Getting Married in Italy

In order to be legally wed in Italy, the marriage must be performed by a local civil official and the ceremony must not be held on the property of any foreign embassy or consulate.

As with any wedding, there is paperwork involved, and there are several resources available to help arrange the necessary paperwork for a fee. Some are Weddings in Italy, World Weddings and U.S. Marriage Laws.

Any civil service in Italy, usually performed in the Town Hall by the vice-mayor or their stand-in, will result in a fully legal marriage certificate.

Before any wedding plans can be made, however, there are several documents that need to be retained from the home embassy to be presented at the Italian consulate upon arrival. For residents of Canada and the United Kingdom, one of the most important is the Certificate of Non Impediment, meaning neither husband-nor-wife-to-be is currently married and there are no other reasons why the couple shouldn't be wed.

To facilitate their overseas marriages, U.S. citizens must obtain an Atto Notorio, the American version of the Certificate of Non Impediment, which has been signed by two witnesses.

Birth certificates and valid passports will also be required.

The most pivotal piece of paper to retain upon arriving in Italy is the Nulla Osta, what the Italians recognize as both a Certificate of Non-Impediment and the Atto Notorio. It may be prepared and validated by a lawyer at an Italian consulate in the couple's home country, or else in Italy at a National Embassy (located in Rome, Florence and Milan). In general, this process takes three days.

For the most part, all church services for foreigners in Italy will have been preceded by a civil service, normally performed for the couple by a Justice of the Peace before leaving their country of origin. A church blessing has serious religious significance in Italy, and as such, if either party to be wed has been married before, a minimum of one year must have passed since their divorce was finalized. The Roman Catholic Church does not usually perform services for non-residents and the couple must have completed, at minimum, three sessions of marital counseling by a recognized official at least one month before the wedding date.

An Italian ceremony is recognized as legal in all other countries in the world.