AttoItalian words
Plain English first, Italian on forms second. These are research and paperwork words you will see on Antenati, comune requests, and consulate checklists — not legal advice, and not a guarantee of what any office will accept.
Atto / atti
English: civil record, act, register entry.
An official civil register entry — birth, marriage, or death — kept by the comune. Not a parish baptism book. When someone asks for “the birth act,” they usually mean the civil atto di nascita, not a church certificate.
Comune
English: municipality, town hall.
The local government that holds modern civil registers for its territory. For filing-grade copies you often write to the comune where the event was registered, not to a regional archive website.
Frazione
English: hamlet, outlying district.
A smaller place name inside a comune. Your ancestor may say they were “from” a frazione, but civil records are filed under the parent comune. Search and requests usually need the comune name, not only the hamlet.
Copia integrale
English: full certified copy of the act.
The complete text of the civil register entry, issued by the comune (or competent office) for official use. This is filing-grade paperwork. A research scan on Antenati is not a copia integrale. See Italy records.
Estratto
English: extract, abstract.
A shorter summary of facts from a register. Some offices issue an estratto per riassunto. Many consulate checklists ask for a full copia integrale, not only an extract — but rules vary by venue and year. Atto tracks what you have; it does not decide eligibility.
Nati / Matrimoni / Morti
English: births / marriages / deaths.
Record types on Antenati’s search-registry. Start with Nati when you have a birth year. Switch to Matrimoni or Morti when chasing a marriage or death instead. See Italy records.
Località
English: place, locality.
The place field on Antenati search forms. Enter the comune name when you know it. If results are empty, try spelling variants or a nearby year — civil registration moved town to town over time.
Tipologia
English: record type.
The filter on Antenati for Nati, Matrimoni, or Morti. Atto’s find plan pre-fills this when it can infer the event you are looking for.
Apostille
English: apostille (same word).
An international authentication stamp on vital records from countries in the Hague Apostille Convention — including US birth and marriage certificates before they are used in Italy. You obtain it from the issuing US state (or competent authority), not from Atto.
Prenot@Mi
English: consular appointment booking system.
Online scheduling used by many Italian consulates. You book and attend as yourself. Atto never logs in, never holds a slot, and never files on your behalf.
Codice fiscale
English: Italian tax ID number.
A personal identifier used on Italian forms and some comune requests. It is sensitive — treat it like an SSN in how you store and share it. Do not post it in Discord or support tickets; email only when support asks for a secure next step.
Asseverata / traduzione asseverata
English: sworn translation (Italy).
A translation certified before an Italian court (CTU) or other competent authority in Italy — common for comune or judicial tracks. Consulates sometimes want a different translation format (traduzione certificata). Venue rules differ; Atto’s citizenship checklist is a tracker, not legal advice.
Where to use these words
- Italy records (Antenati) — search-registry deep links and archive vs comune copies.
- US hometown ladder — Ellis, naturalization, and federal records before you order Italian copies.
- Getting started — your first find plan and approval on the desktop kit.