If you wish to get married in Italy, and in this case Siena, there are a few legal procedures that need to be followed to have your wedding legally recognized once you come back to your home country. These legal procedures vary depending on your country of origin and the type of ceremony. This part of the wedding planning process is crucial and can become a bit tricky and confusing, but you don’t have to worry: we are here to assist you and take you by the hand through the entire process, making everything as much smooth as possible.
As wedding planners we have a wealth of experience in dealing with international couples and their countries’ rules and regulations for getting married in Italy. In this article we have collected all the most important aspects you need to know before starting to plan your legal wedding in Siena, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises and unnecessary stress.
Legal Documents for getting married in Siena Tuscany Italy:
Regardless of what is your nationality and which type of ceremony you have chosen (civil or religious), in order to get legally married in Italy you will be asked to provide the following documents: valid passport, birth certificate, Nulla Osta or Certificate of No Impediment.
The Certificate of No Impediment or Nulla Osta, is issued by the Embassy or Consulate of your country of origin in Italy and states that there’s no legal impediment to your marriage in your home country. It is important to consider that it has a temporary validity from the date it has been issued; this means that you can’t apply for it too early, as you would have to do the whole thing all over again.
It is also important that your full name is written in the same manner in all the above-mentioned documents, otherwise your paperwork won’t be accepted by the wedding officials.
If you have been married before and are divorced or widowed then you will have also to present the relative marriage certificate(s) or death certificate.
Atto Notorio and Apostille for getting married in Siena Tuscany Italy:
Atto Notorio is an affidavit to be done prior to the wedding and is only required for US and Australian Citizens.
This document should be obtained from the Italian Embassy or nearest Italian Consulate in the US or in Australia. If the couple is unable to obtain the Atto Notorio from an Italian Consulate, they can obtain it from a Tribunale Civile (Civil Court) in Italy or from the civil registrar (ufficiale di stato civile) of the marriage office of the city where they plan to get married. In this case an interpreter is required.
An Apostille is not a regular Notary Public stamp but an international form of authentication that certifies a document’s validity, and removes the need for double-certification, by the originating country and then by the receiving country. This kind of documentation is required for couples of certain nationalities, such as US citizens.
Religious Wedding Requirements for getting married in Siena Tuscany Italy:
When it comes to a religious wedding, the requirements and procedures vary depending on the confession of the couple.
With regard to a Catholic Wedding, the most important documents you will have to provide are the following: Certificate of Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation, Declaration (formal letter) and Nihil Obstat.
The Certificates of Baptism, of First Communion and Confirmation, have to be provided by your local Parish and be sealed by your local Bishop.
The Declaration is a formal letter in which your Priest or Pastoral Advisor states that both the bride and the groom take part actively to the Catholic Church and that they have the serious intention to be united through a religious ceremony in Italy. This document is requested by the Italian Curia, that wants your Priest to testify that he knows you and allows you to get married in Italy.
The Nihil Obstat is one of the most important documents the couple will be asked to produce by the Italian Religious Authorities. It is a letter written by the Bishop of your Parish in which he states that there is no impediment for the couple to get married in the Italian Church.
If you wish to have a religious ceremony legally recognized by the Italian authorities you will have to provide also the civil documents requested in their original version.
When to get started with the Marriage Bureaucratic Procedures:
When to get started with all the marriage bureaucratic procedures if you want to get married in Siena? There is no fixed answer. It really depends on the couple’s nationality and the type of ceremony.
In general, if you wish to get married in a civil wedding in Siena, it is important to consider that documents required might have a temporary validity. This means that you don’t need to apply for them too far in advance, as they might expire and you would have to do the whole procedure all over again. We will give you the precise information about the paperwork required depending on your nationality, guiding you through every step of the process, making it quicker and easier.
Compared to a civil wedding, when the bride and the groom opt for a religious elopement in Siena Italy the marriage paperwork required becomes a little more complex, as there are more aspects to consider, as we have seen in the previous paragraph. For this reason, we always suggest to get started with the religious bureaucratic procedures at least 6 months before the date of the wedding, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Translation:
Another important thing to consider for the validity of foreign documents in Italy, is that all documents produced outside of Italy (birth certificate, divorce certificate, …) must be legalized and translated into Italian by a sworn translator. Translated documents must be officially certified with a stamp and signature to ensure that they are accepted and recognised by local legal authorities.
Should you need help on this aspect, we provide a translation service as well. We collaborate indeed with a selection of trusted translators, that will put their expertise and professionalism at your disposal to guarantee a high quality service.
