In order to be valid in Italy, the deeds and documents issued by the Somali Authorities must possess two requirements:
- Be properly legalized;
- Be accompanied by a translation into Italian (except those drawn up on multilingual models provided for by international conventions).
For the above services it is possible to book an appointment with the Italian Embassy in Mogadishu through the platform Prenotami.
The delivery times for the requested documentation vary from a minimum of 15 to a maximum of 30 days from the delivery of the documents to be legalized and/or translated.
1. Legalization
What is it about?
Legalization makes certificates issued by Somali authorities valid for use in the Italian legal system.
Somalia is not a party to the Convention abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents (adopted in The Hague on 5 October 1961): therefore, it is necessary for each document to be legalized by the Italian Embassy in Mogadishu.
What documents do I need to submit?
To proceed with the legalization, the applicant must present themselves at the Consular Office of the Italian Embassy in Mogadishu, equipped with:
- original document to be legalized, validated by the competent Ministry and legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Somalia;
- translation of the document into Italian (see below, point 2 “Translation of documents”).
Special cases:
1. in case of request for legalization of the divorce certificate, it will be necessary to present:
- original divorce certificate, validated by the Ministry Justice and legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Somalia;
- previous marriage certificate, in original, validated by the Ministry of Justice and legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Somalia;
- translation into Italian of the two certificates (see below, point 2 “Translation of documents”);
- copy of documents of both spouses.
2. If the interested party is not resident in the office, they can delegate another person, in written form, to present and collect the document. To this end, on the day of the appointment, the delegated person must present themselves at the Consular Office of the Embassy in Mogadishu with the following documentation:
- written and signed delegation from the applicant, indicating all their contact details (residential address, telephone number, email);
- copy of the identification documents of the delegate and the delegate;
- original document to be legalized, validated by the competent Ministry and legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Somalia;
- translation of the document into Italian (see below, point 2 “Translation of documents”).
How much does the service cost?
Legalization is subject to the payment of the fees established by the Consular Price List currently in force (available here):
- Legalization of civil status documents (e.g. birth, marriage, divorce, death certificate): art. 7;
- Legalization of documents other than those of civil status and notarial (e.g. declaration of maternity/paternity; mandate of representation for marriage, etc.): art. 69;
- Transmission of civil status documents of Italian citizens for transcription at Italian Municipalities: free of charge.
2. Translation of documents
What is it about?
The Italian Embassy in Mogadishu does not directly carry out translations, but certifies the conformity of translations carried out by third parties to the original. The translations will thus bear the stamp “for compliant translation”.
It is not mandatory that translations are carried out by official translators. In order to obtain the certificate of conformity, it is sufficient that the translation is carried out in a professional manner. To this end, the translation must be:
- performed directly in Italian by the language in which the original document is written;
- complete: must contain all the text present in the original document, without omissions, with dates entered in “Italian” mode (day/month/year);
- compliant: no summaries or interpretations are allowed;
- typewritten: handwritten translations are not accepted.
In the dedicated section (“Reference translators”) you can find a list of names and contact details of some reference professionals that you can use in case of need, without prejudice of course to the possibility of contacting other professionals you trust.
What documents do I need to submit?
In order to obtain the certificate of conformity of the translation, the applicant must present themselves at the Consular Office of the Italian Embassy in Mogadishu equipped with:
- Original document in a foreign language;
- Translation of the document into Italian.
If the interested party is not resident in the Country, they can delegate another person, in written form, to present and collect the document. To this end, on the day of the appointment, the delegated person must present themselves at the Consular Office of the Embassy in Mogadishu with the following documentation:
- written and signed delegation from the applicant, indicating all their contact details (residential address, telephone number, email);
- copy of the identification documents of the delegate and the delegate;
- original document in a foreign language;
- translation of the document into Italian.
How much does the service cost?
Compliant translations are subject to the payment of the fees established by the Consular Price List currently in force (available here):
- Certification of conformity to the original of a translation into Italian not carried out by the Consular Office: art. 72A;
- Certification of conformity to the original of a translation into Italian not carried out by the Consular Office, for transcription purposes at Italian Municipalities: free of charge.