Getting married at the Consulate

The consul registers marriages only between Ukrainian citizens who are legally resident in Italy. This applies to Ukrainian citizens who have completed the formalities for leaving Ukraine or for permanent residence in Italy and have the corresponding stamp in their international passport.

To register a marriage, the woman and the man must each submit in person a written application to the Consulate General of Ukraine on the prescribed form.

If one of them cannot submit the application in person for good reason, it may be submitted by a representative holding a notarised power of attorney.

People who have been married before may enter into a new marriage only if they provide documents confirming that the previous marriage has ended. These may be:

• A divorce certificate.
• A death certificate of one of the spouses.
• A decision of a Ukrainian court, or a finding of a civil registry office, declaring the marriage invalid.

For Ukrainian citizens whose marriage was ended abroad, such a document may be:

• A court decision on divorce, if it is final under the law of the foreign state.
• A certificate of divorce or of the death of one of the spouses.
• Other documents confirming that the marriage has ended, issued by the competent authority.

If the marriage was dissolved in Italy, you need to provide:

• An extract from the civil status register of the marriage, with an official annotation that the marriage has ended (Estratto di matrimonio con annotazione di scioglimento/cessazione del matrimonio): the original and a copy of all pages.

A document issued by the competent Italian authority must be legalised (with an “Apostille” stamp) and accompanied by a certified translation into Ukrainian.

Those wishing to register a marriage must produce documents proving their identity and their Ukrainian citizenship.

Registering a marriage requires the mutual consent of both parties and that they have reached marriageable age, which is 18 for men and 17 for women. In some cases the marriageable age may be lowered.

A marriage of people whose marriageable age has been lowered is registered on the general terms. If those wishing to register a marriage have not reached marriageable age at the time of registration, this is possible only with a court decision granting the right to marry.

The marriage is registered once one month has passed since the application was submitted.

In exceptional cases, on a joint application by the couple, the consul may shorten the one-month period if a good reason is shown.

If, before the marriage is registered, the consul receives written information that there are legal impediments, the registration is postponed, and the applicant must provide evidence of these impediments within three months.

The consul may carry out checks at the request of the parties or on their own initiative and, if impediments to registering the marriage are found, gives a written explanation. If no impediments are found, the marriage is registered on the general terms.

Registering a marriage by proxy or through a representative is not allowed: the bride and groom must both be present.

The consul sets the day and time of the marriage registration in line with the requirements of Article 32 of the Family Code of Ukraine. If the couple cannot attend on the appointed day, they may move the registration to another day at their written request. In that case it may not be postponed by more than one year from the date of the application.

If the applicants do not come to the consular office within three months without giving a reason, the application lapses.

The marriage is registered and the marriage certificate issued on the premises of the consular office, in the presence of the bride and groom.

The couple have the right to choose a common surname, to keep their pre-marriage surnames, or to add the other spouse’s surname to their own.

Combining more than two surnames is not allowed, unless the custom of a national minority provides otherwise.

If a Ukrainian citizen changed their surname on marriage, a stamp is placed on the first page of their passport stating that they must replace the passport within one month because of the change of surname on marriage.

Conclusion

A marriage can be registered at a Ukrainian consular office in Italy only between Ukrainian citizens who are legally resident in the country and hold the necessary documents. Both parties must be present in person to submit the application, although for good reason it may be submitted by a representative holding a notarised power of attorney. Any previous marriage must have been officially ended, and the relevant documents must be provided. The marriage is registered one month after the application, and this period can be shortened for good reason. The ceremony takes place at the consulate, and registration by proxy is not allowed.