Getting married in Italy as a Belgian couple
The formalities that actually apply to a Belgian couple, where and when to marry, what it costs, and the Belgian vendors who travel abroad.
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The formalities that actually apply to a Belgian couple, where and when to marry, what it costs, and the Belgian vendors who travel abroad.
Saying yes in Italy can be a real marriage, or a beautiful party with no legal value. It all depends on the option you choose. And almost everything you read online is written for French or Dutch couples, whose paperwork is not the same as yours. Here is what applies to a Belgian couple, checked against official Belgian and Italian sources.
All three take place in Italy. Only the first two count as a marriage in the eyes of the law.
Conducted by the municipal registrar, at the town hall or at a venue the municipality has designated for weddings. You need a certificate from the Belgian consulate in Rome.
A Catholic wedding celebrated in church that also counts as a civil marriage. This is known as a concordat marriage. It combines the paperwork from your parish with the Italian municipality's formalities.
In a villa, a garden or on a beach, with the celebrant of your choice. It does not legally marry you: you have your civil wedding in Belgium, before or after. It is the most popular option with foreign couples in Italy.
For two Belgians living in Belgium. If one of you is Italian, read the section on Italian-Belgian couples further down as well.
Fees published by the Embassy of Belgium in Italy and by the municipalities, checked on 28 September 2026. They change: get them confirmed in writing before you book.
The marriage is valid as soon as it is celebrated. These steps make sure Belgium knows about it.
Many families from Wallonia, Brussels and Limburg go back to their village of origin for the wedding. The rules are not the same as for two Belgians.
Some municipalities offer a reduced fee when one of you is Italian. In Florence, the Sala Rossa drops from
Tuscany is still the most popular region with foreign couples. Beyond that, it depends on the atmosphere you are after, and on flights.
From Charleroi, you can fly to
Some routes only run in season: check yours for your date before you send the save-the-date.
Foreign couples spent an average of
For a wedding abroad, guests usually pay for their own travel and accommodation. The couple covers the ceremony, the meal, the drinks, and often a dinner the night before or a brunch the day after. A weekend of two or three nights is the norm.
These ranges are benchmarks published by Italian professionals, not measured averages. The
The wewed budget splits your total, tracks deposits and shows you what is left. Handy when the quotes arrive in Italian.
Professionals' lead times, cross-checked with the administrative deadlines.
Anything that relies on rapport and language: the photographer, the videographer, the celebrant for the secular ceremony, hair and make-up if they matter to you. Ask for a quote that includes flights, two or three nights there and the travel days.
A Belgian celebrant can only perform a symbolic ceremony. The legal marriage takes place before the Italian registrar or in Belgium.
Anything heavy, perishable or imposed by the venue: the caterer, the flowers, equipment hire. Many estates insist on their own suppliers: ask before you sign. Also ask how late music can play outdoors, as the municipality sets the rule.
They have stated on their listing that they travel outside Belgium. Mention Italy and the region of the wedding in your request, and ask about travel costs.
Yes, if it is an Italian civil wedding or a religious wedding with civil effects. You then report it to your Belgian municipality. A symbolic ceremony, on the other hand, does not legally marry you: you then need a civil wedding in Belgium.
From the Consulate General of Belgium in Rome, by email, by post or in person. Your Belgian municipality does not issue it: it only provides the National Register extract, which you can also download yourself.
Not for two Belgians who do not live in Italy: a declaration before the registrar, a few days before the wedding, takes their place. If one of you is Italian, banns are compulsory.
No apostille: the Belgian certificate is exempt from it in Italy, and the Italian marriage certificate does not need one in Belgium, where the multilingual extract also saves you a translation. On the Italian side, however, the municipality may ask for a translation of the Belgian certificate: the consulate does it for
Only if the municipality has designated that venue for its weddings. Otherwise, the ceremony at the villa is symbolic and the legal marriage takes place at the town hall or in Belgium.
No. The consulate hands it to you in person or sends it to you by registered post, never to a third party or to the Italian municipality.
Italy does not perform same-sex marriages, only civil unions. The simplest route is a civil wedding in Belgium, then a symbolic ceremony in Italy.
Sources: Embassy of Belgium in Italy, FPS Foreign Affairs, Italian consulates general in Charleroi and Brussels, Italian Ministry of the Interior, the municipalities of Florence, Rome, Ravello, Amalfi and San Casciano, the Destination Wedding in Italy observatory, SIAE. Checked on 28 September 2026. This page is for information only: it does not replace the consulate or your municipality.
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