Marriage
You wish to get married in Italy?
Certificate of marriage celebrated in Canada
You wish to get married in Italy?
Italian law requires EACH non-Italian wishing to be married in Italy to present a "Nulla Osta" (Certificate of non-Impediment) or equivalent documentation.
The Government of Canada does not issue "Nulla Osta". However, to assist Canadians to meet the Italian requirements, the Embassy of Canada issues a declaration containing the relevant information.
Requests for the declaration can be made by mail or in person, by appointment. Our delivery service standards are 5 business days from the time we receive a complete application.
Obtaining a Declaration (Nulla Osta) from the Embassy in Rome
You must first complete and swear an affidavit to the effect that there is no impediment to the proposed marriage. You may swear the affidavit in Canada, at the Embassy in Rome or at one of our Consulates, or at another Government of Canada office abroad.
Then, the affidavit and the attached documents listed below must be sent or brought, by appointment, to the Embassy of Canada in Rome.
Each Canadian Citizen must:
complete and swear an affidavit. The affidavit may be sworn:
- in Canada before a Notary public
- in Italy at the Embassy or one of the Consulates
- abroad at any Embassy or Consulate of Canada.
submit the sworn affidavit to the Embassy of Canada in Rome, together with all of the following supporting documents, by mail or by appointment:
- certified true copy of his/her own valid Canadian passport
- proof of Canadian Citizenship:
- for persons born in Canada, original or certified true copy of both sides of the long-form birth certificate, which includes information on the parents
- for persons born outside of Canada, original or certified true copy of both sides of the Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
- original or certified true copy of a marriage record search issued by the Vital Statistics office of each Canadian Province and/or Territory where he/she resided since reaching the age of 16; each search must cover the entire period during which the person has resided in that Province or Territory
- original or certified copy of the applicant’s final divorce certificate or decree (if divorced)
- original or certified copy of a deceased spouse’s death certificate(if widowed)
- certified copy of the fiancé(e)’s valid passport
- copy of the consular processing fee payment receipt, or payment in person by MasterCard or Visa
- mailing/pick-up instructions (mailing is done by registered post to a foreign or Italian address at no additional cost)
IMPORTANT: If you and your fiancé(e) are both Canadian citizens, you will each need to swear an affidavit, and each obtain a declaration from the Embassy of Canada. Please consider that fees will, therefore, also be doubled.
Fees
Fees are payable for each declaration and for each affidavit, if sworn at the Embassy; they are non-refundable. For more information, please see Fees and Method of Payment.
Where do I submit the application?
By mail or courier:
Embassy of Canada
Consular Affairs (LN)
Via Zara, 30
00198 Rome
Italy
In person: same address as above, by appointment, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to noon
What to Do After Obtaining the Declaration
- Present the declaration to the competent "Prefettura - Ufficio Legalizzazioni" (provincial authority) to be formally authenticated. Please refer to the list of all "Prefetture" in Italy.
- After it has been authenticated, you must present it to the Marriage Office of the Municipality in Italy. Banns are waived if neither party is Italian nor residing in Italy.
- The Municipal authorities will request the couple to return (usually in 2 or 3 days) with 2 witnesses PLUS an interpreter (if one or both parties are not familiar with the Italian language) to execute a declaration before the "Ufficiale dello Stato Civile" (Registrar of Vital Statistics) of the Municipality. Arrangements are then concluded and a date is scheduled for the civil marriage ceremony. Two witnesses PLUS an interpreter (if necessary) must be present at the civil marriage ceremony.
Although the Italian authorities usually extend assistance to foreigners wishing to marry in Italy, a date for a civil marriage ceremony is generally NOT scheduled unless the above-mentioned declaration (see point 3) has first been executed by the couple.
The waiting period (from the date the required documents are presented to the marriage office to the date of the civil marriage ceremony) may vary depending on the season of the year and on the number of requests received by the municipality.
Some municipalities levy marriage fees for non-residents.
Please note: Until recently, a woman whose previous marriage was terminated within the last 300 days had to obtain a waiver from the competent "Procura della Repubblica" (Court) in Italy in order to marry in Italy. Depending on the locality, this requirement may no longer be applied. You are advised to check with the “Comune” where you wish to marry.
The Embassy of Canada in Rome does not assist with marriage arrangements. If you, or a delegated person, are unable to make the necessary arrangements with the local Municipality, you may wish to contact an agency to assist you. See the list of agencies.
Religious Ceremonies
Roman-Catholic
In the case of a religious marriage ceremony to be performed at a Roman-Catholic Church, you must present the declaration issued by the Embassy, duly legalized by the competent Prefettura, to the Parish priest in Italy, in addition to all documents required by the Church. The Parish priest will arrange for the registration of the religious marriage with the competent Italian Vital Statistics authorities. The marriage must be so registered in order to have civil value in Italy.
Non Roman-Catholic
To our knowledge, marriages performed at non-Roman Catholic houses of worship require a civil ceremony as well. It is suggested that you contact the religious leader as early as possible to obtain appropriate information.
What to Do After the Marriage
Marriages that are legally performed in a foreign country are usually valid in Canada, and you do not need to register them in Canada. If you have questions about the validity of your foreign marriage, contact the Vital Statistics Office of your province or territory.
It is recommended that, before leaving Italy or with the help of the wedding planner if one is present, the newly-married couple obtain from the municipality (Comune) where the marriage was celebrated several copies of a marriage certificate in multilingual format, called Estratto dell’atto di matrimonio in formato plurilingue. For this certificate to be recognized in Canada, the following steps must be undertaken subsequent to its issuance: the signature of the officer must be authenticated by the competent Procura or Prefettura and then sent to the Embassy of Canada in Rome for authentication.
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