Change your name in Italy: Italian citizens (as well as those who hold multiple citizenships, including the Italian one) wishing to change their birth name must obtain an official decree from the Italian authorities for the new name to be recognized on legal documents. While the new name may already be used informally in daily life, it will not be officially valid without this formal approval.
Requests are accepted only in the presence of objectively relevant situations, supported by documentation and significant reasons (mismatch of generalities between foreign and Italian documents, ridiculous or disgraceful surnames or names, religious motives linked to the name with which one does not identify).
It is important to note that applicants cannot request the attribution of surnames that are historically significant or that could falsely imply a connection to other important people.
By law, married Italian nationals keep their maiden name on their passports and other official documents. However, they have the option, though not the obligation, to request that their married name be added as a note on their passport.
If the Italian citizen is resident abroad, he/she should apply at the competent Italian Consulate; while if the applicant is resident in Italy, his/her motion should be submitted at the relevant Prefecture corresponding to the residency address.
Although there are many steps involved in the procedure before obtaining a final decision from the relevant authorities, applying is quite simple. In any case, bear in mind to support your name change request with valid reasons.
Once submitted, the application should be reviewed by the competent Prefecture. If approved, the authorities will send a Provisional Decree to change the name or surname to the Italian Consulate and a notice summarizing the application is published for 30 days, along with the payment of a revenue stamp, allowing anyone with an interest to oppose the provisional decision. If no objections are raised, the same document is published by the Prefecture.
When the time runs out, the Prefecture issues the Final Decree, officially granting the change of name or surname and delivering it to the applicant.
Warning: please note that in order to receive a new passport, all Italian vital records must be updated with the new name or surname. The applicant must therefore request the registration of the decree to the competent AIRE Town Hall and obtain new certificates accordingly. Italian tax code, as well, must be aligned with the new generalities.
If you are interested in pursuing this path, please contact our Citizenship Department to receive further information: citizenship@mazzeschi.it
This article was written by Giuditta De Ricco and Greis Muca
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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