Marriage in Italy: The Bilingual Statutory Declaration

This briefing is part of our legal hub for Citizenship & Family Law.

| :--- | | British | Statutory Declaration + CNI | Precision timing to satisfy the 3-month window. | | Irish | CNI / Nulla Osta | Exploiting the fastest "Frictionless" path. | | US / Australian | Affidavit + Notarial Act (Atto Notorio) | Coordinating the Court-led Notarial Act process. | | Canadian | Declaration in lieu of Nulla Osta | Managing the Consular "Affidavit" sequence. | | New Zealander | CNI / Nulla Osta | Embassy coordination in Rome. |

The British Requirement: Declaration & Nulla Osta

The marriage process for UK nationals involves two distinct legal instruments:

The Bilingual Statutory Declaration: A specific form provided by GOV.UK that must be witnessed by a solicitor or notary.
The Certificate of No Impediment (CNI): Issued by your local Register Office in the UK after "posting notice" for 28 days.

The Certification Chain

To ensure the Statutory Declaration is "Italy-ready," the following chain must be satisfied:

The US & Australian "Atto Notorio" Trap

For US and Australian citizens, a simple Affidavit is not sufficient. Italian law requires an Atto Notorio (Notarial Act) executed before an Italian Consul abroad or a Court (Tribunale) in Italy. We provide the jurisdictional coordination required to bridge the gap between foreign affidavits and Italian court requirements.

Handling Name Discrepancies

One of the most common delays in Italian marriage proceedings is a mismatch between names on birth certificates and passports. We provide the Additional Statutory Declarations required to resolve these discrepancies before the Nulla Osta is issued.

Enquire about Marriage & Jurisdictional Coordination

Additional Notes for Professionals

The witnessing of statutory declarations by English solicitors for use abroad is governed by the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. For use in Italy, the solicitor's signature satisfies D.P.R. 445/2000. Note that for Irish documents, the London Convention 1968 may provide exemptions for certain consular acts.