and submit it to the Italian Consular office in whose jurisdiction you reside.
  
  Unless otherwise noted, all required documentation for vital records issued outside of the United States of America must first be deemed correct and complete by the competent Italian Authority, and the Italian translation must bear the official Consular stamp of that Italian Authority BEFORE the documents are submitted to this Consulate General.

For information regarding an ATTO NOTORIO for marriages of United States citizens in Italy, please visit the webpage of the Notary Department by clicking on the link provided in the menu on the left side of this webpage.

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F.A.Q.s - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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1. How long does it take to register a vital record (birth/marriage/civil union/divorce/death) and how can I receive confirmation of the registration?

a. The Consulate will send the registration request by certified email to your Comune in Italy within 45 from when the Consulate has received the complete set of the required documents. You will be CC’ed on this e-mail.

Then, the Comune will complete the registration procedure, usually within 30 business days. However, this timeframe is highly variable, as it takes more time for larger Comuni (cities as Rome, Milan) to complete the registration procedure.

b. To request a confirmation of the registration, you MUST always contact the Comune in Italy, as the Consulate does not know when the Comune will complete the registration. We recommend you e-mail the Anagrafe/Stato Civile Office of your Comune (please use the Italian language; not all municipalities have an English speaker available).

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2. How do I obtain citizenship for my son/daughter?

a. CASE 1 - If child is LESS THAN 18 years old

If one of the parents is an Italian citizen, it is NOT necessary to request citizenship. It IS is necessary, however, that the parents request the registration of the child's birth certificate in Italy (click here for instructions).

b. CASE 2 - If child is 18 YEARS OR OLDER

Your son/daughter must apply for Italian citizenship through the Italian Authority in whose jurisdiction he/she is a resident. Please refer to the competent Italian Authority's website for all instructions.

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3. How can I register my son/daughter’s birth certificate (if he/she is less than 18 years old)? - please refer to one of the following cases

a) I AM MARRIED TO THE OTHER PARENT of the minor:

Before requesting the registration of the birth certificate it is mandatory to request the registration of ALL PREVIOUS vital records (marriages AND divorces) of the Italian parent(s). It is NOT possible to register the birth certificate(s) of any minor(s) if all previous vital records of Italian parent(s) have not yet been registered. Vital records must be registered in a CHRONOLOGICAL order.

PLEASE NOTE: If requesting the registration of multiple vital records, you can submit the registration requests for all the vital records AT THE SAME TIME.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR VITAL RECORD REGISTRATION:

b. I AM NOT MARRIED TO THE OTHER PARENT of the minor

If the birth certificate bears the signature of BOTH PARENTS, please follow the instructions for birth certificate registration as indicated on our website (http://www.conssanfrancisco.esteri.it/consolato_sanfrancisco/en/i_servizi/per_i_cittadini/stato_civile/nascite.html)

If the birth certificate bears the signature of ONLY ONE PARENT (or no signatures) the parents must schedule an appointment with our Notary Department for recognition of paternity/maternity. Parents must bring the documentation ordinarily required for birth registration (see link above) to the appointment. To schedule an appointment for recognition of paternity/maternity please contact notarile.sanfrancisco@esteri.it .

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4. Adoptions: How do I register my son/daughter birth certificate if he/she has been adopted?

If your son/daughter has been adopted, in addition to the documentation ordinarily required for birth certificate registration, you must also include the court ordered adoption decree which must be complete with an apostille issued by the Secretary of State and full translation in Italian.

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5. When can I apply for the Italian passport for my minor child?

Please mail us the child's passport application only after the Comune (municipality) in Italy has registered their birth certificate.

PLEASE NOTE: The application for your child's Italian passport must be submitted SEPARATELY from your own. The rule is one application per individual. Please visit the passport office webpage for all the information and instructions (click here).

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6. How do I obtain a copy of a vital record originally issued in Italy?

Citizens must contact the Vital Records department (ufficio Stato civile) of the city in Italy where the certificate was originally issued. For a list of addressed of the Italian Comuni please visit www.comuni-italiani.it or www.comuni.it.

PLEASE NOTE: In the event that the vital record is necessary to obtain a United States document (permanent resident card, work authorization card, etc) we suggest that you request an "estratto di riassunto" of the certificate in "formato plurilngue" in order to avoid having to translate the document in English.

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7. How can I request a family status certificate (certificato di stato di Famiglia)?

It can only be issued by a citizen's city of AIRE registration, in that they are the only official Italian offices authorized to issue such certificates.

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