Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Italy Requires

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Country requirements change. This page is re-checked periodically, and nothing on it replaces confirming the position with the Italian consulate or body that will receive your document.

Most Australian documents bound for Italy are not going to Italy first. They go to an Italian consulate in Australia — to register a birth or marriage for an Italian citizen, to claim citizenship by descent, or to sign a power of attorney for an inheritance. Each consulate publishes its own instructions, and they are more specific, and sometimes more generous, than general apostille advice.

Check the current position before acting on this or any other page. Convention membership is a live fact. Confirm Italy's status against the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention on the day you start. Italy has been a party for decades, so an apostille is the expected route for Australian public documents within the Convention's scope.

The usual chain

1. Obtain the certificate from the Australian registry. Consulates generally want the full certificate showing parents' details, not a short extract or a commemorative certificate.
2. DFAT apostille. Registry certificates can usually go to DFAT directly, with no notary; confirm with DFAT.
3. Italian translation, in the form the consulate specifies

For a private document, such as a declaration or a power of attorney signed before an Australian notary, add notarisation before step 2.

Two things the consulates say that save money

The consulate may keep your original. The Consulate General in Sydney states that original certificates lodged to register a marriage, and original documents lodged for citizenship, are retained on file and not returned. If you will need the certificate again — for a passport, a visa or another country — order an extra copy from the registry and apostille that one for Italy.

The apostille may not need translating. For registering an Australian marriage, the Sydney consulate states that the apostille does not have to be translated, and that it accepts translations by NAATI translators or independent translators, provided the translation conforms fully to the original. That is more relaxed than many destinations. It is one consulate's instruction for one service, so check the page for your consulate and your service.

Translation: which form?

Italian consulates in Australia describe several ways of producing an Italian translation, and the right one depends on the service:

• A translation certified by the consulate. For citizenship applications, the Sydney consulate states that it certifies the translation's authenticity on payment of a consular fee.
• A translation made in Australia and then authenticated. A translator swears to the translation, and the translation is apostilled by DFAT.
• A sworn translation made in Italy, through an Italian court or a municipality.

Documents going directly to a body in Italy — a court, a notary, a land registry — may need the Italian-side sworn translation even where a consulate would accept something simpler. Ask the body that will actually rely on the document.

Citizenship by descent: the 2025 change

Italy restricted citizenship by descent in March 2025, by a decree later converted into law. Before then, a claim could run back through any number of generations to an Italian-born ancestor. Under the new rules, in general terms, the applicant needs a parent or grandparent with a qualifying connection to Italy, and there are further conditions and transitional exceptions. The rules were challenged in the Italian courts.

What this means for your documents:

• Do not start ordering and apostilling a family's certificates on the basis of advice written before 2025. Check eligibility on your consulate's page first. Many families have apostilled great-grandparents' documents they may no longer be able to use.
• Lodge with the right consulate. Applications go to the consulate whose district covers where you live, and it will ask for proof of residence.
• Marriage and divorce certificates in the line need the same apostille and translation treatment as birth certificates.

Registering events for Italian citizens

Italian citizens resident in Australia are expected to register births, marriages and divorces with Italy through their consulate. The consulate's checklist is usually short: the apostilled Australian certificate, an Italian translation, a form and identification. This is the most common reason an Australian registry certificate is apostilled for Italy, and the consulate's instructions govern it.

Powers of attorney for Italy

For an inheritance (successione), a property sale or a bank matter in Italy:

• Ask the Italian notary (notaio) or lawyer for the text of the procura. It will usually be in Italian, sometimes bilingual.
• Consider the consulate. Italian consulates provide notarial services, including powers of attorney, principally for Italian citizens. A procura made at the consulate needs no apostille.
• Otherwise, use an Australian notary and a DFAT apostille, then the translation the notaio specifies.

A tax code (codice fiscale) is often needed for property and inheritance matters. It is a separate process; ask the consulate.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the Italian embassy to legalise my document? Not for an apostilled document. The consulates are involved as the receiving office for many services, which is different from legalisation.

Can I use a birth certificate I apostilled years ago? Possibly. Some consulates and Italian offices want recent certificates. Check before relying on an old one.

How long does it take? It depends on DFAT processing, translation and consular appointment availability. Do not plan to a figure quoted on a blog, including this one.