Getting legally married in Italy as British citizens

At home

1. A certificate of no impediment for each of you. You each give notice at your local register office, which is displayed for 28 clear days, and then the certificate is issued. A postal route through the British Embassy in Rome exists for those who cannot use a register office. Italy accepts the certificate only if it is issued within the six months before the wedding, so give notice between six and a half and four months before. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, different rules apply, so talk to us first.

2. A bilingual sworn declaration. On the official bilingual form, in English and Italian, setting out your personal details: your names as they appear in your passport, date and place of birth, address, both parents' names, passport details and nationality. You sign it before a solicitor, which usually costs £5, or a notary public. Since 2013 the Italian Ministry of the Interior has asked British citizens for the certificate and this declaration together, in place of the consular nulla osta, so comuni ask for both.

3. Apostilles. The Foreign Office Legalisation Office apostilles both documents. Apostille the originals, and before the translation, so the translation covers the apostille too. The standard postal service is currently quoted at up to 25 working days, plus post; services registered with the Legalisation Office can turn it round the next day, for a higher fee.

4. Italian translations. Some comuni accept a translation by a qualified translator; others want it sworn before a court in Italy. We find out which and do it. The translations are in our fee.

In Italy

5. The declaration before the registrar. You both appear in person, with us interpreting, usually a day or two before the wedding. Two British citizens who do not live in Italy need no public notice of the wedding posted in Italy.

6. The ceremony. Conducted in Italian by the registrar, with us interpreting and your two witnesses. Your Italian marriage certificate follows once the marriage is registered.

Recognised at home

The UK recognises a marriage validly made under Italian law, and a marriage abroad cannot be registered in England and Wales, so there is nothing more to do.

What it costs

Our fee is £1,950, fixed. You pay the comune's fee and your UK paperwork separately: the register office notices, the solicitor or notary and the apostilles. The service

Start early

Give notice between six and a half and four months before your date.

How it works in Italy, for everyone

One of you Irish or American? The documents for each nationality

Checked October 2026. Official sources: GOV.UK on marriage abroad, the bilingual declaration form and the Legalisation Office.