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Wedding paperwork guide

Getting Married in Italy as a Canadian

Most of the work happens at home: one sworn affidavit and a few precise documents. Get them right, and Italy is the easy part.

Paperwork guide for Canadians

Can Canadians get married in Italy?

Yes. Getting married in Italy as a Canadian is possible with a civil wedding or a legally recognised religious one, and the marriage is valid in Canada.

Italy asks every foreign spouse for a Nulla Osta, a document proving you are free to marry. Canada doesn't issue a classic certificate of no impediment, but the Canadian Embassy in Rome issues a Nulla Osta for marriage on the basis of your sworn affidavit. Most of the preparation is done from home; in Italy we take care of the rest.

The short answer

Quick overview
for Canadian citizens.

  • One Nulla Osta for each Canadian: issued by the Canadian Embassy in Rome, in Italian, valid for 6 months.
  • A sworn affidavit for each Canadian spouse, plus supporting documents, prepared by you: ideally sworn before a notary in the country where you live.
  • In Italy: we legalise the Nulla Osta at the Prefettura, then you make your declaration at the Comune, usually 2 or 3 days before the wedding, with an interpreter.
  • Also an Italian citizen? Then you marry as an Italian, and everything changes: talk to us before you do anything.

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Who does what

Most of it is in our hands.
Here is what only you can do.

What only you can do

  • Request your marriage search letters and supporting documents (certified true copies)
  • Swear your affidavit before a notary where you live
  • Send everything by DHL to the Embassy in Rome, with the fee authorisation and a cover letter asking them to send the Nulla Osta to us

What we do for you

  • Check your documents before you send them
  • Receive your Nulla Osta and legalise it at the Prefettura
  • Book the Comune, the declaration, the interpreter and the date
  • Collect and legalise your marriage certificates and give you our sworn translation

Recognition

Is a marriage in Italy
legal in Canada?

Yes. A marriage celebrated according to the law of the country where it takes place is valid in Canada and, under a general principle of international law, around the world: Italian law gives your marriage full legal effect, and other countries recognise it. Canada doesn't require you to register it, although some provinces and territories do register marriages celebrated abroad: check with the Vital Statistics office where you live.

What you need is the right certificate: see after the wedding.

Step one

The affidavit
for the Nulla Osta.

Each Canadian spouse swears an affidavit that there is no impediment to the marriage. You can swear it before a notary in Canada, at any Canadian Embassy or Consulate in the world, or at the Embassy in Rome.

Our advice: do everything in the country where you live. The Embassy prefers not to see couples in person and suggests the notary route; we can book an appointment in Italy if really needed, but it is rarely the best option.

Download the official affidavit form from the Government of Canada. It is an interactive PDF: save it to your computer and open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader, because in a browser or on a phone it gives errors. Fill it in, and sign it only in front of the notary or consular officer.

Bride and groom kissing next to a vintage Fiat 500 in a Tuscan village street

What you need

Documents Canadians need
to get married in Italy.

Together with the affidavit, send the Embassy certified true copies, not originals, of:

  • your valid Canadian passport (photo page)
  • your long-form birth certificate with your parents' details if you were born in Canada, or, if you were born abroad, your Canadian citizenship card (the plastic card that looks like an ID card), front and back
  • a marriage search letter from the Vital Statistics office of every province or territory where you have lived since the age of 16 (or since your divorce or your spouse's death, if you were married before): this one is the original
  • your Certificate of Divorce (issued by the court once the divorce is final, not the divorce order), or your late spouse's death certificate
  • your partner's valid passport or ID

The marriage search letters are the part that takes longest, and only you can request them: be very precise with dates and provinces. For a divorce, a certified true copy of the Certificate of Divorce is enough, with no translation: it is read by the Canadian Embassy, not by the Italian authorities. Add the credit card authorisation form for the consular fees, which you find with the current fees on the Embassy website.

How it works

How to get married in Italy
as a Canadian, step by step.

  1. 1. Your documentsRequest your marriage search letters and the other documents in good time, as they depend on Canadian offices, not on us. But not too early: they are valid for 6 months.
  2. 2. The affidavitSwear it before a notary where you live, then send it by DHL to the Embassy in Rome with the documents, the fee authorisation and a cover letter asking the Embassy to send your Nulla Osta to us.
  3. 3. The Nulla OstaThe Embassy issues it in Italian, usually within a few working days of receiving a complete file, and sends it to us. It is valid for 6 months.
  4. 4. The PrefetturaWe have the Nulla Osta legalised at the Prefettura and deal with the Comune: you don't need to come.
  5. 5. The ComuneUsually 2 or 3 days before the wedding, and in some towns even the same day, you make your declaration at the Comune, with an interpreter. No banns are needed if neither of you is Italian or lives in Italy.
  6. 6. Your weddingThe ceremony, with two witnesses over 18 (family included) and the interpreter if needed.

Getting married in Italy

You prepare the documents,
we take care of Italy.

The Canadian Embassy cannot make arrangements with the Italian Town Hall. We do: we check your documents before you send them, legalise the Nulla Osta, book the Comune, the interpreter and the wedding date, and deal with every Italian office for you.

Leave it to us

After the wedding

Your marriage certificate
for Canada.

  • The certificates: we ask the Comune for the multilingual certificate with the box for the name after marriage left blank. If the Comune can't leave it blank, we ask for Italian certificates instead, and give you those.
  • Legalised: all the certificates are apostilled at the Prefettura. It takes about a month after the wedding, sometimes a little more, and then we send them to you.
  • Translation: we also give you our sworn translation of the Italian certificate.
  • Registration: not required in Canada, although some provinces and territories register marriages celebrated abroad: ask your Vital Statistics office.
  • Keep several originals: you will need them for passports, name changes and other records.

Good to know

Divorce, previous marriages
and other details.

  • Divorced: a certified true copy of your Certificate of Divorce, the one issued once the divorce is final (not the divorce order), sent to the Canadian Embassy with your other documents. No apostille and no translation are needed.
  • A recent divorce: under Italian law, a woman whose previous marriage ended less than 300 days before needs a court's permission, which is rarely practical: plan your date with this in mind.
  • Both Canadian? Each of you swears an affidavit and receives a separate Nulla Osta.
  • Only one of you is Canadian? The other spouse follows the procedure of their own nationality: see mixed couples and special cases.
  • Town Hall fees for non-residents vary from town to town.

For a church wedding see Catholic weddings in Italy; for more freedom of place and words, a symbolic ceremony with Italian Wedding Celebrants.

Last updated: October 2026. This page is for general planning and doesn't replace the instructions of the Embassy of Canada in Italy, the Prefettura or the Comune. Requirements can change.

Want to play it safe?

A 30-minute
consultation.

On Google Meet we look at where you have lived, your marital status and your wedding town, and tell you exactly which documents to request and in which order. It costs €50, deducted from our fee if you then ask us to take care of your paperwork.

Book a consultation

More paperwork guides

Marrying someone of another nationality?

Wedding Paperwork for British in Italy Town Hall Certaldo

American citizens

The affidavit at the US consulate, the Atto Notorio and the witnesses: the steps for American citizens, in the right order.

Read the guide: American citizens
British Paperwork Tuscany Wedding-Volterra

British citizens

The CNI, the Statutory Declaration and the steps in Italy for British citizens, ending with a marriage certificate the UK accepts.

Read the guide: British citizens

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Questions, answered

Canadian citizens
getting married in Italy.

Can Canadians legally get married in Italy?

Yes. Canadian citizens can marry in Italy with a civil or legally recognised religious ceremony. Each Canadian needs a Nulla Osta from the Canadian Embassy in Rome, based on a sworn affidavit.

Is a marriage in Italy legal in Canada?

Yes. A marriage celebrated according to Italian law is valid in Canada and, as a general principle of international law, around the world. No registration is required, although some provinces and territories register foreign marriages. We give you the legalised certificates.

Where do we swear the affidavit?

Ideally before a notary in the country where you live. You can also use any Canadian Embassy or Consulate, or the Embassy in Rome by appointment, but the Embassy prefers the notary route.

Where should the Embassy send our Nulla Osta?

To us. Add a cover letter to your DHL envelope asking the Embassy to send the Nulla Osta to our address: we legalise it and take care of the Comune.

What is a marriage search letter?

A letter from the Vital Statistics office of each province or territory where you have lived since 16, confirming no marriage is registered. Only you can request it, and it often takes the longest: start early.

Which divorce document do I need?

The Certificate of Divorce, issued by the court once the divorce is final, not the divorce order. A certified true copy is enough, with no apostille and no translation: it is read by the Canadian Embassy, not by the Italian authorities.

How many days before the wedding do we need to be in Italy?

Usually 2 or 3 days, for the declaration at the Comune with an interpreter. Everything else is done from home and by us.

We are dual Canadian and Italian citizens. What changes?

Everything. You marry as an Italian: the banns are published at the Italian consulate where you are registered with AIRE or, if you are not registered, at your last Comune of residence in Italy, which may mean a trip to Italy at least 20 days before the wedding. Don't underestimate it: talk to us first.

Can you help only with the paperwork?

Yes. We check your documents, legalise the Nulla Osta, book the Comune and the interpreter, even if you don't need a wedding planner.

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