Certified & Sworn Translation of Italian Documents

The confusion usually starts with terminology. Italian and British authorities each use the word “certified” to mean something different, and what Italy calls a traduzione giurata has no direct equivalent in UK law.

Traduzione certificata (certified translation)

A certified translation is a translation accompanied by a signed statement from the translator (or their company) confirming it is a true and accurate rendering of the original. There is no oath, no public official involved, and no revenue stamps. Under gov.uk’s certifying-a-document guidance, a UK certified translation must contain: (1) a statement that it is “a true and accurate translation of the original document”, (2) the date of the translation, and (3) the translator’s full name and contact details. A signature is standard professional practice (bodies such as CIOL and ITI expect it) but it is not one of the three items gov.uk lists. A certified translation has no legal value in Italy and will generally not be accepted by Italian public authorities, courts, or notaries.

Traduzione asseverata (sworn translation)

An Italian sworn translation (traduzione asseverata or traduzione giurata) is a translation to which the translator has given legal force by swearing an oath (giuramento) before a public official. The oath attests that the translation faithfully corresponds to the original, pursuant to art. 5 of R.D. 1366/1922. This is the form Italy requires for official proceedings: applications to the pubblica amministrazione, court documents, qualification recognition, citizenship applications, and notarial acts. An Italian sworn translation carries legal value in Italy; it is far more than UK authorities ever ask for.

Traduzione legalizzata (legalised translation)

Legalisation is an additional step placed on top of a sworn translation: it authenticates the signature of the public official who witnessed the oath, so that the document is recognised in another country. In practice, legalisation usually means obtaining an apostille, a standardised certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention. Legalisation is a further administrative step, applied to an already-sworn translation when it needs to cross a border. It is not itself a translation.

The legal basis is art. 5 of the Regio Decreto 1366/1922, which gives a translator the ability to confer legal force on a translation by swearing before a public official that the document faithfully corresponds to the original.

Where to go

The oath (giuramento) is taken at the cancelleria (Ufficio Asseverazioni) of a Tribunale, before a Giudice di Pace, or before a notaio. The translator appears in person with valid ID and signs the verbale di giuramento in front of the court clerk (cancelliere). Note: some Giudici di Pace do not handle translation oaths; check locally before presenting yourself. Sources such as the Tribunale di Torino publish the procedure on their websites.

Who can swear

Registration on a professional albo is not legally required for a sworn translation in Italy; there is no national sworn-translator register. However, the translator must be a third party (terzietà): you cannot swear the translation of your own document. Some tribunali, in local practice, may ask for iscrizione to an albo or CTU list; always verify with the specific court.

The physical output

The result is a single bound fascicolo: the original document, followed by the translation (signed and dated), followed by the verbale di giuramento. This package cannot involve a foreign-to-foreign translation; it must pass through Italian.

Marche da bollo

Revenue stamps (marche da bollo) are required from the first page of the translation, then one stamp every 4 pages or every 100 lines. The current statutory value is €16 per stamp, but this amount has changed over time and may change again, so do not rely on any figure you read online without checking the current rate. Some courts add further stamps or diritti on the verbale itself; some document types carry exemptions. Per-court variation is normal.

The single most important principle is that the receiving country sets the requirement, not the country the document comes from. This means the direction of travel is everything.

Italian document → English, for use in the UK

If you are submitting an Italian birth certificate, marriage certificate, or other official Italian document to a UK authority (HM Passport Office, the Home Office, UKVI, UK ENIC, or a UK university), you almost certainly need a UK-style certified translation: a signed statement from a professional translator confirming accuracy, with the date and the translator’s full name and contact details. An Italian sworn translation (asseverazione) is not required. This is not what UK bodies ask for. See our certified translations service for details of what we provide for UK applications.

English/UK document → Italian, for use in Italy

If you are taking a UK document (birth certificate, marriage certificate, degree certificate, driving licence, criminal record, etc.) to Italy for use with Italian authorities, the typical sequence is: (1) apostille the original UK document (via the FCDO Legalisation Office; see gov.uk get-document-legalised); then (2) translate the apostilled document into Italian and swear the translation before an Italian court. The apostille gets translated as part of the package. If the sworn translation itself will then be used abroad again, a second apostille (from the Procura della Repubblica, via the Italian court) may be required on the verbale di giuramento.

Italian sworn translation back to the UK

An Italian traduzione asseverata heading to the UK does not need a UK equivalent; UK authorities do not recognise or require the Italian sworn format. A UK-certified translation of the underlying Italian document, produced to gov.uk standards, is what they need.

The type of document affects which process applies, how many steps are involved, and in some cases which authority issues the apostille.

Birth, marriage, and death certificates

For UK use (e.g. HMPO, Home Office, GRO): a certified translation (gov.uk standard) of the Italian original. No apostille required by UK authorities. The certificate should ideally be in the long-form (estratto per riassunto or copia integrale) format; abbreviated extracts may not contain all the information UK bodies need. See our related guide on Italian documents for a UK passport for passport-specific requirements. For Italian use: a certified copy from the Italian comune, potentially apostilled at the Prefettura if it is heading abroad.

Casellario giudiziale (criminal record certificate)

The casellario giudiziale (Italian criminal record) is a judicial document. For use in the UK, a certified translation is normally sufficient. If an apostille is required (e.g. for employment or immigration in a third country), it is obtained from the Procura della Repubblica (not the Prefettura), because the casellario is issued by the courts, not the administrative system.

Italian degrees and academic qualifications

For recognition by UK ENIC (the UK national information centre for recognition; formerly Ecctis): a certified translation of the Italian degree certificate and transcript. UK ENIC does not require an apostille for evaluation purposes. If you are presenting the qualification to an employer or institution that requires it, an apostille from the Prefettura of the issuing university’s territory may be requested. For Italian qualification recognition (riconoscimento) in Italy, an asseverazione is not typically required for Italian-issued documents.

Divorce decrees

Italian divorce decrees are judicial documents. A certified translation suffices for most UK purposes (e.g. remarrying, name change, pension sharing). If the decree is heading back to Italy for legal proceedings, it would need to be translated into Italian and sworn before an Italian court; an apostille from the originating court’s Procura may also be required.

Powers of attorney (procura)

An Italian atto notarile (notarial deed, including powers of attorney) is authenticated by the notaio and can be apostilled by the Procura. For use in the UK, a certified English translation of the apostilled Italian document is usually required. For a UK power of attorney to be used in Italy, it typically needs to be apostilled by the FCDO and then translated and sworn before an Italian court.

Requirements are set by the authority receiving your document, Italian court practice varies by tribunal (some Giudici di Pace do not handle translation oaths; bollo amounts and exemptions differ), and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements and costs with the relevant office before you commission a translation or book a court appointment.