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Italy is known for being the best place for two people in love. That is why each year hundreds of couples from all over choose to have weddings in Italy. Italy offers so much to each couple – a sense of history and permanence and a culture which radiates love. What young girl hasn’t dreamed of being kissed in the moonlight at the Trevi Fountain? Or holding tight to her lover as they are poled through the canals of Venice? Or of walking hand-in-hand along the Amalfi Coast in the footsteps of the gods themselves?
In Italy there is no residency requirement to get married
A civil ceremony can be performed in as few as three days.
There are no residency requirements for getting married in Italy; in some cases it is possible to make all arrangements and have a ceremony conducted in as few as three days, although it might be safer to allow slightly longer in case there are any snags with the paperwork.
However, for most weddings in Italy there is surprisingly little paperwork required. An American or British citizen, for example, will need a valid passport and a birth certificate that has been obtained no more than six months ago. If you are divorced then you must have your final divorce decree or a death certificate for your former spouse. If you have been divorced there may be a waiting period required before you can remarry in Italy so be certain to ask.
There are three other pieces of paperwork that you will need to obtain. One is called an Atto Notorio, which is simply a document sworn to in front of the Italian Consulate with witnesses which states that you are legally able to be married.
Next you will need what is called an Apostille of a document. All this means is that the Secretary of State in the state in which you live must attach an authentification seal (or an Apostille seal) to your birth certificate. This is not difficult. Simply contact the Secretary of State in your state and ask what the procedure is.
You will also need to get your birth certificate and/or divorce decree translated into Italian and authenticated at an Italian Consulate. Again, this is much easier than it may sound.
The last piece of paperwork you need is called a Nulla Osta and you must get this in Italy. This is simply a final document sworn to in front of the Consulate or head of your Embassy stating that you are legally able to marry. Generally this can be accomplished in just a couple of hours, but Italian officials request that you are present in Italy for three business days before your wedding day simply to avoid any problems with arranging for the Nulla Osta.
Most couples opt for a civil wedding prior to a religious wedding.
Unlike in the U.S. or Britain, a religious wedding in Italy is somewhat more difficult and time-consuming to arrange than a civil wedding, so it is very common for couples to hold a civil marriage ceremony first, and then hold a church wedding.
While it is possible to arrange a Catholic wedding ceremony in Italy, it is not easy, and the church frowns upon Catholic wedding ceremonies for non-Italians. If you have your heart set on a Catholic wedding you would be well advised to contact the church in Italy where you wish to be married several months ahead of time and find out if a religious ceremony is possible and if so make certain that you have plenty of time to comply with all of the requirements before the ceremony.
The very least that will be required for any religious wedding ceremony in Italy is that the couple attend at least three premarital counseling sessions presided over by a member of the clergy and that the couple have spent at least four weeks in Italy preparing for the wedding. Exact requirements differ between churches so be certain to contact the church in which you wish to marry in order to get their procedures.
A civil marriage ceremony is much simpler. As stated before, many couples are married in a civil ceremony and then have a religious ceremony. A religious ceremony is much less complicated if it follows a civil ceremony.
A civil ceremony takes place in the city hall and will be conducted by the vice mayor of the city or by another high-ranking city official. You will be required to provide the simple paperwork mentioned earlier and you will have to swear that you are legally free to marry.
Naturally you must book your civil wedding ahead of time in order to be certain that there are no other weddings scheduled for the same time. It is recommended that you contact the city hall at least a month in advance simply to make certain there are no scheduling conflicts.
By law an Italian translator must be present during your wedding even if both the bride and the groom speak some Italian.
Your dreams of a full religious ceremony in Italy are simple once a civil ceremony has taken place.
Once the rings have been exchanged and the paperwork filed, you are free to hold the most elaborate religious ceremony you have ever dreamed of, often the same afternoon. A church wedding to bless a civil ceremony requires very little documentation and, depending on the policies of your particular church, the ceremony may be held at a number of venues, including restaurants, hotel rooftops, or ancient castles.
There is no reason to put your dreams of an Italian wedding off any longer. If getting married in Italy has been your fantasy then make your every wish come true. There are no residency requirements and very little paperwork involved. Once a civil ceremony has been performed then you may hold the church wedding of your dreams in the country of love and romance and know that all of your fantasies will finally be turned into wonderful memories that you and your love can share together all the rest of your lives.
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