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MARRIAGE IN ITALY
Australian government representatives cannot perform marriage ceremonies and you cannot get married at an Australian Embassy or Consulate
BEFORE ARRIVING IN ITALY
· Before leaving Australia, we strongly recommend that you obtain an Atto Notorio
(sworn declaration) from the Italian Embassy or Consulate in the state in which you reside.
· Make sure you travel with your Australian passport. If you were married before, bring evidence of the termination of your previous marriage.
Please note that a divorced woman who wants to marry again within 300 days of the date of her divorce must contact the local Italian authorities and seek special permission from an Italian magistrate. Otherwise, she must allow the required period of 300 days to elapse. If you are widowed, you must bring the death certificate of your previous spouse. Certificates can be obtained from the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Please note that all certificates including divorce certificates or death certificates certifying termination of your previous marriage MUST be ORIGINALS. Photcopies are not accepted.
ONCE IN ITALY
· In addition to the Atto Notorio, an Australian citizen intending to get married in Italy will need to make a Sworn Declaration (Nulla Osta). This Sworn Declaration must be signed, whether you are single, divorced or widowed, in the presence of an Australian Consular officer at the Australian Embassy in Rome, Via Antonio Bosio 5, Tel:06/85272299, (or Australian Consulate-General in Milan: via Borgogna 2 Tel: 02/77704217- open Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 17.00 and Thursday from 9.00 to 16.00). A Nulla Osta literally states that "there are no impediments," or that one is free to marry. The Nulla Osta (Sworn Declaration) is valid for six months and costs the Euro equivalent of A$50.00 per Australian citizen.
Please note that payments can only be made in cash as credit card services are not available at the Australian Embassy.
· The Nulla Osta must then be legalised by the Uffico Legalizzazioni of the Prefettura. The details of the Prefettura in Rome are: Viale Ostiense, 131L, 2nd floor, Scala B, Rome - open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9:00am-12:00pm. Before going to the Prefettura, you will need to purchase a revenue stamp (marca da bollo) which costs Euro 14,62 (approx.) at a tobacconist (tabaccaio) to take with you.
Please note that for the summer period the Prefettura's hours to the public have changed:
It is closed form 11 to 15 August included
Until 31 August 2008 it will be open Monday to Thursday from 9.00 to 13.00
The Ufficio Legalizzazioni at the Prefettura in Milan is located at Corso Monforte no. 31 and is open Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 11.00 am. If you plan to marry at a Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican, you do not need this legalisation.
· If you are unable to obtain an "Atto di notorietà per uso matrimonio" (also known as Atto Notorio) from an Italian Consulate in Australia, you may obtain one from the Tribunale Civile in Italy. Below we have provided contact details and opening hours of the Tribunale Civile in Rome, though Atti Notori may be obtained from any Tribunale Civile in Italy.
Tribunale Civile di Roma
Office for "Atti Notori"
Viale Giulio Cesare 54/B
Nuovo Edificio, 1st floor, Room 523 and 524
Tel: 06/3577 547
Business Hours:
Morning: Monday to Friday : 9:00 to 12:20
Afternoon: Thursday 15:00 pm to 16:20
The Tribunale Civile requires that you make an appointment before going there for an Atto Notorio. An appointment may be made by calling 06/3577 547 Monday to Friday, between the hours of 13.00 and 13.30.
The person requesting the Atto Notorio must attend in person together with two adult witnesses. If either spouse or one of the witnesses does not speak Italian, it is necessary to provide an interpreter, in addition to the two witnesses.
N.B. Neither spouse can act as witness or interpreter.
Payment at the Tribunale Civile is made in the form of duty stamps which you should purchase in advance. The amount required is:
For an urgent certificate issued on the same day:
· One duty stamp for the value of 14,62 Euros for the original Atto Notorio which will be kept by the Tribunale Civile
plus
· another 14,62 Euro duty stamp for your copy of the Atto Notorio and 3 duty stamps for the value of 6.20 euros each.
OR
If the certificate is not urgent (to be collected after 5 days):
· One duty stamp for the value of 14,62 Euros for the original Atto Notorio which will be kept by the Tribunale Civile
plus
· another 14,62 Euro duty stamp and 1 duty stamp for the value of 6.20 euro.
CIVIL CEREMONY
· The first step is to bring the Atto Notorio and Nulla Osta to the Ufficio Matrimoni, or Marriage Office, in the Italian city where you plan to marry. For information, contact details for the Marriage Office in Rome are: Via Petroselli, 50, Rome (tel: 06-6710-3066). The office is open from Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 4:00pm. If you do not speak Italian, someone who speaks Italian and can provide a simple translation should accompany you. At this time, you will be given an appointment to make a Promessa di Matrimonio, or Declaration of Intent to Marry, and another for the actual marriage ceremony. These appointments may fall on the same day. You will need to pay a fee for the rental of the marriage hall, which can vary considerably depending on where you are getting married. For these appointments, you must arrive with two witnesses, and for those who do not speak Italian, an interpreter.
· If one or more of the parties is Italian or is an Australian with Italian residency, then Banns (pubblicazione di matrimonio) must be posted for at least two weeks before the date of the marriage.
· The Promessa di Matrimonio is followed by the Civil Ceremony. At the ceremony, apply for a marriage certificate (certificato di matrimonio), which you will receive immediately after the ceremony. Ask to have an Apostille affixed to the Italian Marriage certificate by the Italian authorities at the Prefettura, so that it may be used for all legal purposes in Australia. You should keep in mind that during the peak marriage season (May to September), it may be difficult to get an appointment both for the marriage celebrant and to apply for the Apostille.
For further information, please contact the Australian Embassy in Rome on 06/85272299 (email: consular-rome@dfat.gov.au) or the Australian Consulate-General in Milan on 02/77704217.
Australian Embassy
Consular Section
Fax: 0685272300
Ph. 0685272299
The above information is provided by the Consular Section of the Australian Embassy in Rome for the convenience of enquirers, but neither the Australian Government nor the Embassy can take any responsibility whatsoever in regard to the consequences of using the above information.