How to get Married in Italy legally as a UK Citizen Wedding Guide
Tuscany’s rolling hills, the dramatic cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, or a romantic vintage villa surrounded by olive groves—Italy is, without a doubt, one of the most magical places in the world to say "I do."
However, if you are a UK citizen wishing to get legally married here (a civil or Catholic wedding), navigating the Italian bureaucracy can feel a bit daunting.
The Essential Paperwork: What You Need
Don’t worry. As a celebrant who guides international couples through this beautiful journey, I am here to break it down for you. Here is your definitive, step-by-step guide to making your Italian wedding completely official.
The Essential Paperwork: What You Need
Legally married in Italy
Unlike a symbolic ceremony (which has no legal restrictions), a legally binding wedding in Italy requires specific documentation to prove there is no legal impediment to your marriage.
Here is the step-by-step process you need to follow within 6 months of your wedding date (documents expire if done too early!).
Step 1: The Certificate of No Impediment CNI
How to get Married in Italy legally as a UK Citizen
The first and most important document is the CNI.
What to do: You need to give notice of your marriage at your local Register Office in the UK.
The timeline: Your notice will be displayed for 28 days. After this, you will be issued your CNI.
Note: If you and your partner live in different registration districts, you must each submit a notice and get separate CNIs.
Step 2: The Statutory Declaration
Wedding Guide
While waiting for your CNI, you both need to sign a Statutory Declaration in front of a solicitor or public notary in the UK. This is a formal statement confirming your names, addresses, nationalities, and freedom to marry.
Step 3: Legalisation The Apostille
How to get Married in Italy legally as a UK Citizen
Once you have your CNI and your Statutory Declaration, they must be legalised for use abroad.
What to do: Send the original documents to the UK Legalisation Office to receive an Apostille stamp. Without this stamp, Italian authorities will not accept your UK paperwork.
Step 4: Translation into Italian
British marrying in Italy
Italy’s official language is Italian, so your UK documents must be officially translated.
Your certified translator must have the translations sworn before an Italian court (Traduzione Giurata).
The Final Step in Italy: The Dichiarazione Giurata
Destination wedding Italy paperwork
Once you arrive in Italy with all your legalised and translated documents, there is one last piece of the puzzle.
The Town Hall (Comune): You, your partner, and an interpreter (if you don’t speak fluent Italian) will need to visit the Town Hall of the town where you are getting married.
The Declaration: You will sign a Dichiarazione Giurata (Sworn Declaration) stating that there are no legal obstacles to your marriage under Italian law. This usually happens 2 or 3 days before the wedding.
Important Things to Keep in Mind
📌 The 300-Day Rule: Under Italian law, a woman who has been previously divorced or widowed cannot remarry until 300 days have passed since the official dissolution of her previous marriage.
📌 Witnesses: You will need two witnesses over the age of 18. If they do not speak Italian, an interpreter must be present during the legal ceremony.
Legal wedding Italy UK citizens
Looking for a Stress-Free Alternative?
If the thought of international bureaucracy feels like it takes the romance out of the planning, you are not alone! Many of my UK couples choose a two-step approach:
They quickly sign the legal papers at a local registry office in the UK.
They have a Symbolic Ceremony in Italy.
A symbolic ceremony gives you total freedom. There is no paperwork, no time constraints, and we can completely customize the ceremony to feel uniquely yours—warm, elegant, and naturally paced, without a single bureaucratic thought in sight.
CNI Italy wedding
Whether you choose a full legal ceremony or a deeply personal symbolic one, Italy is waiting for you.
Ciao for now,
Paola
