Civil status concerns the set of events, facts or expressions of will inherent in a citizen’s life: birth, marriage, civil partnership, death, divorce, citizenship. The registration of these events and facts falls within the competence of the Civil Registrar, whose functions are carried out in Italy by local Authorities (Comuni).
Italian citizens are required to notify all changes in their civil status (by providing the relevant documents or official records) that occur during their stay abroad to the competent Consular Office for the place where the event took place. It is essential that any change in the legal status of an Italian national or their family in Lebanon to be communicated to Italy — and vice versa.
It is important to note that in Lebanon, family law (such as marriage, divorce, filiation, inheritance) differs depending on each individual’s religion/sect. The Lebanese State officially recognizes 18 religious sects. Therefore, the applicable law and the competent court depend on the religion of the individual and their family.
In order to transmit the below-mentioned certificates to the competent municipalities (Comuni) in Italy, one must submit to the Consular Office the original document issued by the competent Lebanese Civil Status Office, accompanied by a translation into Italian made by an official translator, and legalized by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
All civil status certificates issued by local authorities must be submitted in original form, and, where required, legalized and translated into Italian, in order to be forwarded by the consulates to the competent municipalities (Comuni).
Requests for transmission can be processed by appointment only, which must be booked through the online platform prenot@mi.