Acknowledgement of maternity or paternity of a child usually results from the foreign birth certificate to be registered in Italy. It may also be contained, however, in a separate deed, drawn up after the birth, with the local Civil Registrar or a notary public.
To be valid in Italy, the acknowledgement made abroad – in accordance with the local legislation – shall comply with the terms and conditions laid down by the Italian legal system (Article 250 et seq. of the Civil Code) and shall be contained in a deed duly legalised and translated into Italian (see the section Translation and Legalisation of Documents).
If the foreign acknowledgement, resulting from the birth certificate or from a separate deed, does not comply with the requirements laid down by the aforementioned regulations, the acknowledgement of maternity or paternity of a child shall be made at the competent Consular Office with an ad hoc report that shall supplement the birth certificate to be registered.
Acknowledgement of maternity or paternity of a child may also result from a foreign judgment which, if it meets the requirements of Law No. 218/1995, may be recognised in Italy.
Shall the acknowledgement be made by only one parent, the other parent may acknoledge the paternity with a declaration made to the local Civil Registrar upon consent of the parent who did it first.