Italian citizens getting married abroad before local authorities are not required to publish marriage banns, unless such publication is specifically required under the local foreign legislation.
After the marriage has been celebrated before foreign authorities, the interested party must ensure the registration of the marriage certificate, either directly with the competent Italian Municipality or through this Consular Office, following the instructions published in the “Marriage” section of this website.
Italian citizens residing in this consular district who wish to marry in Italy must request the publication of marriage banns through this Consular Office.
In the case of two Italian citizens, one residing in the consular district of this Office and the other in Italy or within the district of another Italian diplomatic or consular representation, the procedure for the publication of marriage banns may be started either at this Consular Office or at the Municipality/other diplomatic-consular office of residence.
The registrar who receives the request for publication will contact the competent office of residence of the other party to request that it also carry out the publication in its own digital register.
Requesting Marriage Banns – Appointment and Documentation
The request for marriage banns must be submitted in person, by appointment only, by sending an email to consolare.hanoi@esteri.it.
Required documents to request publication of marriage banns at this Consulate:
- Application form for the publication of marriage banns, fully completed and signed by both future spouses;
- Valid passports of both future spouses (photocopies);
Additional documents for the foreign (non-Italian) spouse:
- Birth certificate, duly legalized or apostilled and translated into Italian;
- Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage (pursuant to Art. 116 of the Italian Civil Code), issued no more than six months before by the competent authorities of the country of citizenship, duly legalized/apostilled and translated into Italian. The translation must be certified by the competent diplomatic/consular authority or apostilled if prepared by a sworn translator.
The Certificate of No Impediment must indicate the following information:
– surname and name,
– date and place of birth,
– citizenship,
– place of residence,
– marital status,
– names of the parents,
– confirmation that there are no legal impediments to the marriage under the laws of the country of citizenship.
If the woman is divorced, the certificate must state the date of dissolution of the previous marriage; if widowed, it must include the date of widowhood.
If one of the future spouses cannot be present for the publication of banns:
They must issue a simple authorization letter to the other party (if an Italian or EU citizen), or a special power of attorney executed before the competent diplomatic/consular authority or a local notary (if a non-EU citizen). In this case, the power of attorney must be translated and legalized/apostilled, and accompanied by an Italian translation.
If neither spouse can be present, an authorization letter or power of attorney must be granted to a third party, using the same formal requirements.
Duration and Validity
The banns will be posted at the Consular Office for 8 consecutive days.
After an additional 3 business days, a certificate of completed publication will be issued, authorizing the celebration of the marriage in Italy.
This certificate is valid for 180 days.
After this period, if the marriage has not been celebrated, the procedure must be repeated.
Consular Fees
The publication of marriage banns is subject to the payment of the following consular fees:
24 – Authentication of signature (if the spouse is a non-EU citizen);
3 – Posting of marriage banns;
2c – Certificate of completed publication.
Payment must be made in cash at the counter on the day of the appointment.
Please consult the Consular Fees Table for current rates.