Home / Italian Name Change Translation
Certified Italian Name Change Document Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record a change of name in Italy, including the marginal annotations and registry endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
Estratto or copia integrale
Italian comuni issue a certificato, an estratto per riassunto and a copia integrale of the atto di nascita, and only the copia integrale reproduces the act with its annotazioni.
A change of name is an annotazione. So the estratto your comune sent you may well show nothing at all, and the document that proves the change is the full copy. Ask for the copia integrale before ordering a translation.
The Prefetto decides
A change of surname or first name in Italy is granted by decree of the Prefetto under DPR 396 of 2000 — an administrative route through the Prefettura, not a court — and the decree is then annotated on the birth act by the comune of registration.
A reader expecting a judicial order will not find one, and we name the Prefettura and the decree number exactly so the document can be traced.
Married women keep their surname
Italian women do not change surname on marriage — the registry keeps the birth surname for life, and a married surname is a social usage rather than a legal one. A US reader expecting a married name on an Italian document finds the maiden name and suspects an error.
We translate the act as written and, where it helps, the translation makes plain that the surname shown is the legal one.
AIRE, and consular registrations
Italians resident abroad are registered with AIRE and their civil acts are recorded through the consulate and transcribed into the comune of origin, so a name change may appear on an act held in a small Italian town for a person who has never lived there.
We name the comune and the consulate exactly as printed. See our Italian birth certificate page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, so the reader can see that the change was recorded against the original entry rather than written into a fresh document. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
My estratto shows no name change.
Ask for the copia integrale. Only the full copy reproduces the act with its annotazioni.
Who grants an Italian name change?
The Prefetto, by administrative decree under DPR 396/2000. It is not a court order.
Why does the document show my wife's maiden name?
Italian women keep their birth surname legally. A married surname is social usage, not a registry entry.
My act is held in a town I never lived in.
Consular acts are transcribed into the comune of origin. We name both as printed.
Ready to get started?
Upload the order, the resolution or the annotated certificate and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.