Irish citizens who wish to marry in Italy must receive a certificate of freedom to marry from the Embassy. This certificate is known as a “Nulla osta”.

Where to Make an Application

Irish citizens who are resident in Ireland should make their application via the Department of Foreign Affairs at the following address:

Consular Section
Department of Foreign Affairs
St. Stephen’s Green
Dublin 2
Telephone: (01) 408 2568 

Or for the Munster area:

Consular Services
Department of Foreign Affairs
1A South Mall
Cork
Telephone:   (021) 4944763 or (021) 4944777

Irish citizens who are resident abroad should make their application to their nearest Irish Mission. If you are resident in Italy, an application should be made to the Embassy in Rome.

Applications should be made at least four, but not more than six, months before the marriage is due to take place.

The Embassy will issue your Nulla Osta one month before the date of your wedding.

Documents Required

1. Original long form birth certificate of each Irish citizen to be married.
2. A copy of the Irish passport of each Irish citizen to be married.
3. A fee of €20.00 and €4.00 for postage. In Ireland, payment can be made by cheque, payable order or bank draft and should be made payable to the Secretary General, Department of Foreign Affairs. In Italy, payment can be made by Italian bank drafts, personal cheques or postal orders and should be made payable to Ambasciata d'irlanda.

In addition the appropriate forms amongst the following should be completed:

To be completed by all applicants:
MP1 (PDF 445kb)  - Questionnaire to be completed by Irish citizen seeking 'Certificat De Coutume'/ 'Nulla Osta' for marriage abroad.

To be completed by applicants not previously married or who have been widowed:
MP2A (PDF 273kb)  - Statutory declaration by Irish citizen seeking 'Certificat de Coutume'/ 'Nulla Osta' for marriage abroad. If widowed, an original death certificate for previous spouse must be presented.

To be completed by applicants who hold an Irish divorce:
MP2E (PDF 60kb)  - Statutory declaration to be made by an Irish Citizen holding a divorce decree issued by the Irish courts requiring a 'Certificat de Coutume'/ 'Nulla Osta' for marriage abroad. The original petition and final decree of divorce must be presented.

To be completed by applicants who hold a foreign divorce:
MP2B (PDF 627kb)  -  Statutory declaration to be made by a divorced Irish citizen requiring a 'Certificat de Coutume'/ 'Nulla Osta' for marriage abroad. The original petition and final decree of divorce must be presented.

To be completed by a divorced person wishing to marry an Irish citizen:
MP2D (PDF 496kb)  - Statutory declaration to be made by a divorced person wishing to marry an Irish citizen requiring a 'Certificat de Coutume'/ 'Nulla Osta' for marriage abroad. The original petition and final decree of divorce must be presented along with the foreign national's long form birth certificate and passport or national identity card.

Important notes on making your application:

All forms should be type-written or completed in block-capitals to ensure that the information provided is legible. 

All documents in languages other than English should be translated and if not in original photocopies should be authenticated.

When completing the Questionnaire applicants should take care to provide full contact details of the person and address to whom the Nulla Osta should be sent. If you wish the Embassy to send the Nulla Osta to an Italian address, you should include a full Italian postcode.

The Statutory Declaration form must be completed in the presence of, and witnessed by, one of the following: a Notary Public, a Commissioner for Oaths, or a Solicitor. It is a criminal offence punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment to make a Statutory Declaration which is to your knowledge false or misleading in any material respect.

Please note that the Nulla Osta, and therefore your marriage certificate, will use the name that appears on your valid Irish passport. Sometimes people are known by a different name to the one on their passport and want to have this name on their wedding certificate. If this is the case, you may wish to examine the possibility of changing the name on your passport.

Registering your marriage

A marriage will only be recognised in Ireland if it is civilly registered in Italy. The competent authorities for marriage registration in Italy are the local Comunes.  You should note that church weddings are not automatically registered with the local Comune. Often the priest celebrating the wedding or the wedding planner helping to organise it will take responsibility for registering the marriage but it is wise to check that registration will be completed. The Embassy does not have a role in the registration process.

Obtaining Your Marriage Certificate

Before you leave Italy, it is advisable to make arrangements for a copy of your marriage certificate to be sent to your home address.  For your convenience, the embassy has provided a blank request form, in English and Italian, for you to fill in and leave for the attention of the appropriate authorities.