Wedding in Italy Canadian Citizens 
Italian law requires EACH non-Italian wishing to be married in Italy to present a "Nulla Osta" (Certificate of non-Impediment) or equivalent documentation.
The Canadian Government does not issue "Nulla Osta". However, to assist Canadians to meet the Italian requirements, the Canadian Embassy in Rome issues a declaration containing the relevant information.
Requests for the declaration can be made by appointment or by mail. Delivery service standards are 3 business days from the time they receive a complete request.
Obtaining a Declaration (Nulla Osta) from the Embassy in Rome
You must first complete and swear an affidavit to the effect that there is no impediment to the proposed marriage. You may swear the affidavit in Canada in front of a notary public, or at the Canadian Embassy in Rome upon appointment. Contact us by e-mail or fax to request an appointment.
If you wish to swear the affidavit at the Embassy, complete the Affidavit form before coming to the Embassy, but do not sign it. You will need to sign it at the Embassy in the presence of a Consular Officer.
Come to the Embassy at your scheduled appointment time with the following documents:
- Unsigned affidavit;
- Valid Canadian passport;
- Proof of Canadian citizenship (Canadian birth certificate or Certificate of Canadian Citizenship). (If you were born in Québec: Only birth certificates issued on or after January 1, 1994, by "Le Directeur de l'état civil" in the province of Québec are accepted);
- Complete details of the future spouse (full name, date and place of birth, residence, father's name and mother's full maiden name);
- Final divorce decree or death certificate of previous spouse (if divorced or widowed);
- Parents' consent (if the person is under marriageable age).
- Appropriate fees.
Please note: If you and your fiancé(e) are both Canadian, you will each need to swear an affidavit and obtain separate declarations.
Swearing the Affidavit in Canada or Another Country
The Affidavit can also be sworn in front of a notary public in Canada or a consular official at Canadian Embassies or Consulates in other countries. In this case it is not necessary to come in person to the Embassy in Rome. The original Affidavit and certified true copies of the above-mentioned documents can be sent to the Embassy in Rome to obtain the Declaration to be sent back to you or to your wedding planner for the legalization at the prefettura.
What to Do After Obtaining the Declaration
- Present the declaration to the competent "Prefettura - Ufficio Legalizzazioni" (provincial authority) to be formally authenticated. Please refer to the list of all "Prefetture" in Italy. Efffetti wedding in Italy can do it for you. Just specifically send or require the Embassy to send us back the documentation.
- After it has been authenticated, you must present it to the Marriage Office of the Municipality in Italy. Banns are waived if neither party is Italian nor residing in Italy.
- The Municipal authorities will request the couple to return (usually in 2 or 3 days) sometims with 2 witnesses PLUS an interpreter (if one or both parties do not know Italian) to execute a declaration before the "Ufficiale dello Stato Civile" (Registrar of Vital Statistics) of the Municipality. Arrangements are then concluded and a date is fixed for the civil marriage ceremony. Two witnesses PLUS an interpreter (if necessary) must be present at the civil marriage ceremony.
Although the Italian authorities usually extend every assistance to foreigners wishing to marry in Italy, a date for a civil marriage ceremony is generally NOT fixed unless the above-mentioned declaration (see point 3) has first been executed by the couple.
The waiting period (from the date the required documents are presented to the marriage office to the date of the civil marriage ceremony) may vary depending on the period of the year and on the number of requests received by the municipality.
Most of the municipalities levy marriage fees for non-residents.
Please note: Until recently, a woman whose previous marriage was terminated within the last 300 days had to obtain a waiver from the competent "Procura della Repubblica" (Court) in Italy in order to marry in Italy. Depending on the locality, this law may no longer apply. You are advised to check with the Comune where you wish to marry.
The Embassy in Rome can ONLY be contacted by e-mail or fax. Fees are payable for the declaration in lieu of Nulla Osta, and for the affidavit as well, if it is to be done at the Embassy offices. These fees are non refundable.
Fees
Fees are payable for the declaration (or for two declarations, in the case where both persons are Canadian citizens), and for the affidavit(s), if sworn at the Embassy.
The fees are non refundable. For more information, please see Fees and Method of Payment.
Civil legally binding ceremony
Civil Ceremonies are legally binding and will normally be performed in the local Register Office (Anagrafe) and last approximately 20-30 minutes. The ceremony will be conducted in Italian and you are legally obliged to have an interpreter present throughout the ceremony, even if you or your partner can speak Italian. The interpreter must be a professional signing and making oath to translate accordingly.
Religious Ceremony
A Roman Catholic wedding is legally binding and recognised by the Italian authorities, because they contain a civil element within the service, therefore it will not be necessary to perform a separate civil ceremony. The ceremony will be performed in the local Roman Catholic Church, but first you will have had to contact your local parish priest in your home country to help you prepare. It would be very unlikely that any catholic church in Rome would permit the marriage of non-catholics. As long as one or both are catholic that is OK.
Please NOTE: Lucca diocese do not allow catholic weddings of non residents
Other religious ceremonies
If you wish to have any other type of religious ceremony (for those religions not recognized by the italian government) you will be required to have a civil ceremony first, otherwise the marriage will not be legally binding under any law. In such cases couples may wish to have a civil ceremony in Canada and have a blessing in Italy.
Roman-Catholic Religious ceremonies
In the case of a religious marriage ceremony to be performed at a Roman-Catholic Church, the document issued by the Embassy, duly legalized by the competent Prefettura, should be presented to the Parish Priest in Italy, in addition to all documents required by the Church. The Parish Priest shall arrange for the registration of the religious marriage with the competent Italian Vital Statistics authorities. The marriage must be so registered in order to have civil value in Italy.
PLS NOTE that Lucca Diocese do not allow catholic weddings of NON resident
Non Roman-Catholic Religious Ceremony
To our knowledge, ceremonies performed at non-Roman Catholic churches require a civil ceremony as well. It is suggested that you contact the Minister, Priest or Rabbi as early as possible to obtain appropriate information.
This is an abstract taken from the Government of Canada site
