Documents written in English or other laguages must be translated in Italian in order to be valid in Italy. Sometime an apostille is required as well.
The Italian Consulate does NOT offer a translation service, it only certifies that the translation of a document from English to Italian (or viceversa) is complete and correct.
For a translation service, you can contact any of the professional translators on this list: Interpreti e Traduttori – aggiornato 05-2023
The certification of a translation is done by regular mail ONLY (no email or drop off in person). You have to mail to this Office the following items:
- The original document (no photocopy or scans);
- The translation (no handwriting, it must be printed on single sheet/s, no front-back);
- Money order to pay the fee (or a cashier’s check in U.S. dollars, cashable in any U.S. bank);
- USPS Priority pre-paid and pre-addressed envelope to send you back the certified translation (if you reside abroad you must set up the shipping through FedEx or DHL, pick up included).
The translation must be correct (using the proper legal terms when required), and complete (every word must be translated).
You can check the current amount for the fee on the link below (from English to Italian: art. 72A; from Italian to English: art. 72C). The $ amount is per each original page front and back (so, if the original is one page front and back, and the translation is two pages, the fee is for one page): Fees – Consolato Generale d’Italia a San Francisco (esteri.it)
Apostille’s do not require translation.
Processing time is about one/two weeks, however it may change based on the number of documents you need to certify.
It is not possible to proceed with the authentication of the translation of educational qualifications or professional qualifications. These documents must be evaluated according to the legislation regarding declarations of value of educational qualifications/professional qualifications (link).
TRANSLATIONS OF DOCUMENTS FOR THE PURPOSES OF REQUESTING ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP
PLEASE NOTE: The Citizenship Office of the Italian Consulate takes care of the translation certifications for all applicants who have applied for citizenship at our Consulate in San Francisco; in this case the certification is free of charge, because the cost is already included in the payment of the fee required for this procedure.
If the request for Italian citizenship is filed in Italy or in another Italian Consulate in the U.S.A., the Italian Consulate located in the State which issued the original documents will simply confirm the correctness of the documents via email, but the certification of the translation must be made in Italy by a sworn translator in a Court of Law, or by the Italian Consulate in the U.S.A. where the citizenship application is being filed.