Travel Stories >> Florence (Firenze) >> Paperwork

What DO two Americans living in Bosnia (or anywhere else) who want to marry in Italy have to do to make it happen (or, "The Italian bureaucracy, almost worse than the US bureaucracy, but not as bad as Spain’s")............Especially humorous are the articles at the very bottom of this page!...

We first found out about the bureaucracy of the Italian marriage process from the following email from my mother:

Persons wishing to be married in Italy must appear with two witness and make a declaration of their intention to marry before the Ufficiale dello Stato Civile (Civil Registrar) of the city or town in which the marriage is to take place. At the time of making their declaration, the couple must present all the required documents (see below). Following the declaration, it is usually necessary for bans to be posted at the local Comune (town hall) for two consecutive Sundays before the marriage [ *The posting of bans was waived for us outta-towners ]

On the fourth day following the second Sunday on which the bans are posted or any time after the bans have been waived, the couple may be married in a civil or religious ceremony. It should be noted here that unless the couple is married by the Roman Catholic church, they MUST have a civil marriage ceremony for the marriage to be legal.

Then I received another email from my mother:

The following documents must be presented to the Ufficiale dello Stato Civile when making a declaration of intention to marry. These documents (since they were all issued outside of Italy) had to be translated into Italian and legalized by the Apostille of the US State in which they were issued....

		American Passport (no need for translation here)
		Birth Certificate which must show the names of both parents (Rachel's in New Jersey, Roger's in California)
		Evidence of termination of any previous marriage, i.e., final divorce decrees or death certificates.
		Sworn statement of consent of marriage by parents in the citizen is underage
		Declaration of American Authority stating that there are no obstacles under American law to the marriage (the US consulate in Florence has a statement all ready)
		An affidavit (called an "atto notorio"), sworn by two witnesses (not relatives) before either an Italian Consular Office outside Italy (we thought the Italian Embassy in Sarajevo could help here), or in Italy at a Pretura or before a Mayor, Town Clerk, or Notary Public, stating that the American citizen is free to contract marriage.

So while my mother spent weeks getting documents translated into Italian and then notarized/legalized in four different states, Roger and Rachel took four friends to the Italian Embassy in Sarajevo to get the atto notorio signed and sealed.

1/9/98 from Mom:

Mr. Romano Salsarola of the Ambasciata D'Italia (the consulate) in Bosnia was not sure what exactly we needed to have in order to get married in Italy. After a very nice meeting with me, he explained that he was really an Economics officer and he would have to read through some of the texts of regulations to get it all clear. Later he wrote me the following:

9 February 1998, Sarajevo

Dear Miss Peterson:

In order to prepare the document you require, I will need the following information:

		For you, your husband to-be I will need:
			Full and complete names
			Date of birth
			Place of birth
			Passport Number
			Date of Issue/Place of Issue
			Social Security Number
			Home of record (full address)
			Current address
			Profession
			Blood type
			Father's full name, date of birth, full home address
			Mother full name (including maiden name), date of birth, full home address
		For your four witnesses I will need:
			Full and complete name
			Date/Place of Birth
			Passport Number
			Date of issue/place of issue
			Social Security Number
			Home of Record
			Current Address
			Profession
			Father's full name, date of birth, full home address
			Mother full name (including maiden name), date of birth, full home address

Finally, I need to remind you that, besides the "Atto di Notorieta", you must produce to the Registrar in Florence the following documentation: full birth certificate, sworn statement by your parents, rendered before the Registrar, to the effect that you and your fiancé are not blood relations, and the required documentation issued by the US Consulate General in Florence.

The Ambassador will address your witnesses with the following words:

"Conscious of the responsibility you undertake with your sworn statement before God and Men, swear to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth."

Each of the witnesses then must say in turn: "I swear"

The substance of the sworn statement may be resumed as follows:

"We affirm, on our conscience, that none of the impediments stated in the following articles (85, 86, 87, 88, 89 of the Italian Civil Code, do apply in the matter of the marriage of Mr. Roger B. Bird with Ms. Rachel Peterson, who we know to be free to marry."

ARTICLES:

		No known mental illness of either party that may constitute an impediment to the marriage;
		Neither Party is presently married;
		The Parties are not blood relations in the first of second degree;
		No conviction for murder or attempted murder on the spouse of the other contracting party;
		Neither party to this marriage has lived with his or her divorced partner during the last 300 days.

WELL, ALL OF OUR WITNESSES SWORE THAT NONE OF THE IMPEDIMENTS STATED IN THESE FIVE ARTICLES APPLIED TO OUR MARRIAGE (although there was some discussion of article 85 - on the phone later my father asked, "is that like, 'He drools, but he's faithful?")

The civil ceremony took place in the Red Room, but to get the paperwork complete, we had to visit the US Consulate first: Lungarno Vespucci, 38 (how appropriate!) tel: 55.239.8276, and then visit the Ufficio Matrimoni in the Palazzo Vecchio from 8,30 - 13,00, tel: 55.276.8518 or 55.276.8276. Our paperwork then needed to be stamped, etc. in the Prettura in the Ufficio Matrimoni, room number 57, tel: 55.264.271. And after it was all said and done, it cost us 300,000 lire to be married in Florence (the certificate anyway!).

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