PLEASE NOTE: As of January 11, 2024, the Hague Convention on the Apostille has come into effect in Canada. Canadian Authorities have changed the procedures for authenticating Canadian certificates and documents to be used abroad. In many cases, the double step (Global Affairs Canada or Provincial Service authentication and Consulate legalization) is no longer be necessary; instead, the Apostille issued by the relevant Canadian offices will suffice. Click here to know more about the Apostille.
The following frequently asked questions (FAQ) refer exclusively to those who hold Italian citizenship.
Vital records relating exclusively to non-Italian citizens cannot be sent to the Consulate General for registration with an Italian Municipality.
1. I have moved abroad. In the country where I reside, I got married or civilly united/had children/divorced/acquired the nationality of the country of residence (or other), do I have to communicate this information to the Italian Consulate of the place where I reside?
Yes. All Italian citizens, even if resident abroad, are required to communicate not only any change of address but also any change in their civil status and/or family composition, and must present the relevant documentation (marriage certificate, birth of children if they have the right to be registered, divorce, death, naturalization) so that this change may be registered in Italy by the Italian Consulate competent for their place of residence, regardless of where the change in civil status occurred.
The ‘Civil Registry’ office of this Consulate General sends to the relevant Italian authorities any vital records related to changes in civil status relating to Italian residents in the Consulate’s jurisdiction.
2. Do I have to book an in-person appointment with the Consulate if I need to request the registration of vital records in Italy?
No. Requests for registration of vital records (birth, marriage, civil union, death, divorce) are processed entirely by mail. There is no need to book an in-person appointment.
3. How much do I have to pay to request a registration of vital records? Is there a fee?
Applications for registration of vital records in Italy through the Consulate are free of charge. However, if applicable, you may have to pay for the legalizations of signatures of the ATIO-certified translators who must translate the documents to be registered.
Example:
I have to request the registration in Italy of the birth certificate of my child, born last month in Toronto.
I will have to send to the Consulate, by post, the registration request, along with all the documents indicated here.
4. Does the Consulate return the original documents? How can I know whether my vital records have actually been registered in Italy?
If the application is complete, the Consulate does NOT return the originals, which are kept on file. Information on whether vital records have been registered must be requested to the competent Italian Municipality (see also point 13).
5. I have to register my child’s birth certificate. What should I do?
Conversion Law no. 74 of 2025 has significantly changed the matter of birth registrations. First of all, you must ascertain whether your child has the right to be registered as Italian citizen and how. To do so, click here and read carefully the content of the webpage.
IF THE DOCUMENTATION IS COMPLETE AND CORRECT AND THE FILE CAN BE PROCESSED, THE ORIGINAL CERTIFICATES WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
Information related to the actual registration of the certificate must be addressed to the Italian Municipality.
6. I need to register my marriage certificate in Italy. What should I do?
IF THE DOCUMENTATION IS COMPLETE AND CORRECT AND THE FILE CAN BE PROCESSED, THE ORIGINAL CERTIFICATES WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
Information related to the actual registration of the certificate must be addressed to the Italian Municipality.
7. I need to register my Civil Union. What should I do?
IF THE DOCUMENTATION IS COMPLETE AND CORRECT AND THE FILE CAN BE PROCESSED, THE ORIGINAL CERTIFICATES WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
Information related to the actual registration of the certificate must be addressed to the Italian Municipality.
8. I need to register a death certificate of an Italian family member. What should I do?
N.B. Funeral home death certificates are not valid for registration purposes.
IF THE DOCUMENTATION IS COMPLETE AND CORRECT AND THE FILE CAN BE PROCESSED, THE ORIGINAL CERTIFICATES WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
Information related to the actual registration of the certificate must be addressed to the Italian Municipality.
9. I need to register a divorce sentence issued by a Court in Ontario, Manitoba or North Western Territories (Jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto). What should I do?
10. I need to register a divorce sentence issued by a Court in a jurisdiction other than the one of the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto (for example, British Columbia Court, or a US Court, or a Brazilian, or German Court). What should I do?
The registration request must be submitted to the Italian Consular Office in whose district the deeds were formed (i.e. the Italian Consulate or Embassy of the Country or consular district where the deed was formed). As per the example above, if the divorce sentence was issued by a Court in British Columbia, you will have to contact the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver.
11. I have to APOSTILLIZE/LEGALIZE a document to be presented to another Italian diplomatic/consular Office or to the Italian municipality. What should I do?
- APOSTILLE: As of January 11, 2024, the Convention of The Hague on the Apostille enters into effect in Canada. This means that Global Affairs Canada and Provincial Authentication Services will no longer authenticate public documents or other notarized private documents. Instead, they will issue an Apostille (a certificate that will accompany the original document it refers to). The Apostille eliminates steps required to get documents accepted in countries where the convention is in effect (including Italy). As an example, if a document carries the apostille, the legalization by the Consulate General of Italy will no longer be required:
a) If a document has been issued by the Authorities of Manitoba or North West Territories or if it has been notarized by Manitoba or NWT Authorities, the Apostille will be issued by Global Affairs Canada.
Click here for information on the procedure to apply for an Apostille issued by Global Affairs Canada
b) If a document has been issued or notarized in Ontario, the request for an Apostille will have to be sent to the Ministry for Public and Business Service Delivery of Ontario.
Click here for information on the procedure to apply for an Apostille issued by MPSBD Ontario.
If a document carries the Apostille, it does not require further legalization by the Consulate to be used in Italy or in any other Country where the Convention of the Hague is in effect.
12. I need to have a vital record translated, in order to apply for registration in Italy through the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto. How can I have it translated?
Vital Records issued by the local authorities that must be sent to the Consulate, in order to request their registration with the competent Italian local authority, must be translated into Italian by an ATIO-certified translator. For further information, click here.
13. What happens after I send Vital Records to the Consulate? How long does it take to register civil status documents?
Civil Registry certificates issued by Canadian authorities, translated and legalized, are sent by the Consulate to the competent Municipality in Italy. Certificates received by the Consulate are sent to Italy in order of arrival. The average time is around thirty (30) days, depending on the current volume of requests received.
After 30 days, every act and action is the responsibility of the relevant Municipality in Italy.
Any information regarding the actual registration of Vital Records in the Civil Registry must therefore be addressed exclusively to the Comune (Municipality) in Italy and not to this Consulate General.
14. I am an Italian citizen and I am getting married. What should I do?
For further information on getting married and marriage banns, click here. FOREIGN CITIZENS wishing to marry in Italy should contact their Embassies in Italy. The list of Embassies in Italy can be found at https://www.esteri.it/it/
15. I need to register in Italy vital records (birth, marriage, death) formed in another Consular jurisdiction/Country, what should I do?
If you are an Italian citizen registered with AIRE in the district of this Consulate General (click here to find out the district of the Consulate General) and you wish to request the registration in Italy of vital records issued abroad, in another consular district or in another country (e.g, marriage contracted in Sao Paulo, Brazil, or in Frankfurt, Germany, or even in Vancouver, British Columbia), you must first of all check on the website of the Italian Consulate that is competent for the territory in which the deed was formed, which requirements and documents are necessary in order to request the registration of the deed (vital record) in Italy.
Applicants must visit the website of the competent Italian Consulate (in the examples, this will be the Italian Consulate of Sao Paulo, Frankfurt or Vancouver), in the section dedicated to the registration of vital records, and prepare all the documentation indicated there.
Once you have obtained all the documentation, which will have to be apostilled or legalized by the competent Consulate and not by the Consulate General in Toronto, you have to mail it to this Consulate General (136 Beverley Street, M5T 1Y5, Toronto, Ontario) with the request for registration in Italy (form available in the “Forms” section, to be verified according to the type of vital record for which registration is requested).
As the deeds will have been duly apostilled by the relevant Authority or legalized by the competent Consulate, the Consulate General in Toronto will only be asked to forward them to the relevant Italian municipality. The mere request for registration of vital records, as mentioned in point 3, is free of charge.
16. I wish to change my first/last name. How do I proceed?
For further information on changing first/last name, click here.
17. Who should I contact if I need one of the following certificates?
-
- Household composition
- Civil Status
- Comprehensive Certificate (Civil Status, address, citizenship in one certificate)
- Affidavit of being one and the same person (in case of change of name/last name)
- Registration in the Consular Database (not the same as AIRE Registration Certificate, the latter can only be issued by Italian Municipalities).
- Citizenship Certificate
To apply for one or more of the certificates listed above, it is necessary to fill in the application form (which should be read carefully as it contains instructions on how to send the application) and contact toronto.anagrafe@esteri.it for information on the amount due according to the type of certificate.
Once the form has been filled in, the money order has been prepared with the amount due and any additional documentation (if necessary) has been collected, the application should be sent by post, or by courier, to the address:
Consulate General of Italy
Request for Certificates
136 Beverley Street
M5T 1Y5, TORONTO, ON
In the envelope, another pre-stamped and self-addressed Xpress Post envelope (or any other courier service envelope with a tracking number) should be included to return the requested certificate.
Consular fees are subject to change at each quarter change, due to fluctuations in the exchange rate. It is recommended NOT to send envelopes containing money orders in the 10 working days before the quarter change (quarter changes occur on 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, 31 December), as the fees may change before the file is processed. If the amount of the money order is not correct, the file cannot be processed and must be returned to the sender or is suspended until the required additions are received.