Wedding Ceremonies in Italy

Getting married in Italy involves providing specific documents from your home country that certify your identity and that there are no legal impediments to your marriage.

Below is a list of documents you will need to celebrate the wedding. Please note that these general requirements might vary slightly depending on your nationality and country of residence.

In your country

• You both need to Publish the Banns at your local registry office.
• Your Certificate of Non Impediment will normally be released after 21 clear days.

In Italy

• Your national Certificate of No Impediment has to be presented to the Consular office in whose district your marriage will take place, together with the following documents:

• Long Form of Birth certificates (showing name of parents), original document.
• Passport; first five pages of old format passport or last page of new European format.
• Evidence of termination of any previous marriage if applicable (i.e. death certificate or divorce decree absolute) together with the previous marriage certificate.
• Deed -poll showing change of name if applicable.

• The Consulate will release the Nulla Osta (the documents necessary for your marriage in Italy), which will need to be presented to the wedding hall where you will be married
• One or two days before the ceremony you will have to make the Declaration of Intent to Marry at the Wedding Hall

A Religious Wedding in Italy

A Roman Catholic wedding is legally binding and recognised by the Italian authorities, because it contains a civil element within the service, therefore it will not be necessary to perform a separate civil ceremony (the civil requirements will still need to be met).

The ceremony will be performed in the local Roman Catholic Church, but first you will have had to contact your local parish priest in your country of origins to help you prepare.

There are a number of churches that can perform the marriage ceremony in English.

In Italy a Catholic ceremony can only be performed in a Church and can only be celebrated when both bride and groom are Catholic. If one of the parties is of a different religion, a Catholic wedding is still possible as long as you attend the required pre-marital classes and have the paperwork approved by the religious authorities in Italy.

In the case of one of the parties being divorced, the Catholic Church will not allow you to remarry in church. You must have an annulment recognized by the Catholic Authorities.

Other Religious Ceremonies in Italy

If you wish to have any other type of religious ceremony you will be required to have a civil ceremony first, otherwise the marriage will not be legally binding under Italian law. In such cases couples may wish to have a civil ceremony at home and have a blessing in Italy.

A Symbolic Ceremony in Italy

Case you have already had a civil ceremony at home, you may choose to arrange a Symbolic Wedding in Italy. This celebration doesn’t have any type of restrictions and can be performed in a location of your choice, being it a garden or a beach by the lake.