How a Florida birth certificate is used in Italy
Citizenship by descent at the Consulate General of Italy in Miami is built on birth certificates, one for every generation between the Italian ancestor and you, and each Florida one needs an apostille and an official Italian translation. Since Law 74/2025, people born abroad with another citizenship qualify only under an exception, unless they filed or booked before March 27, 2025, so check eligibility first. Florida certificates must be signed by the current State Registrar; pre-2014 certifications won't be apostilled. Order long-form copies so parents' names and places of birth appear.
Translation for Italy
Italian offices need an official Italian translation of English records, and the Miami consulate states that it does not translate documents. Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a separate Florida notary and apostilled; ask the consulate whether it accepts that format or certifies translations itself. Courts and some comuni in Italy may instead require a translation sworn before an Italian court (asseverata). Translate after the apostille, including the apostille page.
What your Florida birth certificate must look like
The Florida Department of State apostilles the signature of the State Registrar, so you need a certified copy issued by the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or a county health department — not a hospital certificate, a photocopy or a scan. Copies certified before 2014 carry an older signature and are not accepted; order a fresh certified copy through VitalChek or your county health department before you send it. The certified copy itself (about $9–$14 from the issuing office) is the only cost on top of our $220.
Step by step: birth certificate apostille for Italy
- Order online — pick "Birth certificate" and "Italy" on the order form; $220 per document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more.
- Send a photo — reply to the confirmation email with a picture of the document. We check the certification before anything ships, so a defect is caught before it costs you a round trip.
- Drop it at FedEx — after approval, FedEx emails you a prepaid QR code; show it at any FedEx Office or Ship Center, no printer or label needed.
- Filed in person in Tallahassee — we walk the document into the Florida Department of State and ship the apostilled original back by FedEx within 5–7 business days of receipt — to your U.S. address, or to Italy with international return shipping (+$100).
One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs for Italy. Whatever the office there asks for after that — a translation, a filing deadline — is covered above.