What Is an Apostille Used For?

Part of obtaining Italian citizenship requires you to have certain documents authenticated to ensure their validity when used by the Italian government. The authentication process is referred to as an apostille. An apostille is used for authenticating birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce records, and death certificates you may need to provide with your application for Italian American dual citizenship. 

The apostille is attached to the original document, proving it has been certified by an authorized agency. The authorized agency for authenticating United-States-issued documents is often the Secretary of State in the state where those documents were originally issued. However, some people do get assistance from a qualified service to ensure the authentication process is performed correctly. 

Why Do I Need an Apostille for Italian American Dual Citizenship?

The reason you need an apostille for Italian American dual citizenship is to ensure all required documents are valid in Italy. The apostille process came about in 1961 and was created during the Hague Convention for signatory countries. 

The purpose of the Hague Convention was to simplify the authentication process. Before the change, one would need to have their documents authenticated by an appropriate embassy or consular for the country in which they were originally issued. 

Do I Still Need to Have Documents Translated to Obtain Italian Citizenship?

The apostille process does not replace or eliminate the requirement to have certain original documents translated into Italian for obtaining Italian citizenship. There may also be certain certifications, naturalization records, vital records, and medical records that could need translating. 

The translation process must be certified and authenticated by an Italian Consular Officer to be considered valid. It is essential that any certificates and documents be translated correctly—verbatim; otherwise, the Italian Consular Officer can reject them and require resubmission. 

How Do I Know What Needs an Apostille and What Needs to Be Translated?

The process of applying for Italian American dual citizenship can be complex and confusing if you are not sure exactly what documentation, certifications, and other forms you will need. Additionally, you need to know which documents will need an apostille, which ones will need both an apostille and translation, and which ones do not need an apostille but still need translating. 

Due to the complexities of these processes, it is highly recommended to seek assistance from a qualified and experienced service familiar with dual Italian American citizenship. Obtaining Italian citizenship can be a lengthy process that can take some time. The last thing you want to worry about is experiencing an unexpected delay with your application because you did not complete something correctly, forgot to get an apostille for a document, or did not get a document translated correctly. 

Fortunately, you can rest easy when you get assistance with your dual Italian American citizenship application from the Italian American Citizenship Assistance Program. We offer a free 30-minute preliminary telephone consultation to discuss the process for applying, what documents you will need, which ones will need an apostille, which ones will need to be translated, and other such details you will need to know.

To get started call us at (305) 812-5512 for your free preliminary consultation today! We can even help you take care of apostille authentications, translations, and other services to ensure your Italian American dual citizenship application proceeds without any unexpected complications.