Wedding in Sorrento? Legal requirements. Easy step-by-step guide

Wedding ceremony legal requirements

Easy step-by-step guide for British citizens getting married in Sorrento.
Are you planning to get married abroad but think this is too difficult? Are you scared about all the paperwork and legal requirements?

If you are a British citizen and want to get married in Sorrento, here below you can find a easy step-by-step guide about all the necessary documents required for a civil ceremony in Sorrento.

There are 4 simple steps that each British national, resident in the UK, must follow to get the right paperwork for marrying in Italy.

Step 1 – Certificate of No Impediment

You need to obtain what’s called a Certificate of No Impediment, which is issued in the UK.

To do this you must give notice of marriage to your local registry office. After your notice has been posted for the required period you will be issued with a ‘Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage’, signed and dated by your local Registrar.

It is essential that the names you give to the Registrar, which will appear on your Certificates of No Impediment, are exactly the same as written in your passports.

For example, Jim Harris on the Certificate, and James Harris-Ford on your passport might mean that the Italian authorities will reject your paperwork and refuse to allow the marriage to go ahead. Please take your passport with you to the Registry Office, just to be absolutely certain.

Step 2 – The Statutory Declaration

While you are waiting for your Certificate of No Impediment you should make a statutory declaration before a solicitor or public notary in the UK (the Uk embassy should be able to give you a proforma or I can send you one)

The declaration is required by the Italian authorities and gives additional information that isn’t detailed on your Certificate of No Impediment. The solicitor or public notary will charge a fee for this service. Fees will vary so it might be worth shopping around.

Step 3 – Legalising your documents for the Italian authorities

When you have your Certificate of No Impediment and you have made your Statutory Declaration, you need to send them both to the FCO Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes for each to be legalized with a Hague Apostille.

The Legalisation Office will charge for this – please check the current charges and procedure on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Website.

Step 4 – Translation of your Certificate of No Impediment (CNI)

Once both these documents have been legalized, you will then need to have the legalized Certificate of No Impediment translated.

As it will become an Italian legal document it should be translated by a translator based in Italy and sworn before the Italian courts or an Italian Justice of the Peace. We can provide you with a list of recommended translators.

A fee will be charged – fees vary depending on the translator. They might also charge a delivery fee to have the translation couriered back to you or to our office (since we will be in charge to lodge the paperwork on your behalf).

The Statutory Declaration does not need to be translated since it is already in both languages.

Each British national resident in the UK should have:

• A Certificate of No Impediment – issued in the UK, legalized in the UK and then translated officially in Italy
• A bilingual Statutory Declaration legalized in the UK
• Passport

Once all of these documents have been prepared, they should be sent directly to us which we will then send to the town hall where you will get married.. There is no longer any requirement for wedding documentation for British Nationals resident in the UK to be sent to any British Consular Section in Italy for further processing.

Please note, under Italian law, a woman who has been divorced or widowed and wishes to re-marry in Italy cannot do so until 300 days have passed from the date of her divorce/death of husband. It is possible, however, to apply for a dispensation to this through the Civil Law Courts (Tribunale Civile).

Finally please note that your Certificate of No Impediment will be valid for six months from the date on your English, Welsh or Northern Irish CNI or three months if presenting a Scottish CNI.

You cannot start the documentation process more than 6 months before your wedding date, or 3 months if you are resident in Scotland.

Need help? Please do not hesitate to contact us for further assistance at info@happybrides.net.