The Consular Chancellery receives and transmits to Italy, for the purpose of the registration thereof in the Civil Status Registries of the relevant municipalities, marriage or civil union certificates submitted by Italian citizens residing in its consular jurisdiction.
As it involves a modification of one’s civil status, the registration of marriages or civil unions is always obligatory. It serves as a prerequisite for registering the birth certificates of children born during the marriage.
Any subsequent marriage cannot be registered until the divorce that dissolved the previous union is registered.
Required documents and instructions
- Original U.S. marriage or civil union certificate, with apostille
- Translation in Italian of the marriage or civil union certificate (the apostille does not need to be translated)
The translation must be faithful, accurate, and complete, reflecting the original in every part, including stamps and signatures. Otherwise, the Office cannot declare its conformity therewith. It can be executed by the applicant or by a professional translator (see here a list of translators).
- Marriage or civil union registration request form, signed by the requesting Italian citizen. Include a valid email address to receive confirmation of registration.
- Copy of the IDs of both spouses/civilly united persons (one of them must be Italian).
Send all documentation by mail (we recommend using a service that offers tracking):
Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C.
ATTN: Consular Section (Stato Civile)
3000 Whitehaven Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
Municipalities usually confirm the registration of marriage or civil union certificates within three months. If, after this period, the applicant does not receive any communication, he or she should contact this Civil Status Office for a status update.
Marriage or civil union certificates issued in other countries
If the marriage certificate was NOT issued by a U.S. authority, for translation and legalization, please consult the website of the Italian Consulate jurisdictionally responsible for the country where the document was issued. The procedure may vary depending on the country where the document was issued, according to agreements in force with that country. Find your consulate of competence here.
Example: For a marriage certificate issued in Buenos Aires (Argentina), check the website of the Italian Consulate General in Buenos Aires.
Once the consulate responsible for the jurisdiction has certified the marriage certificate, you can proceed to request the registration thereof at this Consular Chancellery.
If the marriage or civil union certificate does not contain the complete personal data of the foreign spouse (e.g. city of birth), it is recommended that you attach a copy of the birth certificate to the documentation (translated only for languages written in non-Latin characters such as Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, Aramaic, etc.).
Attention
Same-sex marriages are registered in the civil union registry pursuant to the law of May 20, 2016, no. 76 “Regulation of civil partnerships between same-sex people and regulation of living together”