Burocrazia & documenti

Apostille in Rome: What It Is, When You Need It, and How to Get One

The stamp that replaces embassy legalisation for using your documents abroad. How it works, who issues it in Rome, and the mistakes that waste your time.

12 May 2026·

apostillehague-conventionlegalisationprefetturacertified-translation

In a nutshell

An Apostille is a standardised certificate that verifies the authenticity of a public document, allowing it to be recognised automatically in over 125 countries — without going through embassies or consulates. It only works between countries that have signed the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961.

At a glance


Cost	Marca da bollo (revenue stamp) of €16 per Apostille (exemptions apply for international adoptions and certain documents involving minors)
Timeline	Prefettura (regional state-government office) of Rome: 3–10 working days; Procura della Repubblica (Public Prosecutor's Office) of Rome: 1–7 days
Where in Rome	Prefettura (administrative documents): Via IV Novembre 119/A — Procura della Repubblica (notarial/court documents): Piazzale Clodio 1
Documents	Original Italian document signed by a public official, revenue stamp (marca da bollo), ID

How it works: the logic in plain English

Before the 1961 Hague Convention, getting a public document recognised abroad meant two or three successive legalisation steps: first the ministry of the issuing country, then the foreign embassy, sometimes a second consular endorsement. Slow and expensive.

The Hague Convention cuts through all of that: signatory countries recognise each other's public documents, so a single Apostille stamp applied by the competent authority of the country where the document was issued is accepted in all other member countries.

The Apostille does not vouch for the content of the document — it only certifies that the person who signed it was a duly authorised public official. The format is rigidly standardised: a rectangle of at least 9×9 cm headed in French "APOSTILLE (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)" with 10 numbered fields identical worldwide.

First check: does your country belong to the Hague Convention?

This is the very first thing to verify before doing anything else.

If the country of origin of the document is a Hague member (all EU states, USA, UK, Argentina, India, China from 7 November 2023, Canada from 11 January 2024, UAE from 7 June 2025 — over 125 signatories in total): use the Apostille.

If the country is not a member (Eritrea, Iran, Cuba, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Algeria, Libya, among others): the Apostille does not apply. You'll need consular legalisation instead, which is a separate and different process.

The always-current list is on the official HCCH site at hcch.net.

EU exception for civil-status documents: for birth, death, marriage, divorce, residence, and nationality certificates exchanged between EU member states, EU Regulation 2016/1191 eliminates even the Apostille. You simply request the document from the relevant foreign municipality with the standard EU multilingual form attached.

Who issues the Apostille in Italy: Prefettura or Procura?

In Italy, competence is split by document type (DPR 03/01/1994 n. 130):

Prefettura of Rome — for administrative documents: civil-registry certificates, vital-records documents, school diplomas, criminal-records certificates, proof of residence, vaccination certificates. Address: Via IV Novembre 119/A, 00187 Roma. Switchboard: 06 67291. Appointments usually required. Check current procedures at prefettura.interno.gov.it/it/prefetture/roma/legalizzazioni.

Procura della Repubblica at the Tribunale di Roma — for notarial and judicial documents: court judgments, notarial powers of attorney, court registry documents, sworn expert reports. Address: Piazzale Clodio 1, 00195 Roma. Switchboard: 06 39671. Morning counter service — check current hours at giustizia.it.

Getting an Apostille on an Italian document

The process is straightforward. Take a birth certificate you need to use in the USA:

Go to the Comune (city hall) and request the original certificate.
Affix a €16 marca da bollo.
Go to the Prefettura of Rome (for administrative documents) with the document, the stamp, and your ID.
Hand everything in at the counter and collect the apostilled document after 3–10 working days.
Use it in the USA without any further embassy step. If the receiving country requires a translation into its language, arrange that locally.

For a university degree (issued by a public university and signed by the rector): the process is the same but the counter is the Procura della Repubblica, not the Prefettura.

Using a foreign document with an Apostille in Italy

If the document comes from a Hague member country and already carries an Apostille applied in the country of origin:

Bring the apostilled document to Italy.
Have a translator produce an Italian translation.
Bring the original plus the translation to the Tribunale Ordinario di Roma (Viale Giulio Cesare 54 or Piazzale Clodio 1) for asseverazione (sworn certification of the translation). The fee is €16 in marca da bollo per 4 pages of translation plus €3.87 in court fees. Alternatively: the Giudice di Pace di Roma (justice of the peace) or a private notary.
Submit the document to the relevant Italian authority (Comune, Questura — police headquarters — university, etc.).

Note: the Apostille itself does not require translation, but the body text of the underlying document does.

Mistakes to avoid

Taking a notarial deed or court judgment to the Prefettura. The Prefettura has no jurisdiction over notarial or judicial documents — those go to the Procura della Repubblica. This is a very common mistake and means a wasted trip.
Confusing the Apostille with consular legalisation. These are mutually exclusive paths: Hague member country → Apostille; non-member country → consular legalisation. You do not do both.
Forgetting the certified translation. Even with a valid Apostille, a foreign-language document must be translated into Italian and sworn in at a court (asseverata) before it can be used in Italy.

Special cases

China, Canada, UAE: recent accession dates (November 2023, January 2024, June 2025 respectively). Documents issued after the accession date: Apostille applies. Documents issued before that date: consular legalisation may still be needed. Check with the relevant embassy.

Countries where Italy has raised objections: in rare cases Italy has objected to a new country's accession (e.g. Kosovo). In those situations the Apostille has no legal effect between the two countries and consular legalisation applies instead.

Bilateral agreements that go further than the Apostille: Italy has specific agreements with San Marino and the Vatican, and through CIEC conventions with other EU countries for certain documents — in these cases not even an Apostille is needed.

Italian school diplomas for use abroad: normally you must first get the diploma validated by the Ufficio Scolastico Regionale Lazio (Regional School Office for Lazio) — or stamped by the school — and then get the Apostille at the Prefettura.

Expired civil-registry certificates: Italian civil-registry certificates are valid for 6 months. An Apostille does not extend the validity of the underlying document. If the certificate has expired, you need to request a new one before apostilling it.

e-Apostille (digital version): Italy is progressively piloting e-Apostilles at certain Procure. To verify an e-Apostille received from abroad, use the e-Register portal of the issuing country (list at hcch.net).

Document signed by an official who is no longer in service: both the Prefettura and the Procura keep a register of deposited signatures. If the official's signature is not on the register, the document may be refused. In that case, request a reissued document or an updated notarial authentication.

Official sources

Legal references: Convenzione dell'Aja 5 ottobre 1961; Legge 20/12/1966 n. 1253; DPR 03/01/1994 n. 130; DPR 28/12/2000 n. 445 art. 33 comma 3; Regolamento UE 2016/1191; DPR 26/10/1972 n. 642.

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