Document Translation Requirements in Italy
Official bodies in Italy generally require a notarized translation of foreign-language documents, and many documents also need an apostille or legalization before they are translated. Below: who can translate, when an apostille is needed, and where the official rules are published.
Italy recognizes a traduzione giurata — a translation sworn (asseverata) before a court (Tribunale), a Justice of the Peace, or a notary, who records the oath in a verbale di giuramento. For an Italian document used in the United States you instead need a certified English translation with a signed Certificate of Accuracy, which USCIS and universities accept. Italy has been in the Hague Apostille Convention since 1978, so an Italian certificato is apostilled by the Procura or the Prefettura — not legalized at a consulate.
Italy requirements at a glance
| Translation standard | Notarized translation (Notarised) · traduzione giurata (asseverazione) |
|---|---|
| Who can translate | Any competent adult, provided the translation is sworn before a judicial authority |
| Apostille | Required for foreign documents before translation and asseveration |
| Apostille authority | The Public Prosecutor's Office (Procura della Repubblica) for judicial and notarial documents; the Prefecture (Prefettura — UTG) for administrative and civil-registry documents. |
| Accepted languages | Italian |
| Responsible authority | Italian Public Prosecutor’s Office (Procura della Repubblica) / Prefecture (for apostilles) |
Who can translate documents for use in Italy?
What makes a translation official in Italy?
How does Italy treat documents from abroad?
Legal basis
Apostille & legalization for Italy
Italy is part of the Hague Apostille Convention (since 1978), so public documents are authenticated with a single apostille — no consular legalization.
Documents from Italy
The Public Prosecutor's Office (Procura della Repubblica) for judicial and notarial documents; the Prefecture (Prefettura — UTG) for administrative and civil-registry documents.Italy has been a party to the Convention since 1978.
U.S. documents going to Italy
A U.S. document going to Italy is apostilled in the United States — the state Secretary of State, or the U.S. Department of State for federal documents — and then sworn-translated into Italian (asseverazione) before a court.
The apostille should be obtained before the translation, so the apostille certificate is translated too. See how apostilles work, or order a translation with e-apostille.
How to get a Italy document translation accepted
- 1
Request the estratto per riassunto or copia integrale
Ask the comune for the full civil-registry record rather than a bare certificato, so all annotations are present.
- 2
Order a certified English translation of the full document
Cover the comune data, the stamps, and any apostille, with a signed Certificate of Accuracy.
- 3
Submit the original plus the certified translation
File the document with the certified translation to USCIS, the university, or the credential evaluator.
Ready to translate your Italian documents?
Certified for USCIS, universities, and credential evaluators — from $24.95/page.
Which direction are your documents going?
Translating Italian documents for the U.S.?
Italian birth certificates, diplomas, and transcripts submitted to USCIS, universities, or credential evaluators need a certified English translation — that is exactly what we do — backed by our revise-free-or-refund acceptance guarantee.
Sending U.S. documents to Italy?
U.S.-issued documents usually need an apostille before they can be used in Italy — and the apostille should be obtained before the translation, so the certificate itself gets translated too. We offer e-apostille processing as an add-on to any order.
Popular certified translations
The Italian documents we translate most often — each with its own pricing and requirements page.
Why Italy document translations get rejected
The mistakes we see most often on Italian documents — and what a correct certified translation does instead.
Handwritten birth extract names misread
Older Italian estratti are handwritten; ambiguous letters in a surname must be confirmed against another document, not guessed, or the name mismatches the passport.
Read the caseTrascrizione of a foreign event mishandled
When Italy transcribes (trascrive) a foreign marriage or divorce, the Italian record references the foreign act; the translation must keep the two distinct, not merge them.
Read the caseThe /30 grading scale read as a percentage
Italian university grades run out of 30 (with 30 e lode as a distinction); reading them as percentages or U.S. points distorts the record a credential evaluator computes.
Real Italian translation cases we've handled
Anonymized Italian-to-English orders. Each case shows the exact translation problem and how we solved it for the receiving authority.
RecentJun 2026civil-registry-conventionsItalyWhen an Italian Birth Certificate Records Marriages and Divorces
An Italian birth certificate extract (estratto per riassunto di atto di nascita) carried four marginal annotations. They recorded the holder's two marriages and two divorces, added over several decades. We translated every annotation in full, not just the birth entry, because in Italian civil records the margin is part of the certified document. The certified translation was delivered for the client's marriage filing abroad.
Handled by Mateo García, Senior Immigration Translation SpecialistForeign civil registry (marriage)Read case →
RecentJun 2026legibilityItalyWhen 1961 Italian Cursive Made Two Parent Names Hard to Read
A 1961 Italian birth-record extract (estratto di nascita) from the Comune di Ischia was completed by hand in cursive. On the first pass, both parents' names and an abbreviated street name read more than one way. We confirmed each field with the document holder, then issued the certified translation with the corrected names and a Translator's Note. The note records that the values come from holder confirmation, not translator guesswork.
Handled by Giulia Romano, Italian Legal & Apostille TranslatorUSCIS filingRead case →
Cost & turnaround
A one-page certificato is priced as a single page; multi-page estratti and court judgments are priced by their page count. Standard delivery is 24–48 hours, with notarization and e-apostille available as add-ons. See full pricing.
Italy translation requirements — FAQ
What translation does Italy require for foreign documents?
Italy requires a traduzione giurata — a translation sworn (asseverata) before a court, a Justice of the Peace, or a notary. The foreign document is apostilled first, then sworn-translated.
how apostilles workDo I need a sworn translation for an Italian document used in the U.S.?
No. U.S. authorities do not use Italy's asseverazione system. An Italian certificato or diploma needs a certified English translation with a signed Certificate of Accuracy, which USCIS, WES, and ECE accept.
certified Italian translationWho issues an apostille in Italy?
The Public Prosecutor's Office (Procura della Repubblica) for judicial and notarial documents, and the Prefecture (Prefettura) for administrative and civil-registry documents. Italy has used apostilles since 1978.
requirements for other countriesWhat is an estratto per riassunto?
It is the summarized civil-registry extract that includes the margin annotations a plain certificato leaves out. For a U.S. submission, the estratto or the copia integrale is the safer choice.
Italian birth certificate translationHow are Italian university grades translated for WES?
Italian grades run out of 30, with 30 e lode as the top distinction. A certified transcript translation preserves the /30 scale and the lode so WES or ECE can map them; it does not convert to a U.S. GPA.
WES translationHow much does an Italian document translation cost?
Pricing is per page. A one-page certificato is a single page; multi-page estratti and court judgments are priced by page count. Notarization and e-apostille are optional add-ons.
see live pricingCan I translate my own Italian documents?
No. USCIS and universities reject self-translation. An independent qualified translator must complete and certify the translation with a statement of accuracy.
what a certified translation isRequirements in related countries
Neighbors and countries with a similar translation standard.
Sources
- Sworn translations (traduzioni giurate / asseverazione)Ministero della Giustizia (Italian Ministry of Justice)
- Apostille Convention — specialised sectionHague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)
Information verified against official sources. Last verified June 2026.
Need a certified Italian translation?
Signed Certificate of Accuracy with every order, a revise-free-or-refund acceptance guarantee, optional notarization and e-apostille — delivered in 24–48 hours.