Minor children born to Italian citizens are themselves Italian citizens, even if they were born abroad and are citizens of other countries. If they child was born abroad, their birth certificate must be registered in one of the parents’ comune of AIRE registration in Italy.
Registering your child’s birth certificate means that the child will also be automatically registered in AIRE. There is no need to request a separate AIRE registration for your child.
When requesting an original certificate from the local authorities, you must always provide them with your correct personal information, exactly as it appears on the Italian documents. Make sure you check the original certificates as soon as you receive them and have any errors rectified immediately, before submitting them to be legalized and translated.
Required documents
The following documents must be provided when submitting your request:
- Request Registration Form (to be downloaded from this website). The Italian parent must fill in all sections in the form, date and sign it.
- Original birth certificate legalized by Apostille (or other form of legalization for certificates issued in countries that are not signatory countries of The Hague Convention of 1961).US documents must always be issued in LONG FORM (or extended form) and must also contain the exact place of birth of the child as well as date/age and place of births of both parents, according to the prescribed procedure in each US State.
- Italian translation of the original birth certificate (the Apostille does not need to be translated). The translation must be typed, accurate, and must correctly reflect the original text. Dates MUST be entered in the European format (date/month/year). Please check this link for a list of translators (this list is purely for reference and the Consulate is in no way responsible for the quality of their work or the fees they charge).
- Copies of both parents’ valid passports. Please only include the pages with the photo, personal details and signature. If the child already has a US passport (or another foreign passport) please include it in your application.
IMPORTANT: if the parents’ marriage occurred abroad and it is not yet registered in Italy, you must also submit a request to register the marriage first https://consnewyork.esteri.it/en/servizi-consolari-e-visti/servizi-per-il-cittadino-italiano/stato-civile/matrimonio/
If the marriage occurred in Italy, you must provide a self-certification form that details the specifics of the marriage (including date and place) and must be signed by the Italian parent.
If the parents are not married, or were not married at the time of the child’s birth, the following additional documents must be included in the request:
- Acknowledgement of paternity (AOP), also known as Certificate of Parentage, which must be legalized by Apostille and translated into Italian. The AOP is usually signed by both parents at the hospital where the child is born and must be filed, along with the birth certificate, with the local Registry Office of the State or County where the child was born.
HOW TO OBTAIN VITAL RECORDS DOCUMENTS IN THIS CONSULAR JURISDICTION
- NEW YORK CITY
If your child was born in New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island) please follow these steps:
- you must first request the birth certificate in long form and the letter of exemplification at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene:https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/birth-certificates.page.
- the document must then be certified by the New York County Clerk’s office: https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01029
- finally, the certified document must be legalized by Apostille: https://dos.ny.gov/apostille-or-certificate-authentication
- NEW YORK STATE (excluding New York City)
If your child was born in New York State (EXCLUDING New York City) please follow these steps:
- you must first request the birth certificate in long form at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Instructions are herehttps://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/birth-certificates.page
- the document must be legalized by Apostille. Follow instructions here https://dos.ny.gov/apostille-or-certificate-authentication
CONNECTICUT
If your child was born in the State of Connecticut, you must request the birth certificate in long form from the Town Clerk at the Vital Records office of the town where the birth occurred and must be signed by the City Registrar. For information click here: https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Vital-Records/State-Vital-Records-Office–Home. The document must then be legalized by Apostille, which is issued by the Secretary of State. Instructions on how to obtain an Apostille are here https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Legislative-Services/Authentication-of-Documents-and-the-Apostille
NEW JERSEY
If your child was born in the State of New Jersey, you must request the birth certificate in long form from the Department of Health and Vital Statistics https://www.state.nj.us/health/vital/. The document must then be legalized by Apostille, which is issued by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/apostilles.shtml
BERMUDA
If your child was born in the British Territory of Bermuda, you must request the birth certificate at the Registry General of Bermuda https://www.gov.bm/department/registry-general. Certificates must include personal details for both parents. The document must then be legalized by Apostille, which is issued by the Parliamentary Registry: https://www.elections.gov.bm/services/apostille-information.html
For birth certificates issued in other US States or in another Country, please check the website of the Italian Consular authorities or Embassy in that State/Country to verify the applicable regulations and means of legalization.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST AT THIS CONSULATE GENERAL
Once you are in possession of the required documents, duly apostilled and translated into Italian, you may mail them to:
Consolato Generale d’Italia
Ufficio Stato Civile
690 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10065
You may also drop off your documents in person during office hours (9am-12.30pm only) using the drop box provided in the lobby.
IMPORTANT: due to the high volume of requests, the Vital Records Office is unable to confirm receipt of the documents. If you need confirmation that your documents were received please use a mailing service that provides a tracking number or return receipt.
If you need confirmation that your documents have been registered, please contact the Italian comune directly.
If you have questions on how to request your child’s passport, please contact the Passport Section of this website.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE APPLIES ONLY TO CHILDREN UNDER 18. ONCE THE CHILD TURNS 18, IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO REGISTER THEIR BIRTH CERTIFICATE*