Getting Legally Married in Venice for foreigners

If you are planning a civil ceremony for a legal marriage in the town of Venice, we suggest you to keep an eye on the following tips.

First of all, check availability together with your wedding planner in Venice and book your date.

Then, you need to fill the online contact form provided by the Municipality of Venice.

In regards to the requirements to get legally married in Venice

The appointment for the celebration of the civil wedding must be agreed in advance with the officials of the Venice Municipality.

The presence of two witnesses with valid identity documents is required as the assistance of an interpreter if the spouses do not understand the Italian language.

Residents spouses (even one spouse)

Marriage banns are required in the Municipalities where at least one of the spouses is resident in Italy.

Banns of marriage last 11 consecutive days. 

After the banns expire, you can get married in Venice even though the banns were published in another Municipality.

Please note that when the spouses intend to contract a civil marriage in a Municipality other than that of residence, they must produce a specific motivated request, with stamp duty, to the Mayor of the Municipality where the publications were made.

After the banns expire, the Mayor requests in writing the Registrar of the place where the marriage is to be celebrated.

Foreign citizens:

Citizens of Austria, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Moldova, and Luxembourg can provide the certificate of marriage capacity issued in the application of the Munich Convention.

This certificate does not need any legalization or translation so that you can send it to your wedding planners, and they will proceed to inquire the Municipality of Venice to get you officially married.

American and Australian citizens must produce the marriage affidavit (to be legalized in the competent Prefettura) issued respectively at the US or Australian Consulate in Italy and the so-called atto notorio issued in an Italian Consulate abroad or in an Italian Court in Italy.

As your wedding planner in Italy we can assist you both with atto notorio and booking the most available consulate your affidavit and take care consequently of the legalization of the signature of the US/Australian Consul placed on the affidavit.

For the other Conventions applicable to your specific case, we suggest you read our articles about getting married in Italy for foreigners and marriage requirements for foreigners.

Place of celebration

Civil marriage is celebrated in the Municipality of Venice.

Due to infirmity or another impediment, in case one of the spouses cannot go to the Municipal House, the Registrar moves with the Secretary to where the impeded spouse is (home, hospital, prison, etc.). The presence of four witnesses proceeds to the celebration of the marriage.

Property regime

Suppose the spouses do not declare to the Registrar to choose the property regime for the separation of assets at the marriage. In that case, the property regime of the “community of assets” is automatically established. The spouses with public deed (at a Notary) can, at any time, stipulate marriage agreements.

Filiation:

When celebrating the marriage, the spouses can also declare that they recognize any natural children born of their union.

Certificates:

Immediately after the celebration of the civil marriage, the Civil Status Office can issue the marriage certificates. In addition, for foreign couples, depending on the Convention applicable, a multilingual certificate could be released by the official (e.g., Convention of Vienna). 

In Venice, the updated personal certificates could be available two days after the celebration of the wedding.

As your wedding planner in Venice will deliver it to you by postal mail.