How to Request Italian Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates) for Dual Citizenship or Genealogical Research

Introduction

If you are pursuing Italian dual citizenship by descent, researching your family history, or simply need proof of an ancestor’s birth, marriage, or death in Italy, you will likely need to obtain official records from an Italian town hall (comune). While this may sound simple in theory, many people encounter significant delays or receive no response at all.

Italian municipalities are often unresponsive to requests submitted by email or international mail. Common issues include language barriers, incomplete documentation, or the lack of Italian postage stamps, which are often required for a response and are only available within Italy. In many cases, receiving a reply also depends on following up with a phone call — not because it is officially required, but because some town offices only comply with requests after direct verbal communication in Italian.

Our team helps simplify the process by preparing complete, professionally written requests in Italian, providing the correct postage, and, when necessary, making follow-up calls to the relevant municipal offices to ensure your request is processed.

Why Italian Municipalities Often Do Not Respond

Many individuals attempt to contact the comune on their own, only to wait months without any reply. Here are the primary reasons this happens:

• Lack of staff or prioritization: Many Italian town halls are small and under-resourced. International requests, particularly those in a foreign language, are often set aside or overlooked.

• Missing Italian postal stamps: Some comuni expect you to include Italian stamps so they can return the documents by mail. These stamps cannot be purchased outside of Italy, and requests without them are sometimes ignored.

• Language barriers: Requests submitted in English or with unclear information are more likely to be disregarded or delayed.

• Limited or no email communication: Although towns list email addresses on their website, timely replies are rare. In practice, a follow-up phone call in Italian is often the only way to confirm receipt or prompt a response.

Even when a phone call does not lead to a response, our team can escalate the request further. In more difficult cases, we have the ability to visit the town in person to ensure that your request is properly handled.

What Types of Italian Records Can Be Requested

There are three common types of vital records needed for Italian citizenship and genealogical purposes:

• Birth Certificates (Estratto per riassunto dell’atto di nascita): Required for proving your Italian lineage when applying for citizenship by descent. These include the full legal name, date and place of birth, and parent names.

• Marriage Certificates (Estratto per riassunto dell’atto di matrimonio): Often needed to trace family connections or document legal status for Italian authorities.

• Death Certificates (Estratto per riassunto dell’atto di morte): May be requested to complete a family history or to support legal applications involving inheritance or citizenship.

All of these records are issued at the local level, meaning you must request them directly from the specific town (comune) where the event occurred.

Our Process: How We Handle the Request on Your Behalf

We manage the entire process so you don’t have to deal with international mailing issues, untranslated documents, or non-responses from town officials. Here’s what our service includes:

• Preparing a formal request letter or certified email (PEC) written in Italian, following administrative requirements.

• Identifying the correct comune and record office responsible for issuing the document

• Supplying the necessary Italian postage stamps for return delivery

• Following up by phone in Italian if the town fails to reply by mail

• In some cases, arranging in-person visits if other efforts do not yield results

Why Use a Professional Service Instead of Doing It Yourself

While it is technically possible to request these records independently, doing so successfully requires:

• Knowing the exact town of origin

• Writing formal Italian correspondence

• Being available to follow up by phone, in Italian, during Italian business hours

• Sometimes including Italian postal stamps with your request

Many applicants never receive a response, or wait months only to be told their request was incomplete. We eliminate that uncertainty by ensuring every request meets the municipality’s requirements the first time.

Get Started Today

Whether you need a single birth certificate to complete your Italian citizenship application or several records to piece together your family’s story, we’re here to help.

Book a free consultation with our team to learn how we can obtain your Italian records quickly and reliably — without the confusion or frustration.