- Italian citizens who get married abroad must request that their marriage/civil union is registered in their AIRE comune in Italy. A civil union is a legally recognized arrangement that grants some of the rights and responsibilities of marriage to two individuals of the same sex.
Required Documents
- Request registration form for marriage or civil union to be downloaded from this website). The Italian citizen must fill in all sections in the form, date and sign it.
- Original marriage 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 or age of both spouses, as well as the number of previous marriages, if applicable. The certificate must be legalized according to the prescribed procedure in each US State.
- Italian translation of the original marriage 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 spouses’ valid passports. Please only include the pages with the photo, personal details and signature.
- If your spouse is not an Italian citizen, please include a copy of their birth certificate in long form, which shows their exact place of birth. If the birth certificate is not in Latin characters (i.e. Cyrillic, Arabic, Mandarin, Aramaic etc.), please include an Italian translation.
IMPORTANT NOTES
- Previous marriages: if you have been married before, and have not registered your previous marriage(s), you must do so along with your request to register your current marriage and must include all previous marriages (and required documentation) and divorces.
- Distribution of assets: matrimonial regimes filed and signed in the US are not legally valid in Italy. If you wish to file a distribution of assets agreement with the legal office, please check the section Separazione dei beni.
- If you are cohabiting but not married, and wish to file a distribution of assets for cohabiting couples, please contact our Legal Office notarile.newyork@esteri.it
HOW TO OBTAIN VITAL RECORDS DOCUMENTS IN THIS CONSULAR JURISDICTION
NEW YORK CITY
If you were married in New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island) please follow these steps:
- you must first request the marriage certificate in long form at the Office of the City Clerk where you obtained your marriage license https://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/content/marriage-records
- 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 you got married in New York State (EXCLUDING New York City) please follow these steps:
- you must first request the marriage certificate in long form at the New York State Department of Health, Vital Records Certification Unit. Instructions are here https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/marriage.htm
- the document must be legalized by Apostille. Follow instructions here https://dos.ny.gov/apostille-or-certificate-authentication
CONNECTICUT
If you got married in the State of Connecticut, please follow these steps:
- you must first request the marriage certificate in long form at the Town Clerk’s Office of the city/town where the marriage occurred. The City Registrar’s signature must also appear on the document. Please follow instructions here https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Vital-Records/State-Vital-Records-Office–Home
- the document must be legalized by Apostille. Follow instructions here https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Legislative-Services/Authentication-of-Documents-and-the-Apostille
NEW JERSEY
If you got married in the State of New Jersey, please follow these steps:
- you must first request the marriage certificate in long form at the New Jersey Department of Health Office of Vital Statistics and Registry https://www.state.nj.us/health/vital/
- the document must be legalized by Apostille. Follow instructions here https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/apostilles.shtml
BERMUDA
If you got married in the British Territory of Bermuda, please follow these steps:
- you must request the original certificate at The Registry General https://www.gov.bm/department/registry-general
- the document must be legalized by Apostille at the Parliamentary Registry Office https://www.elections.gov.bm/services/apostille-information.html
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.
For marriage 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.