From 1 January 2014 the UK consulates in Italy will discontinue their service of
depositing foreign marriage and civil partnership certificates with the
Registrars General in England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
British nationals overseas will need to make their own arrangements for the
safekeeping of these certificates, as they do for other important documents.
There is no legal requirement to deposit foreign
marriage or civil partnership certificates with the GRO, or to have the
marriage/civil partnership recorded in the UK. The deposit of a foreign
certificate does not ‘recognise’ the marriage as a valid one. The
validity in UK law of a marriage or civil partnership contracted in a foreign
country is in no way affected by its having been, or not having been, recorded
in the UK.
If customers have deposited their certificate before
this service ends on 1 January 2014, they will still be able to obtain a copy
from the relevant GRO, for a fee. Details on how to do this are available
on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate
What advice can we give to customers about safe
storage of their marriage certificate?
Suggestions can include asking their solicitor to hold
a copy; storing the certificate in a bank safety deposit box; keeping the
certificate in a locked fire-resistant safe; keeping a scanned copy and digital
back up in a separate location.
It should also be noted that couples who married in
Italy will normally be able to obtain a copy of their marriage certificate
directly from the Comune.
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