Simple guide on how to register a birth at the Italian Consulate in London

“How to register a birth at the Italian Consulate in London” is the information almost every Italian abroad looks for at least once, and with good reason. Following the new law from 2025, nowadays many Italian citizens are confused and also facing difficulties with this administrative process, which can lead to mistakes, delays and disappointments. I’ve put together this short guide that hopefully can help you a little bit more if you need to start the process.

DISCLAIMER: This guide is only a simpler version of the fully comprehensive one published by the Italian Consulate. For more details and information, please visit the consulate’s website.

Who can register a birth at the Italian Consulate in London

Anyone can register a birth at the Italian Consulate, but following the new Law Decree No.36/2025 of the Law No.74 of 23/05/2025, as a parent you need to satisfy certain criteria and now there are also four cases a child can fall under:

1: the child doesn’t have and cannot have another citizenship at birth;

2: the Italian parent has lived continuously for at least 2 years before the child was born or the Italian parent has acquired Italian citizenship and then lived continuously for at least 2 years before the child was born;

3: At birth, the parent or one grandparent (even at death) was exclusively an Italian citizen;

4: Benefit of law.

Before deciding which one applies to your case, you must understand well what the consulate means, and if you’re still unsure, you can contact them directly, or even use professional services.

Please note that before registering a birth, you need to either register your marriage or obtain a declaration for a child born out of wedlock.

Documents required to register a birth at the Italian Consulate in London

All applications require the following documents:

• Application form filled out and signed by both parents
• Statutory declaration form filled out and signed
• Birth certificate of the child (not returnable)
• Translation of the birth certificate
• Copies of the parents’ passports
• Other ID documents of the parents, if available
• Recent proof of address

Documents for other cases:

Case 2

• Copy of the child’s foreign passport

Case 3

• Proof of no other citizenship of the descendant;
• UK only: share code + Official declaration for voting issued by the Council (legalised) OR Certificate of Non-Naturalisation (legalised and translated). If applicable, the certificate of naturalisation if it happened after the birth;

Other countries: Certificate of Non-Naturalisation from all the countries where you have lived OR Certificate of Naturalisation, if applicable (both legalised and translated). If applicable, the certificate of renounce to citizenship.

Translations

Understanding the type of translation you need to register a birth at the Italian consulate in London has become crucial, and can be a reason for application rejection. In the last year, the consulate has made some changes, and it’s not as straightforward as it used to be.

If your child was born in the UK, you only need a certified translation from a UK-certified translator. On the contrary, if you need to register a foreign birth, that’s where it can get tricky – depending on the country, of course. The consulate now requires that every non-UK documents must be translated either in the country where they were issued, or in Italy. This unfortunately means that it may take longer, adding to the registration process, which is already quite long. In addition to this, the new requirements may cause issues for some people because not all countries can fulfil them.

In addition to this, the new requirements may cause issues for some people because not all countries can fulfil them. Sometimes there is no Italian translator in that country, or the country is living a political or war crisis.

Finding a trustworthy translator in Italy is also not easy, unless it’s been recommended. My advice is to do proper research before committing to anyone.

The process and how long an Italian birth registration takes in London

To register a newborn is quite easy; you gather all the documents needed and post them to your local consulate. I recommend sending the documents with Special Delivery for your peace of mind and to obtain proof of delivery. Please remember that you also need to send a second pre-paid Special Delivery envelope with your address on it, in case the consulate needs to return your application for whatever reason.

The processing times are probably the most disappointing: the consulate has advised that there is a waiting time of at least 20 weeks. However, you can request information on the status, but not before week 16. No one knows why the processing time is this long; however, usually the consulate staff doesn’t register the birth at the Italian consulate. They contact your municipality (Comune) in Italy to do so, and each municipality has its own internal processing time. A smaller municipality doesn’t guarantee a faster processing time.

FAQs and the worst mistakes

One of the most common questions is whether the documents will be returned after the registration. Unfortunately, no. The consulate will keep all the documents unless the application is unsuccessful. Make sure you request copies of the original certificates from the General Register Office.

The second most common question is whether you will receive a confirmation of the birth’s registration. The answer is no, but you can contact your A.I.R.E. municipality to confirm or request a family status document.

The third question is always whether you will receive the child’s passport. This used to be part of the birth registration application, but now it isn’t. As soon as you have managed to register the birth at the Italian Consulate in London, you can apply for a passport.

Let’s move on to a few mistakes and how to avoid them:

• Not reading all the information and identifying the wrong case. If you’re unsure, please get in touch with the consulate or a professional for some advice;
• Not sending all the documents or the wrong documents: please double-check and triple-check – it’s vital!

Conclusion

The process of registering a birth has, without a doubt, become a lengthy and confusing process, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. You do need lots of patience to read carefully and understand all the information. Remember to identify the correct case, prepare all the documents you need to submit, including forms, IDs, original documents, and translations, and post them using a safe method. If unsure, please ask for help; any mistake can lead to longer waiting times and unsuccessful registrations.

If you need help with translations, contact me at info@katiuskaparra.com for a free, no-obligation quote for a certified translation.