Registration of Birth Certificates

REGISTRATION OF BIRTH CERTIFICATES

A minor child, born abroad of one or both Italian parents, is an Italian citizen. Therefore, the birth can be transcribed in the Vital Records Registers of the Italian Municipality where the Italian parent last resided.  If both parents are Italian, the registration is usually sent to the municipality where the mother last resided or is registered, unless otherwise specified.

In order to request the registration in Italy of the birth certificate of your child, Previous marriages and divorces must have already been submitted for registration BEFORE requesting the registration of a new marriage or the birth of a minor child. The required documentation for any missing vital record may be submitted at the same time as the request for the birth registration of the minor.

ITALIAN PARENTS, INTERESTED IN REGISTERING THE BIRTH OF MINOR CHILDREN, MUST DO SO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND BEFORE THE CHILD TURNS 18.

Any request to register the birth of a child, over the age of 18, will be rejected and returned to the parent.  Adult children who wish to become Italian citizens and who meet the eligibility requirements for jure sanguinis, may present an application to the Italian Consulate in whose jurisdiction they reside (see the citizenship section on our website).

1.LIST OF DOCUMENTS REQUIRED TO REGISTER A BIRTH CERTIFICATE IN ITALY:

• Long-form birth certificate (Original or certified copy) with Apostille and Italian translation;
• Copy of the minor child’s U.S. passport;
• Copy of both parents’ passport (Italian passport of the Italian parent):
• Completed and signed application form.

FORM to download!

2. DOCUMENTATION INFORMATION

LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE:

• The birth certificate can be obtained from the Department of Health of the State of birth.
• The birth certificate must indicate the city/town of birth. A birth certificate with only the name of the county will NOT be accepted.
• The birth certificate must include the name of the child’s parents and their date of birth, or their age at the time of birth
• The certificate must be fully translated into Italian (see below for translation information)

APOSTILLE:

• The Apostille can be requested at the Secretary of State of the State in which the document was issued (for example, if the birth certificate was issued in Pennsylvania, the apostille must be requested at the Secretary of State in Pennsylvania).
• The apostille does NOT require a translation.
• The following link contains some useful information and contact details of U.S. Secretaries of State covered by this consular jurisdiction

Useful information on how to request the Apostille

TRANSLATIONS

• The translation must be complete, must respect the order of the fields and data shown on the original, must be typed and must not show conversions of weights and/or measures. Please note however, that the date in Italian is always: DAY-MONTH-YEAR. Translations that do not meet these requirements will NOT be accepted.
• The applicant can translate the birth certificate.
• Alternatively, you may contact a translator. A list of translators can be found on the official website of the Consulate General of Italy – Filadelfia: https://consfiladelfia.esteri.it/consolato_filadelfia/en/i_servizi/indirizzi_utili/ (Please, note that the listed translators are NOT Consular employees and that the Consulate is NOT responsible for neither the quality of the work nor the fees applied).

WHERE AND HOW TO SEND THE DOCUMENTS

• The complete documentation must be sent in original by ordinary mail, or private carrier (FedEx, UPS) to the following address:

                                                                 Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia

                                                                 Attention: Ufficio di Stato Civile

                                                                 600 Chestnut street, Suite 956

                                                                 Philadelphia, PA 19106                                                                                      

• It is strongly suggested to use a tracking system when mailing your documents.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED WILL NOT BE RETURNED.

PARENTS WHO WERE UNMARRIED AT THE TIME OF A CHILD’S BIRTH

If the parents of the minor were NOT married to each other at the time of the child’s birth, they may provide an “Affidavit of Parentage for child born out of Wedlock” (or “Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity”, or equivalent) issued by the Department of Health. The document must be translated into Italian

OR

they must sign a Paternity/Maternity Acknowledgment declaration before a Consular Officer in this Office.  For this option, you must schedule an appointment with the Vital Records Office, via email at:  statocivile.filadelfia@esteri.it.  On the day of the appointment BOTH PARENTS and the MINOR CHILD MUST BE PRESENT, and have all the documentation ordinarily required for the registration of a birth certificate (see registration procedure).

ADOPTED CHILD

If you would like to register the adoption of your child in Italy, please contact the vital records office (Statocivile.filadelfia@esteri.it) for information.