Registering a Birth at the Consulate: What to Do if the Certificate Is Not in English

19 May Registering a Birth at the Consulate: What to Do if the Certificate Is Not in English

Are you an Italian parent living in the UK, but your child was born abroad — in Brazil, Spain, Poland, India, or any other country outside the UK? Then you already know that the birth registration procedure at the Italian Consulate in London is slightly different from the standard process for children born in Britain.

In particular, if the birth certificate is written in a language other than English, the rules change — and ignoring them is the quickest way to have your documentation sent back.

The Basic Rule: The Birth Certificate Must Be Original and Full

Regardless of the country of birth, the Italian Consulate in London always requires the birth certificate in original and full format — meaning it must contain all the relevant data, not an extract or summary.

If the child was born in Brazil, for example, the correct document is the Certidao de Nascimento de Inteiro Teor issued by the competent Cartorio. The same principle applies to other countries: the most complete version available is always required.

CASE 1 — Country That Has Signed the Hague Convention

If the country in which the birth took place has signed the Hague Convention of 1961, the birth certificate must be:

• Legalised with a PAPER apostille affixed by the competent authority in the country of birth
• Translated into Italian by a professional translator

Examples: Brazil (apostille from the Cartorio), Spain (apostille from the Ministry of Justice), Poland, France, Germany, and many others.

IMPORTANT: The apostille must be paper-based (physical), not digital. The Italian Consulate does not accept e-apostilles. This applies to non-UK documents as well.

The Special Rule for Non-English Certificates

This is the key point that distinguishes non-English certificates from British ones:

For birth certificates issued IN ENGLISH (such as British ones), the Consulate accepts the Italian translation without any further legalisation — the Consulate itself will verify it.

For certificates issued in a language OTHER than English, the Italian translation must be:

• Apostilled according to the procedures of the issuing country, OR
• Legalised by the competent Italian Consulate in the territory where the document was issued

In other words, simply having the document translated is not enough: the translation itself must also be authenticated.

CASE 2 — Country That Has NOT Signed the Hague Convention

If the country of birth is not a party to the Hague Convention, consular legalisation is required instead of an apostille: the document must be legalised by the competent Italian Embassy or Consulate in the country where it was issued.

To check whether a country has signed the Convention, you can consult the official list on the Hague Conference website.

The Special Case: Multilingual Certificates

If the birth certificate was issued in multilingual format by one of the States that signed the Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976, it is exempt from both apostille and translation. Signatory states include: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal and other European countries.

TIP: If you are unsure about the format of the certificate or the country’s status, contact us before sending anything to the Consulate. A mistake at this stage can delay your application by weeks.

Summary: What You Need for Birth Registration with a Non-English Document

• Original, full birth certificate from the country of birth
• Paper apostille (if the country has signed the Hague Convention)
• Italian translation by a professional translator
• Apostille on the translation (if the certificate is not in English) — or consular legalisation
• Completed transcription request form (Mod. 23) signed by both parents
• Photocopies of both parents’ identity documents
• Pre-paid Special Delivery envelope for any return correspondence

REMEMBER: Do not send the birth registration request and the first passport application at the same time — both will be returned. The passport can only be requested after the Consulate has forwarded the birth certificate to the Comune.

How We Can Help

Words at Hand specialises in translating birth certificates from any language — Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Polish and many others — with full management of apostille and legalisation.

• Certified translation of birth certificate into Italian
• Assistance in obtaining the apostille in the country of birth
• Full document verification before submission to the Consulate
• Urgent service available

Contact us before you proceed: cristina@wordsathand.com | WhatsApp: +44 7824 347667 | wordsathand.com/contact