Getting Married in Italy being American
Jun 30th, 2011, 12:16 PM
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Getting Married in Italy being American
a couple of friends of mine want to get married in Sestri Levante, Genova... Does anybody know which is the paperwork they have to get from the USA (Ambassy??) to be able to get through ? ... I checked many web sites but it is not clear at all.... very confusing... thanks for any advise
Jul 11th, 2011, 01:21 PM
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I got married in Italy 5 years ago. It was fairly complicated. You should contact both the State Dept. and the Italian Embassy in the US for help.
First we had to present paperwork at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC -- we had to bring witnesses, and our birth certificates.
We then got some documentation from the Italian Embassy, which we had to take to the US Consulate in Florence when we arrived in Italy. We had to then take THAT documentation to the regional Italian gov't. office in Florence. Then it had to get faxed to the City Hall in Cortona, where we got married. Meanwhile we also had to register in Cortona and get a wedding appointment.
Once all the paperwork had been delivered to the office in Cortona and approved, we then finally had to take the wedding certificate itself to Arrezzo for one more "stamp" immediately after the wedding.
Start with the Italian Embassy in the US. They should be able to help you. It as much about Italian paperwork as it is about US paperwork.
First we had to present paperwork at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC -- we had to bring witnesses, and our birth certificates.
We then got some documentation from the Italian Embassy, which we had to take to the US Consulate in Florence when we arrived in Italy. We had to then take THAT documentation to the regional Italian gov't. office in Florence. Then it had to get faxed to the City Hall in Cortona, where we got married. Meanwhile we also had to register in Cortona and get a wedding appointment.
Once all the paperwork had been delivered to the office in Cortona and approved, we then finally had to take the wedding certificate itself to Arrezzo for one more "stamp" immediately after the wedding.
Start with the Italian Embassy in the US. They should be able to help you. It as much about Italian paperwork as it is about US paperwork.
Jul 11th, 2011, 01:31 PM
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My experience more than 20 years ago was the same as wickett's.
The biggest problem for most people is obtaining the documents from the Italian Embassy in the U.S., since you might have to travel a good distance to visit an embassye--plus you must bring four witnesses who have known you for years and can attest to your identities and freedom to marry (that you are not currently married nor are you leaving behind children). I live in NYC so it was easy to visit the embassy here, but your friends' situation may be different.
Back then, I was able to set a wedding appointment in Venice months in advance and then sarrived with the completed paperwork about five days before the wedding to process the paperwork, first in Milan at the U.S. Consulate, and then the local paperwork in Venice.
We also read that we would need Italian translations of our birth certificates. We got the translations, but no one ever asked to see them. This might not be the case in all cities.
The U.S. State Department website has excellent guidelines for getting married abroad.
The biggest problem for most people is obtaining the documents from the Italian Embassy in the U.S., since you might have to travel a good distance to visit an embassye--plus you must bring four witnesses who have known you for years and can attest to your identities and freedom to marry (that you are not currently married nor are you leaving behind children). I live in NYC so it was easy to visit the embassy here, but your friends' situation may be different.
Back then, I was able to set a wedding appointment in Venice months in advance and then sarrived with the completed paperwork about five days before the wedding to process the paperwork, first in Milan at the U.S. Consulate, and then the local paperwork in Venice.
We also read that we would need Italian translations of our birth certificates. We got the translations, but no one ever asked to see them. This might not be the case in all cities.
The U.S. State Department website has excellent guidelines for getting married abroad.
Jul 11th, 2011, 05:37 PM
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You're right it is quite complicated and very difficult to do without a planner on the ground. It requires translation and notarization of numerous documents (proof of birth, citizenship, current marital status, etc) as well as filing them with various government offices on schedules that are often changing. There is also some residency requirement - but I don;t know the details.
If you search below you will find info from people who have done this - including the names of the planners they used and a much more complete list of all of the documentation needed.
If you search below you will find info from people who have done this - including the names of the planners they used and a much more complete list of all of the documentation needed.
Jul 11th, 2011, 06:26 PM
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But it was indeed the consulate we visited. Nevertheless, easier done in NYC where one can find both an embassy and consulate.
I beg to differ that we did not find this particularly difficult to do on our own. The U.S. State Department website gave concise instructions we found to be correct. In Italy there was no residency requirement. Trying to plan a wedding at home with all the paraphernalia and events that would have been necessary would have taken a lot more time and effort.
Granted, we had the benefit of having a consulate nearby, where all paperwork was in English and Italian. Paperwork at the U.S. offices in Milan was also in English and Italian. Even our wedding license was issued on a form that was in seven languages. Perhaps not every Italian town would have an English-speaker working in the marriage bureau as we found in Venice. We did have the benefit of having a Italian friend who telephoned the Venice marriage bureau and was then able to provide us with the direct phone number and name of the English-speaker in the office. Even so, working one's way through this bureaucracy is not for everyone.
I beg to differ that we did not find this particularly difficult to do on our own. The U.S. State Department website gave concise instructions we found to be correct. In Italy there was no residency requirement. Trying to plan a wedding at home with all the paraphernalia and events that would have been necessary would have taken a lot more time and effort.
Granted, we had the benefit of having a consulate nearby, where all paperwork was in English and Italian. Paperwork at the U.S. offices in Milan was also in English and Italian. Even our wedding license was issued on a form that was in seven languages. Perhaps not every Italian town would have an English-speaker working in the marriage bureau as we found in Venice. We did have the benefit of having a Italian friend who telephoned the Venice marriage bureau and was then able to provide us with the direct phone number and name of the English-speaker in the office. Even so, working one's way through this bureaucracy is not for everyone.
