Legalisation requirements for Italy
Italy is a member of the Hague Convention of 1961 and the FCDO Apostille only should suffice for documents to be used in Italy.
Important Notes for Italy
The Italian authorities do not accept documents Apostilled in third countries, they must be Apostilled in the country of origin.
Educational Documents
Academic documents issued in the United Kingdom must be legalised in order to be valid in Italy. The legalisation process confirms the authenticity of both the document and the signature through two stages. First, the document must be certified either by a Solicitor or a Notary Public. In the UK, academic certificates and degrees are not considered public documents, therefore certification by a legal professional is required before legalisation can proceed.
Both Solicitor and Notary Public certifications are accepted, provided they explicitly confirm that the authenticity of the document has been verified directly with the issuing educational institution
Translations to Italian
Translations for use in Italy there are three options:
- If a translation is for submission to an Italian Consulate in the UK, it does not require to be Apostilled by the UK FCDO. The certified translation will be further certified by the Italian Consulate.
- If a translation is for submission directly to the local authorities in Italy OR to an Italian Consulate outside the UK, a sworn translation is needed and must be Apostilled by the UK FCDO.
- A translation can also be done directly in Italy by a sworn translator registered in the Italian Tribunal from the region the document is going to be used in.
Hague Apostille Fees
The FCDO Apostille Disbursement fee is:
- £40 for Standard & Express
- £100 for Premium (Restrictions apply)
- £35 for e-Apostille (Restrictions apply)
Apostille Processing Times
Turnaround time is likely to be:
- Standard: 5 working days
- Express: Next-Day Service (If document arrives by 11:15 am)
- Premium: 2-3 hours
- e-Apostille: 1-2 working days
Apostille Processing Terms
Express: For the Express Apostille Next-Day Service (paper-based Apostille), we must receive the original documentation by 11:15 am am to be despatched the next working day. If the document arrived after 11:15 am it will be processed on the next-working day.
Premium: The Premium Apostille is a restrictive service the FCDO can provide for a few eligible types of documents and they require evidence to support the urgency requirement. Please contact our legalisation team for further details.
e-Apostille: Documents eligible for the e-Apostille must be first e-notarised with an Advanced Electronic Signature (AES) or a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES).
CONSULATE ADDRESS
Harp House, 83-86 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4BL