The Registry Office registers in Italy records acts issued by foreign authorities related to the birth, death, marriage, civil unions, and divorces of Italian citizens. Additionally, the office assists citizens residing within the consular district and registered within the AIRE regarding marriage publications and applications for name and surname changes. These acts are presented by Italian citizens residing abroad to their respective consular office, which then transmits them to Italian municipalities for transcription.
This applies to Italian citizens residing in the jurisdiction of the Consulate of Italy in Manchester as well.
For information, you can write to the address: manchester.civile@esteri.it
More information about the Civil Registry can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. On this page, you can find information about:
To whom the service is addressed and how to access it
The service is intended for Italian citizens residing within the jurisdiction of the Consulate in Manchester and registered within the AIRE. It should be noted that Italian citizens are required to declare all changes in civil status (by providing the relevant acts or other documentation) that occur during their stay abroad to the competent consular office for the location where the event took place.
Most civil registry services do not require the presence of the applicant at our offices and can be requested by post as described for each service. In this case, certificates will not be returned as they must be kept in the consular office’s records. Incomplete or incorrect applications are not processed and will be returned to the sender. For some services, it is necessary to make an appointment through the online booking portal Prenot@Mi.
Some services are subject to consular fees. If the service is provided by post, the fee is collected through a postal order. In the case of an appointment, the payment must be made in person, in cash.
How to register a birth certificate
The registration of a birth certificate can be done by post, without appearing at the Consulate. In this case, you will need:
– The application form for the transcription of a birth certificate, signed by both parents.
– In the case of a birth in the United Kingdom, the original birth certificate (photocopies are not accepted), apostilled and translated (Legalizations, Apostilles, and Translations – Consulate of Italy in Manchester).
– In the case of births in other foreign countries besides the United Kingdom, the birth certificate must be legalized and translated into Italian as indicated by the competent consular office.
– A photocopy of the valid passports or identity cards of both parents.
ATTENTION! In case where the parents have contracted marriage in Italy or have already registered their marriage performed abroad, it is sufficient for the birth certificate to have only one “informant.” If the marriage was contracted abroad, it will be necessary to attach the request for the registration of the marriage certificate (see below). If there is no marital bond between the parents, both parents must be indicated as “informants” on the birth certificate. In the case of children from same-sex civil unions, please visit the section below.
The specified documentation should be sent to:
Consulate of Italy – Stato Civile
The Chancery, 2nd floor
58 Spring Gardens
M2 1EW
Manchester
Incomplete or incorrect applications will not be processed. If the application is positively processed, please note that original certificates will not be returned.
How to Register a Marriage
The registration of a marriage can be done by post without visiting the Consulate. In this case, you will need:
– The marriage transcription request form, signed by both spouses.
– In the case of a marriage in the United Kingdom, the original marriage certificate (full marriage certificate), apostilled and translated (Legalizations, Apostilles, and Translations – Consulate of Italy in Manchester).
– For marriages in foreign countries other than the United Kingdom, the marriage certificate must be legalized and translated into Italian according to the procedures specified by the competent consular office.
– A photocopy of the valid passports or identity cards of both spouses.
The indicated documentation should be sent to:
Consulate of Italy – Stato Civile
The Chancery, 2nd floor
58 Spring Gardens
M2 1EW
Manchester
Incomplete or incorrect applications will not be processed. If the application is positively processed, please note that the original certificates will not be returned.
How to Register a Civil Union or Same-Sex Marriage
The registration of a civil union or same-sex marriage can be done by post without visiting the Consulate. In this case, you will need:
– The union transcription request form, signed by both partners.
– For a civil union or same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom, the ORIGINAL marriage certificate (Civil Partnership / Marriage), apostilled and translated (Legalizations, Apostilles, and Translations – Consulate of Italy in Manchester).
– For unions in foreign countries other than the United Kingdom, the marriage certificate must be legalized and translated into Italian according to the procedures specified by the competent consular office.
– A photocopy of the valid passports or identity cards of both partners.
The indicated documentation should be sent to:
Consulate of Italy – Stato Civile
The Chancery, 2nd floor
58 Spring Gardens
M2 1EW
Manchester
Incomplete or incorrect applications will not be processed. If the application is positively processed, please note that the original certificates will not be returned.
ATTENTION! These acts will be transcribed into the Italian legal system as “civil unions” in the specific Provisional Register of Civil Unions established by each Municipality (Art. 9, paragraph 1, DPCM 144/2016). In documents and acts that require the indication of civil status, upon the request of the interested parties, the terms “civilly united” will be used (Art. 7, paragraph 2, DPCM 144/2016).
How to Register a Death Certificate
The registration of a death can be done by post without visiting the Consulate. In this case, you will need:
– The death transcription request form, accompanied by a photocopy of the requester’s identity document.
– In the case of a death in the United Kingdom, the ORIGINAL (no photocopy accepted) death certificate (“Extract of an Entry in the Registers of Deaths”), apostilled and translated into Italian (Legalizations, Apostilles, and Translations – Consulate of Italy in Manchester).
– For deaths in foreign countries other than the United Kingdom, the death certificate must be legalized and translated into Italian according to the procedures specified by the competent consular office.
– A photocopy of the deceased’s identity document.
The indicated documentation should be sent to:
Consulate of Italy – Stato Civile
The Chancery, 2nd floor
58 Spring Gardens
M2 1EW
Manchester
Incomplete or incorrect applications will not be processed. If the application is positively processed, please note that the original certificates will not be returned.
Publication of Marriage Banns for Marriages in Italy
If the prospective spouse for a marriage to be celebrated in Italy, whether civil or religious with civil effects, is an AIRE citizen within the jurisdiction of the Consulate in Manchester, they must request the publication of marriage banns. For this service, it is necessary to make an appointment at our offices through the Prenot@Mi system. At the time of the appointment, you must present:
– The data communication form for the publication of marriage banns, signed by both prospective spouses.
– Photocopies of the valid passports or identity cards of both prospective spouses.
– In the case of a religious marriage, a letter on church letterhead in Italy, with the stamp and signature of the priest officiating the wedding, specifying the complete particulars of the spouses, as well as the church and the wedding date.
– Cash payments for consular fees (Link to: Consular fees), including: NAA stamp duty (two payments in case one of the prospective spouses is resident in Italy) + Art. 3 Marriage Banns Posting + Art. 24 Authenticity of Signature in case the prospective spouse is a non-EU citizen (including British citizens) + Art. 2c Certificate of Marriage Banns Posting.
ATTENTION! In the case of a marriage in Italy with a foreign prospective spouse, he/she must also present the “nulla osta al matrimonio” (Art. 116 of the Italian Civil Code) issued by the competent authorities. Specifically:
– If he/she is a British citizen, he/she must submit a valid identification document and a “Certificate of no impediment” (“Certificato di non impedimento”, CNI in Italian) issued by the local British Registry Office and apostilled (https://consmanchester.esteri.it/it/servizi-consolari-e-visti/servizi-per-il-cittadino-italiano/legalizzazioni-apostille-e-traduzioni/) , along with a bilingual statutory declaration made by the parties involved before a British lawyer or notary (Link to: Forms), also apostilled (https://consmanchester.esteri.it/it/servizi-consolari-e-visti/servizi-per-il-cittadino-italiano/legalizzazioni-apostille-e-traduzioni/).
– If he/she is an EU citizen, he/she must present a valid ID and a “Certificate of no impediment” issued by the authorities of their own country no more than six months before the appointment.
– If he/she is U.S. or Australian citizen, he/she must present a valid ID and a statutory declaration signed in Italy before an Italian notary, or an English notary, or a U.S. or Australian notary (the relevant signature must be apostilled according to the laws of the respective countries).
– If he/she is a non-EU citizen, he/she must present a valid ID and a “nulla osta” legalized in accordance with their home country’s regulations and accompanied by a certified translation into Italian.
Both prospective spouses must attend the appointment with valid identity documents. Only in the case of proven hindrance can one of the prospective spouses attend with a written proxy from the other. If the grantor of the proxy is not an EU citizen (including British citizens), the proxy must be made before a notary/lawyer, and the notary’s signature must be legalized, along with a certified copy of their ID. The proxy can also be drawn up at the consular office in the country of residence outside the UK.
Banns are valid for 180 days, so they must be posted exclusively within the 180 days before the wedding date. They will remain posted for eight consecutive days on the Consular Register online. On the fourth day after posting, the procedure is concluded with the issuance of the “Certificate of Performed Marriage Banns,” which is valid for 180 days. This certificate will be sent directly to the applicants’ home by this Consulate and sent in advance via PEC (certified e-mail) to the relevant Municipality.
Marriage Abroad
Italian citizens residing in the Manchester jurisdiction who intend to marry in Austria, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, or Turkey (i.e., in one of the countries that have ratified the Monaco Convention of 05/09/1980) can request from this Consulate the “Certificate of Marriage Capacity,” exempt from legalization and translation since various sections are already translated into the languages agreed upon by the signatory countries. Italian citizens who intend to marry in other countries can request a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage from the Consulate, which demonstrates their single status.
In both cases, the service can be provided by post, without the need to visit the Consulate. In this case, you will need:
– The application form for the Certificate of Marriage Capacity, signed by both prospective spouses.
– Photocopies of valid passports or identity cards.
– A declaration issued by the General Register Office confirming the absence of marriages contracted on-site by the requester.
– Copies of valid identity documents with photos of both prospective spouses.
– A postal order corresponding to the consular fees (Link to: Consular fees): Art. 2d for the Certificate of Marriage Capacity or the Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage + £0.85 GBP for collection fees.
– A pre-paid and pre-addressed envelope for the delivery of the certificate.
The specified documentation should be sent to the following address:
Consulate of Italy – Ufficio Stato Civile
58 Spring Gardens – 2nd Floor
M2 1EW Manchester
ATTENTION! If the marriage will be celebrated abroad, there is no need for the publication of marriage banns (except for Albania). After the marriage, Italian citizens are legally obligated to transmit to this Consulate an original integral extract of the relevant act according to the procedures indicated above.
Recognition of a Divorce Judgment
The registration of a British divorce judgment can be done by post without visiting the Consulate. In this case, you will need:
– The application form for the transcription of the judgment, signed by the Italian citizen.
– Photocopies of the valid passports or identity cards of both spouses.
– The divorce judgment (“Decree final and absolute”) in the original, with certified translation into Italian, and stamped by the Judge: “I certify that this is a true copy of an original document filed with this Court.”
– If the British divorce judgment was transmitted by the Court in digital format (PDF via email), please attach the delivery note with which the Court transmits the document to the requester.
– If the British judgment was issued BEFORE December 31, 2020, you must submit the completed, dated, signed, and stamped Art. 39 – Form D180 model from the court (no translation is required).
– If the British judgment was issued AFTER December 31, 2020, you must present the decree Nisi (interim decree) in the original, with certified translation into Italian and stamped by the Judge: “I certify that this is a true copy of an original document filed with this Court.”
– If the judgment was rendered in “default of appearance” and the requester for the transcription is the “petitioner”, please provide confirmation of notification to the respondent (“acknowledgment of service”), with a certificate of dispatch from the Court and translation into Italian and provided with the aforementioned “true copy” stamp by the Judge;
– A statement from the requester regarding the presence or absence of minor children had with the ex-husband or wife, at the time of the divorce transcription request (link to forms) da aggiungere anche nel sito in ITA.
– A special delivery envelope weighing up to 100g.
ATTENTION! In case of an agreement regarding minor children, you must attach the “Agreement for children” with translation into Italian and provided with the aforementioned “true copy” stamp by the Judge (the “true copy” stamp by the Judge). Alternatively, you can provide: a letter from the court certifying the no need of intervention regarding minor children, evidence of an agreement reached between the parties in the presence of a British lawyer or an agency recognized by the British government. This documentation, along with certified translation, must be accompanied by a self-certification attesting to one of the aforementioned circumstances.
If you intend to transcribe a divorce judgment from a country other than the United Kingdom, the judgment must be legalized and translated according to the procedures specified by the competent consular office (https://serviziconsolarionline.esteri.it/ScoFE/services/service-info.sco?serviceId=50).
All the specified documentation should be sent to:
Consulate of Italy – Stato Civile
The Chancery, 2nd floor
58 Spring Gardens
M2 1EW Manchester
Incomplete or incorrect applications will not be processed. If the application is positively processed, please note that the original certificates will not be returned.