1. The Consular Section cannot give authoritative advice on the formalities that a British person must complete in order to marry under Italian law. Such advice must be obtained from the 'Comune' (town hall) where the marriage is to take place.

2. Marriages cannot be celebrated at British Consulates in Italy. Enquiries about religious marriages should be made direct to the minister of religion of the particular denomination concerned. The minister may only bless the marriage once the civil ceremony has been celebrated.

3. Before the marriage of a British national may be celebrated in Italy, the Italian authorities, in this case the COMUNE (Town Hall) normally require a Nulla Osta (Certificate of No Impediment) to be produced. This certificate is issued by the British Consulate for the area where you intend to marry. It is most important that you check which consular office is responsible so that you know where to send your documents if non-resident in Italy or to which consulate you must go personally in order to give notice of marriage if you reside in Italy. You may then wish to contact the relevant office for further information e.g. method of payment, if it is preferable to make an appointment to give notice of marriage, etc.

The Nulla Osta can be obtained in the following ways:

a. Where both parties to the marriage are British nationals and living in Italy:	By residence in the Consular district (Rome, Naples, Florence, Milan, Venice) for 21 clear days immediately preceding the giving of the notice of marriage which is then displayed in the Consulate for a further 21 clear days. If no impediment is shown to exist at the end of this period, the Consulate will issue a certificate to each party.
b. Where both parties are British nationals but only one can fulfill the residence qualification above:	The other party must give notice of marriage where he or she is resident. Abroad this will be the British Consular office covering the district where the applicant resides. In this case please check below (paragraph 5) the documents required by Consulates in Italy in order to issue the Nulla Osta as these may differ from other countries; In the UK this will be the Superintending Registrar in the district of residence. In Commonwealth countries applicants should approach the relevant local authorities as a Consular officer at a British High Commission cannot accept notice of marriage.
c. Where both parties are British nationals and both are resident in the United Kingdom:	Where both parties are resident in the UK they may give notice to a UK Superintending Registrar in the district where they are resident. The Consular office in whose district the marriage is to take place will issue the "Certificates of no Impediment" required by the local authorities.
d. Where a British national is marrying a non-British national, and resides in Italy	As in paragraph 3 (a).
e. Where a British national is marrying a non-British national, and resides in the UK (except Scotland)	As in paragraph 3 (b) - but see also paragraph (f). Non-British nationals should contact their Embassy or Consular Representative for information.
f. Where a British national is marrying an Irish citizen and resides in the UK	The British national must first contact Passports & Documentary Service Group in the Consular Directorate at the FCO in London - see paragraph 9.
g. Where a British national is resident in Scotland	In Scotland Certificates of No Impediment are issued by District Registrars under the provisions of Section 7 of the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977. No qualifying period of residence is specified before notice is given to the Registrar of the district in which the applicant resides. A minimum of fourteen days must elapse before the Registrar issues a Certificate of No Impediment.

4. Nationals of Commonwealth countries should apply to their own representatives for information. If they are not represented in Italy, they should seek advice from a British Consular office.

 

6. The Italian authorities normally require additional notice (following production of the Consular certificate of no impediment) to include two Sundays. They may, however, be prepared to shorten this time if neither party is an Italian citizen.

7. Where only one party to the marriage is a British national, the other would be required, if not Italian, to produce to the Italian authorities a Certificate of no impediment from his or her own Consular authority or, if Italian, to observe the formalities required by Italian law for the marriage of two Italian citizens. In this case, information should be obtained from the Town Hall where the marriage is to take place or where the Italian National resides.

8. The following services, payable in euro, are chargeable in Italy under the Consular Fees Order 2009 (please see our fees chart for the current rates):

If you are applying for these services by post, you can pay by debit or credit card using our payment authorisation slip (available both in PDF and Microsoft Word format).
The Italian authorities performing the marriage also make certain charges.

9. The address of Passports & Documentary Service Group in the Consular Directorate at the FCO is:

Old Admiralty Building
London SW1A 2AF
Tel: 0044 20 7 008 0186

Enquiries between 10.00 am-12 noon Monday to Thursday.

[Please note that all applications through Passports & Documentary Service Group in the Consular Directorate are dealt with by post only and must include original documents plus 2 sets of photocopies. Please also include a self-addressed pre-paid "Recorded or Special Delivery” envelope. The processing time is approximately 7 - 10 working days].

10. For further information contact your local British consulate.