How to Obtain Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates in Italy

Location of Records:

Under Italian law, records of birth, marriages, and deaths are maintained by the Registrar of Vital Statistics (Ufficio della Stato civile) in the City Office (Comune or Municipio) of the place where the event occurred. There is no central, regional or provincial office which keeps such records.

Information Required:

When applying for one of these certificates, the applicant must supply all relevant information. The office of the registrar cannot undertake extensive research of its files to locate a record which is not properly identified.

For a BIRTH CERTIFICATE (Certificato di Nascita): provide full name of person at birth, place and date of birth, name of parents; specify that the document should include the name of parents.

For a MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE (Certificato di Matrimonio), provide full names at birth of both parties, their birth dates, place and date of marriage.

For a DEATH CERTIFICATE (Certificato di Morte), provide full name at birth of deceased, date and place of birth if available, place and date of death.

Translations:

It is strongly recommended that all requests be translated into Italian. Requests received in a language other than Italian may be subject to extensive delays or not answered at all.

Addressing your Request:

If your request is directed to a large city, address it as follows:

Ufficio dello Stato Civile
Comune di ______
Italy

A request to a small town may simply be addressed:

Comune di ________
Provincia di________
Italy

Fees:

A small fee, varying from place to place but on average not exceeding L. 5.000 (around $2.50), is charged for the issuance of each certificate. Though it is customary for Italian city offices to waive the small administrative fees for foreign applicants, their budget does not allow for expenditures of funds to cover their services and postal charges. It is recommended that international postal reply coupons (available through most U.S. Post Offices) be included with any request for services.

Apostille:

If a document is intended for use as evidence before a court or other legal proceeding, it must be authenticated with an "apostille" by the responsible Italian authorities in accordance with the terms of the Hague Legalization Convention of October 5, 1961 (effective in the United States on October 15, 1981). Please indicate in your request whether an apostille is required.

Note:

Italian registrars are not required by law to assist in genealogical research work. In most places, records dating back as far as the mid-19th century are available but unless complete and correct information is provided, no search can be undertaken. If you are engaged in family tree reconstruction and do not have the essential information bearing on your ancestors, you may wish to retain the aid of professional researchers. A separate list of firms or individuals specializing in genealogical work (ancestry, coat of arms, etc) is available from the Office of American Citizens Services .

April 1998

This information has been prepared by the Office of Citizens Services at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy as an aid for those persons who are in need of vital records from Italian authorities.