What Is an Apostille — and Why the Italian Consulate Only Accepts the Paper Version

19 May What Is an Apostille — and Why the Italian Consulate Only Accepts the Paper Version

If you’re preparing documents for the Italian Consulate — whether for a birth registration, marriage transcription, or citizenship application — you’ve probably been told you need an apostille. But what exactly is it? Why does the Consulate insist on a paper version rather than a digital one? And how do you get it?

In this article, we answer all these questions in a clear and practical way.

What Is an Apostille

An apostille is an international certification that verifies the authenticity of a public document — specifically, that the signature, stamp, or seal on the document was placed there by a recognised public official.

Introduced by the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, an apostille allows a public document issued in one country to be recognised as valid in another signatory country, without going through the destination country’s consulate.

Both Italy and the UK have signed the Hague Convention. This means UK public documents intended for use in Italy must be apostilled — and vice versa.

Who Issues Apostilles in the UK

In the UK, apostilles are issued by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), formerly known as the FCO. This is the official UK government body authorised to legalise public documents for use abroad.

Documents commonly apostilled include:

• Birth, marriage and death certificates
• Divorce documents (Decree Absolute or Final Order)
• Academic diplomas and certificates (only if signed by a registered public official)
• Notarial documents
• ACRO police certificates
• Certified translations — if sworn by a recognised translator

Paper Apostille vs Digital Apostille: What’s the Difference

The UK FCDO now offers two apostille formats:

Paper-based apostille:

A physical stamp affixed to the original document (or a certified copy). This is the traditional format, historically accepted by all Hague Convention signatory countries.

e-Apostille (digital apostille):

An electronic format verifiable through an online register. Faster to obtain, it is issued for digital documents or sent via email.

Why the Italian Consulate ONLY Accepts the Paper Apostille

This is probably the most common question we receive: ‘I have a digital apostille — will that work?’

The answer is: NO. The Italian Consulate General in London, as well as the Consulates in Manchester and Edinburgh, exclusively accept the paper-based apostille.

Digital apostilles, electronic documents and apostilled photocopies — even if authenticated — are not accepted.

The reason is regulatory: Italy has not yet fully adopted the e-Apostille system for consular use, and Italian consulates follow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs guidelines, which require original documents with a physical apostille.

What Cannot Be Apostilled

Not all documents can be apostilled. In particular:

• Private documents not authenticated by a public official
• University degrees in original format not signed by a registered public official (in this case, a notarised certified copy is required first)
• Simple photocopies
• Documents issued by the Consulate itself

How to Get an Apostille on UK Documents

Here is the step-by-step process:

• Check that the document is a public document signed by a recognised official
• Send the original document (or notarised copy) to the FCDO by post or courier
• The FCDO affixes the paper apostille stamp to the document
• The apostilled document is returned to you by post

Indicative timescales: the standard service takes approximately 7-10 working days; a 3-working-day service is also available for urgent cases.

How We Can Help

Words at Hand offers a comprehensive service that includes:

• Assistance with obtaining the paper apostille
• Certified translation of apostilled documents into Italian or English
• Checking that documents meet Consulate requirements before submission
• Urgent service available