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

 

REGISTRATION IN ITALY OF A MARRIAGE / CIVIL UNION CERTIFICATE ISSUED BY U.S. AUTHORITIES.

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.
  • MARRIAGE/CIVIL UNION REGISTRATION: If this is NOT the first marriage/civil union, you must submit the required documentation for registering ALL PREVIOUS MARRIAGES AND DIVORCES prior to requesting the registration of this marriage.
  • Please verify that applicant’s data (first, middle, last name, and date and place of birth) is EXACTLY as it appears on the applicant’s original birth certificate, and that all other information appearing on the marriage certificate (names, dates and city where marriage was celebrated) is correct. In case of any errors and/or discrepancies you will need to request an amendment from the office that issued the document before the Consulate can submit it to the Italian Comune for registration.
  • Do NOT request that US office of Vital Records send the certificates directly to the Consulate General.
  • Certificates must be in “long form” format;
  • Marriage certificates that don’t show complete personal data must be presented along with the “certified copy” of the “Marriage License”;
  • Marriages between two people of the same sex will be recorded in the Italian registries of Civil Unions (law n.76 of 20 May 2016).

INSTRUCTIONS AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

 

Vital records issued in CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, ALASKA, HAWAII, MONTANA, IDAHO, e UTAH, or in the US territories in the Pacific:

  1. Obtain a Certified Copy of the marriage certificate from the City Hall or Department of Health Service or County Recorder.
    • IMPORTANT: if the marriage certificate does not state complete personal information of the spouses (full first and last names, date of birth, city of birth) you must also include a certified copy of the application for the marriage license – this must also have an apostille and translation in Italian.
      • CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON: the application for marriage license is NOT required. Please indicate the exact city, state, and country of birth of the spouses on the request form.
  2. Request an “Apostille” from the Secretary of State of the State that issued the document. The Apostille legalizes the signature of the Vital Record Recorder mentioned in point A. (Click here for information and instructions about Apostilles)
  3. Obtain a complete and accurate translation of the marriage certificate (and of the application for marriage license if submitted) – Translations may be done by the applicant, or by one of the recommended translators on our website. Translation of the Apostille is NOT necessary.
    • PLEASE NOTE:
      • EVERY SINGLE WORD on the original document must be translated;
      • Translations must be COMPLETE, FREE OF ERRORS, prepared on a computer, printed, and with legible fonts;
      • Any translations that are incomplete and/or that contain errors will NOT be accepted, and in such case all documentation included in the request to register the vital record will be returned to the applicant without processing;
  4. Fill out a marriage certificate registration form – click here – this must be signed and dated by the applicant
    • IMPORTANT: In the space “Place of marriage” on the form, please indicate the EXACT CITY in which the marriage was celebrated.
  5. Include a photocopy of proof of Italian citizenship (Italian passport, Italian ID card, or certificate of Italian citizenship)
  6. MAKE SURE THE DOCUMENTATION IS COMPLETE: Click here to view the DOCUMENT CHECKLIST
  7. SEND THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION – you must request a TRACKING NUMBER from the shipping service (USPS, UPS, etc) with which you can verify that the documentation has been received by this Consulate.
  8.  STATUS OF THE REGISTRATION REQUEST and REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION

 

The Consulate will send the registration request by certified email to your Comune in Italy within 45 days 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.

To request a confirmation of the registration, you MUST contact the Comune in Italy, as the Consulate does not know when the Comune will complete the registration. We suggest you email the Anagrafe/Stato Civile Office of your Comune (please use the Italian language; not all municipalities will have an English speaker on staff).

 

Requests with complete and correct documentation will be processed. All ORIGINAL documentation will not be returned and will be kept in the applicant’s personal file here at the Consulate General in San Francisco.

Please note: Incomplete requests and/or requests with missing documentation will not be processed. The paperwork will be returned if you provide a pre-paid, self-addressed envelope for us to do so.