wedding planning in italy - italian wedding legal requirements

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Civil ceremonies by law must take place in a Town Hall or a property purchased by the local government only. The readings of the civil vows are conducted in Italian and are about 15 to 20 minutes long, but you can enrich the wedding however you prefer. After the reading, the rings are exchanged and then the witnesses sign the wedding act as do the bride and groom.
Please note that according to Italian law a divorced woman or a widow cannot remarry unless 300 days have passed from the date of the Decree Absolute or decease of the previous spouse.
The minimum stay required is 4 days before the marriage can take place.
Town Hall ceremonies are conducted Mondays to Fridays between the hours of 9.00 am and 12.00 pm and must be booked in advance.
The following documents are required by the local Registrar:

- No impediment certificate (Nulla Osta) issued by the relevant authorities.

- Full birth certificate

- Photocopies of valid passport

- 2 witnesses

- Interpreter (if neither party speaks Italian)

- Registry fee (this varies from one Town Hall to the other and will be communicated on booking)

Religious ceremony

In Italy a Catholic ceremony can only be performed in a Church and can only be celebrated when both bride and groom are Catholic. If one of the parties is of a different religion, a Catholic wedding is still possible as long as you attend the required pre-marital classes and have the paperwork approved by the religious authorities in Italy. In the case of one of the parties being divorced, the Catholic Church will not allow you to remarry in church. You must have an annulment recognized by the Catholic Authorities.

The following documents are required for a Catholic wedding:

- Declaration from your Pastoral Advisor that both bride and groom are active in the Catholic Church and seriously intend having a religious blessing

- Certificate of Baptism

- Certificate of First Comunion

- Certificate of Confirmation

All the above documents must be sent to the Bishop in the city of residence to obtain the ‘Religious Non Objection Declaration’. Once these have been returned to you, they must be forwarded, together with all the documents listed for the civil ceremony to the local Bishop’s See in Italy to obtain the Italian ‘Religious Nulla Osta’.
We require a month as the absolute minimum to give the priest and archbishop in Italy time to review the paperwork.