A divorce judgment issued abroad does not automatically produce legal effects in Italy but must be registered in the Civil Status Records of the competent Italian Municipality. Registration may be requested only if the marriage has already been registered in the Italian Civil Status Records, in accordance with the procedure set out in the Registration of a Marriage Certificate section.
To request the registration of a divorce judgment, an appointment at the Embassy must be booked through the Prenot@mi portal, and the following documents must be submitted:
- NISI and ABSOLUTE judgments issued by the competent local Court (original or certified copy), legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka or the Maldives and translated into Italian. Further information on translation and legalization procedures is available in the Translations and Legalizations section of this website;
- Copies of the valid passports of both former spouses;
- Application form for the registration of the divorce judgment, duly completed and signed.
As the authenticity of documents issued in Sri Lanka and submitted to the Embassy may be subject to verification by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and a translation of the divorce judgment must also be prepared, as explained in the Translations and Legalizations section of this website, the documents will be forwarded to the competent Italian Municipality only once these procedures have been completed.
Once the translation and verification of the documentation have been completed, the Embassy will legalize the documents and forward them to the competent Municipality in Italy.
Please note that registration of the divorce judgment is not automatic. Before proceeding with registration, the Italian Civil Status Officer must verify that the foreign judgment meets the requirements laid down in Article 64 of Law No. 218 of 31 May 1995. In particular, it must be established that:
- the judgment was issued by a court having jurisdiction;
- the decision resulted in the final and irreversible dissolution of the marriage;
- the judgment clearly establishes that the decision is final, is no longer subject to appeal, and specifies the date from which its effects take effect.
The foreign judgment must therefore clearly establish that the court’s decision is final and no longer subject to appeal, as well as the date from which its effects take effect.