Once a baby born, it is compulsory to register the birth at the local Comune (Servizi Anagrafici), to record the newborn, as well as to provide him/her legal rights
How to register a newborn
There are two ways to register your newborn
- If you have already chosen the baby’s name, you can register him/here at the hospital within three days from the birth. The Hospital’s administration will inform the Comune where the baby was born;
- In case of delay, or if you haven’t picked the name yet, you can register the baby at the local Comune within 10 days.
You can register your baby at the Comune where the baby is born or where the parents reside, in any case the baby will be registered in the Comune where the mother took up the residency.
The registration can be undertaken by any of the parents, and it is quite a straightforward process, especially if you do it at the hospital.
The certificate of birth will then include the baby’s full name, the date and place of birth, and the parents identity.
Baby names rules
Italy has strict rules in regards to baby names. Let’s look at them:
- The baby cannot have more than three names
- The baby cannot have the same name of the father, or any of the siblings
- The name should not ridicule the baby
- No different sex name
- Italian citizens can only use Italian alphabet letters (adding J, K, W, X, Y)
This provides certain limitations in regards to your baby names, however if you are foreigner the above mentioned rules might not apply.
The baby will adopt the father’s last name; it is also possible to add the mother’s last name. The only stance in which the baby can adopt exclusively the mother’s last name is in case the father is unknown.
Get your baby a Codice Fiscale
Once your baby is born he/she has the right to obtain a Codice Fiscale, and to be identified for tax purposes by the financial administration.
The local Comune normally requests the Codice Fiscale on behalf of the parents, and the Tessera Sanitaria (including the Codice Fiscale) is delivered to the parent’s home within 30 days from the birth.
The Tessera Sanitaria is normally valid for one year, and subsequently it is renewed for further 6 years.
In certain areas, the Comune does not provide such service, therefore any parent needs to apply to the local tax office to request a Codice Fiscale by providing the birth certificate. Unfortunately there is no way to undertake this process remotely or online, you have to show up to the tax office in person.
Newborn and citizenship
Italy does not have a ius soli law, therefore if a baby is born in the Italian territory he/she is not granted Italian citizenship, on the contrary the baby will follow the parent’s citizenship.
In case the parents are not Italian, the local Comune checks if they reside in Italy.
If you are in Italy on a VISA, you must extend it to your newborn by adding him/her as a dependent.
