Foreign notarial document for use in Italy: Apostille and sworn translation
Powers of attorney, deeds and foreign notarial acts for Italy: when Apostille is needed, when legalisation, and how the file is translated.
October 12, 2026 · 2 min
A foreign notarial document for use in Italy — power of attorney, deed, declaration, corporate notarial act — is usually a public document: notary’s signature, seal, often many pages of powers and annexes. This guide covers documentary formalities, not the bargain in the deed.
The most detailed example already on the site is the Spanish notarial power of attorney. Here the theme is broader.
Note
ItaloDocs is a private service specialised in sworn translations. If you already hold the foreign notarial act, we can prepare the sworn translation. Drafting the deed and any foreign Apostille remain with the competent channels.
Which foreign notarial acts arrive in Italy
- powers of attorney;
- deeds of disposal;
- sworn declarations or notarial affidavits;
- authenticated corporate acts;
- agreements received in notarial form.
Articles of association may be a notarial act in some countries and a private document in others: articles and incorporation documents. A judgment is not a notarial act: foreign judgment.
Apostille or legalisation: country, document, convention
| Context | Typical formality |
|---|---|
| State party to the Hague Convention — status table | Apostille of the designated domestic authority (in Spain, as a rule the Colegio Notarial on a power of attorney) |
| Non-party State | Legalisation by the Italian diplomatic-consular post, MAECI |
| Some EU public documents under Regulation 2016/1191 | No Apostille for those categories; a notarial deed does not fall in automatically merely because it is ‘European’ |
Do you have a multi-page notarial file? Send all the documents to request a quote.
FAQ
Must every foreign notarial act be apostilled?
No. It depends on the country, the type of act, the recipient and EU or bilateral conventions.
Can I have the act translated in Italy?
Yes, in sworn form, on the specimen the Italian notary accepts. Some offices want consular conformity instead. Ask whoever will receive the act.
