How a legal wedding in Sicily works

The key rule: an authorised location

An Italian civil marriage or civil union must take place at a location authorised by the local comune (the local council), known as a casa comunale. That once meant the town hall. Today it comes in two forms: places the comune itself owns, and private venues the comune has formally authorised.

Civil unions, which Italian law provides for same-sex couples, take place at the same authorised venues and need the same documents, so the choice of places is the same. The comune's own procedure differs a little from a marriage, and we confirm it, along with the venue's authorisation, with the comune in writing before you book.

The venues themselves are here: castles, cloisters, palazzi on the main square, gardens and beaches.

What the legal route involves

The paperwork is real but manageable with the right guidance:

• A certificate of no impediment (CNI). For most British couples resident in the UK, each of you obtains this by giving notice at your local register office; a postal route through the British Embassy in Rome exists for circumstances where that does not apply.
• A bilingual sworn declaration, a dichiarazione giurata, made before a British solicitor or notary and then legalised. British consulates in Italy no longer issue the nulla osta, and the CNI together with this declaration took its place, so most comuni ask for both. The wording varies, so we get your comune's own form before you instruct a notary.
• An apostille on those documents from the FCDO Legalisation Office, then an Italian translation. Apostille first, so the translation covers the apostille too. Some comuni accept a certified translation, which we provide ourselves; others require a sworn translation, an asseverazione, sworn before a court, comune or notary in Italy, which we arrange. Either way the translations are in our fee, so the apostille is the only thing you pay for at this step.
• A declaration before the registrar in Sicily, in person, usually a day or two before the wedding, though some comuni ask for longer. The registrar draws up a formal record, the verbale, which you and your interpreter sign. Two British citizens not resident in Italy have no banns posting in Italy; if one of you holds Italian citizenship, or either of you lives in Italy, a posting is required and the timings change.
• The ceremony, conducted in Italian by the registrar, with an interpreter and two witnesses as required by law. The interpreter must be independent: neither of you can interpret at your own wedding, however good your Italian.
• Your Italian marriage certificate, once the ceremony is registered. The marriage is recognised in the UK because it was validly contracted under Italian law, and we arrange an apostille and certified translation of it where those are needed at home.

How long it takes

The paperwork runs comfortably in four to six months, and Italian offices slow down in August, so build that in. Securing the ceremony date is the slower half: popular venues and comune sites go a long way ahead, sometimes a full summer more than a year in advance, so twelve to eighteen months is a sensible run at a sought-after date.

Short of time? Two British citizens who do not live in Italy have no waiting period in Italian law, and the paperwork can run in six to ten weeks when it has to. Can we really get married in Italy at short notice? sets out where the time goes and what is realistic.

What the comuni charge

The legal act is identical everywhere. The fee is not. These are the comune sites on our venues page.

Published rates for non-residents, current as of August 2026. Most comuni set further rates for Sundays, public holidays and ceremonies outside office hours, and some restrict which Saturdays they will marry you at all. We confirm the rate for your date in writing with the comune before you book.

Each comune also sets its own calendar. Siracusa takes no weddings the day before or after a public holiday (its venues and fees are in our Ortigia guide), several towns block certain dates altogether, and outdoor sites are usually open only from April to October. We confirm all of this with the comune in writing before you settle on a date.

If you are thinking of marrying at home first

A legal marriage and a wedding celebration are two separate things, so no couple is ever trapped by Italian paperwork: you can marry at a UK register office and make Sicily purely the celebration, with no Italian paperwork at all. It is not a route we offer. Every wedding we plan is the marriage itself, in Sicily, because when you say sì there it is real, for you and for everyone with you.

That route is a good one, and its legal side needs no help from anyone, which is why it is not a service we offer. Ours is the one on this page. If you are undecided, that is the normal state to arrive in, and it is exactly what a first message is for. The free guide sets the two side by side.

Checked September 2026.

Can we marry in Sicily?

Eight quick questions. You see your answer straight away, and we follow up personally.

Or message us on WhatsApp, or email us at ciao@marriedinsicily.com.