Getting married in Italy
Wedding Ceremonies
Ceremonies
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Getting married in Italy means choosing one of the most unique and romantic settings. It’s truly something unique and unforgettable, but dealing with the cumbersome bureaucracy is not always pleasant and immediate.
The circumstances vary depending on the municipalities, the nationality of the spouses, the churches, and the religious confession. Intimate Italian Weddings recommends, in the case of a marriage with civil and/or religious significance,
to start collecting all the necessary documents at least 6-8 months in advance of the event date. It is also advisable to book the church and the venue well in advance so that within two months from the chosen date of the celebration, all the documents have already been submitted to the relevant offices and all bureaucratic procedures have been finalised.
Civil marriage
The required documents vary depending on the nationality of the spouses; therefore, to avoid providing potentially erroneous information, please contact us, and we will be happy to assist you with your specific bureaucratic situation.
For a legally valid marriage, the ceremony must take place at the town hall. In some cases, the Municipality itself designates certain buildings or outdoor spaces as “Municipal Houses” where the ceremony can be performed.
A marriage is considered valid in Italy if carried out in civil or religious form only if an interpreter is present in case one or both of the spouses do not understand Italian. It should be noted that regardless of one’s citizenship, a couple of days before the celebration, it is necessary to visit the town hall for a declaration (the substitute declaration).
If you opt for a Catholic religious wedding
a civil marriage is essential before or in conjunction with the ceremony (Concordatario – Patti Lateranensi 1929 ). In this case, the celebration must take place in a church, and the priest also acts as the civil registrar. If one or both of the spouses have previously contracted marriage according to the Catholic rite, they must go through the annulment process with the Sacred Roman Rota before being able to marry again in the church.
For those wishing to marry in the Vatican, all aspects related to civil marriage must be fulfilled in their own country since for the church, marriage is only a sacred rite (canonical rite). Booking times should be at least 6 months in advance.
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Religious marriage
A religious marriage can be officiated by a Catholic priest or by a minister of other religions authorised by the Ministry of the Interior to perform religious ceremonies.
For a Protestant ceremony, you can choose from various settings, ranging from the beautiful and picturesque Tuscan countryside to a more luxurious residence, perhaps with a poolside setting, or even a castle, all in private contexts. Otherwise, special permits will need to be requested from the relevant municipality. Protestant ministers can officiate as civil registrars throughout Italy.
For ceremonies of other religions, such as Jewish or Eastern Orthodox, depending on the type of religion, there will be procedures followed according to the church to which one belongs, but they do not have civil validity, so it is recommended to arrange them beforehand in one’s own country.
SYMBOLIC CEREMONY
For a symbolic ceremony, the imagination and creativity of the couple can roam freely since it is a promise between the two spouses, there are no constraints determining the location or mode in which the celebration must take place.
Italian civil wedding ceremony: paperwork
The required documents vary depending on the nationality of the spouses.
If one of the spouses is an Italian citizen, even with dual citizenship or is a child of Italians, even if they do not possess a passport, they must marry following the procedures of an Italian citizen abroad. Therefore, they will need to contact the Italian embassy in their country of residence to initiate the procedures for publication and oath.
There are some countries, mostly European, that fall under an international agreement (Monaco Treaty 1980), in which case the documents are simplified.
For citizens not belonging to the European Union or not part of the Monaco Concordat agreement, conventions vary on a case-by-case basis; Consult with us for any clarification or first contact the Embassy of your country here in Italy for information.
Catholic marriage with civil recognition: In this case, it is necessary to provide the same documents required for the civil part, while for the religious part, you will need the baptism certificate, confirmation certificate, having attended the pre-marriage course with the relevant clearance issued by your church, and permission from your Curia.
paperwork
Once married
Once married the Italian authorities will issue you a marriage certificate. For citizens who are within the Treaty of Monaco countries this certificate will be multilingual; but for those citizens outside this treaty the certificate will be in Italian with a postscript in English.
Depending on the country, it is required that once you are back home, you transcript your marital status in your municipality. In other, it is important to have your declaration with a copy of the certificate that proves it.
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Your wedding is an important event, contact me for free first advice and suggestions, if you like my advise we can go ahead with the organization.