Any immigration process requires a significant amount of paperwork and certificates to be prepared. Documents such as University diplomas, birth and marriage certificates are required to provide evidence of educational background and civil status. The Italian authorities review the information shown on the certificates and expect all documents to bear the same names as shown on passports.
However, this is often not the case. Some people may have chosen to change their name, many others may have changed names after marriage or other life events. There can be an endless list of examples resulting in one’s name on the passport to differ from the names shown on other official certificates.
The most common example is the maiden vs married name scenario which can generate confusion when there is a family immigration application. In such case, the individual may hold a passport showing their married name and a marriage certificate bearing their maiden’s name. Changing surname after marriage is standard practice in many countries but not in Italy. There is no “automatic” name change process in Italy when getting married, any change involves an official filing with the Prefecture, which is a very long and complex process.For this reason, Italian Immigration authorities tend to be strict on the matter, and in the presence of a name discrepancy, they will ask the subject to provide official clarifications on the matter. They will not accept an informal explanation and will require official evidence to disentangle the issue.
Scrupulous checks of all certificates before planned arrival are very important to assess whether additional documentation should be prepared upfront. A notarised and apostilled/legalised affidavit, prepared in the country of origin, is usually accepted as a clarificatory document and avoids immigration applications being rejected over a name identification issue.
This article is posted by Mazzeschi Web Content Manager. Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@mazzeschi.it. Follow us on social media @StudioMazzeschi to receive the latest updates.
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