Documents and certificates

ItalianPapers can do historical researches of documents and certificates in all the Municipalities and Parishes in Italy to find vital records of Italian ancestors:

• Birth certificate
• Death certificate
• Certificate of baptism
• Marriage certificate

Looking for your Italian ancestor

According to Italian law, the only way to prove your Italian roots is to find the Italian birth certificate of an ancestor. The only Italian Body that is authorized to issue vital records is the Registry Office at the Municipality of birth of the ancestor. Although the Registry Offices in Italy were officially established in 1866, some Municipalities already had one before that date.

If the birth certificate is not available, because the birth occurred before the Registry Office was established in the city of birth, or because the birth certificate was destroyed by fire, flood, or poor preservation, in its place it is possible to show the certificate of baptism of the ancestor.

The baptismal certificate is issued by the local Parish and for citizenship application must be authenticated by the competent Episcopal Curia; in some cases, the baptismal certificate should also be accompanied by a declaration from the Municipality stating that the birth certificate is not available together with the relative motivation.

ItalianPapers can help you with finding and requesting your Italian ancestor’s birth or baptismal certificate for you.

Feel free to contact us for a consultation