Italian document types

When you order a vital record from Italy, the exact type of document matters. Atto, estratto, certificato, and copia integrale are not interchangeable, and which one an office wants depends on what you are proving. This is a plain-English glossary, not legal advice, and not a promise of what any comune or consulate will accept for your case.

Atto di nascita

English: birth act / civil birth record.

The full entry in the civil register recording a birth — child, parents, date, and place. It is the record your research points to when you find the entry on Antenati. When you order it officially, you usually ask for a copia integrale of the atto di nascita, not the scan.

Estratto

English: extract / abstract.

A summary of selected facts from the register entry — often an estratto per riassunto — rather than the full text. Useful when only certain details are needed, but many consulate checklists specifically ask for the full copia integrale. When in doubt, confirm the form before you pay.

Certificato

English: certificate.

A certificate states a fact — that a birth, marriage, or death is recorded — without reproducing the whole act. It is a short-form statement, often used for everyday purposes. It is not the same as a copia integrale and usually does not satisfy a request that names the full act.

Copia integrale

English: full certified copy of the act.

The complete text of the register entry, issued with a signature and date for official use. This is the filing-grade document. It is not the free Antenati scan — see Copia integrale vs Antenati scan.

Which to order

First identify the act with a research scan (Antenati) so you know the comune, year, and register.
Then order the form your venue names — usually the copia integrale for citizenship packets.
Track Identified → Ordered → Received so you do not request the same act twice or miss an apostille or translation.

Atto categorizes the documents in your vault so you can see which are research scans, which are issued copies, and which are still pending. It does not order them and does not advise which form is correct for you.

Marriage and death acts

The same naming applies beyond births. A atto di matrimonio is the civil marriage entry, an atto di morte is the death entry, and each can be requested as a copia integrale or an estratto. When a consulate asks for a marriage act, it usually wants the full entry rather than a certificate, so you can prove the marriage date and the spouses’ details together.

For citizenship papers, the individual records are only part of it: you also assemble US certificates (birth, marriage) and sometimes a naturalization record. Those go through apostille and translation before they are used in Italy. Atto keeps the Italian and US documents in one steady checklist so nothing is mistaken for a scan you already found online.

Issues and apostilles

An Italian civil copy usually needs an apostille from the competent Italian authority before another country will use it, plus a sworn or certified translation when the destination does not read Italian. US records used in Italy follow the same idea in reverse — the US state issues the apostille.

Rules vary by venue and by the individual case. Atto does not tell you which documents your case needs, does not obtain apostilles, and is not a law firm. It only files and tracks what you already have so you can see the missing piece.