Whose vital record certificate can be tracked and requested with a good chance of success?
- The Italian ancestor must have been born, married and / or died after 1865. Indeed, in that year, a national law urged the creation of a population register for each Italian Municipality.
- The client must know the exact date (dd/mm/yyyy) and the exact Municipality where the birth, marriage or death happened.
Note that the finding of a vital record certificate in Italy is not certain for those born, married or deceased before 1872, because the registries of the population were made mandatory on a national level only at the end of 1971. There are other rare natural events such as fires, floodings and earthquakes that may have determined the loss of vital records documents.
Which is the Italian authority that can issue a vital record certificate valid for official purposes?
The competent authority is the Municipality of the place where the event took place.
Validity of the vital record certificate
Vital record certificates do not have an official expiration date. However, it is noteworthy that some public authorities may request for the certificate to be issued within a certain time lapse, also depending on its use
Time Frame
The expected time frame to obtain a vital record certificate varies significantly from Municipality to Municipality. In any case, in most cases, the waiting time does not exceed 3 months.
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