Self-certification, sworn statements, authentication and delegation (english)

• Italian or European Union (EU) citizens;
• legal entities, companies, public authorities and agencies, committees and associations legally registered in Italy or in another EU country;
• non-EU citizens who have a permit to stay in Italy, but only for information that Italian public authorities can check;
• non-EU citizens in legal cases where Italy has a relevant convention with their country of origin.

Special cases: minors – legally incapacitated people – people under care

• minors (children): those with parental responsibility for them can certify for them;
• legally incapacitated people: their legal guardian can certify for them;
• people under care (partially incapacitated adults) and emancipated minors (children who are legally considered adults)can certify for them, assisted by their guardian;
• those physically incapable of signing must make their declaration before a public official
• those temporarily incapacitated for health reasons:the declaration may be made for them before a public official by their spouse or, in their absence, by their children, or in the children’s absence, by a direct relation (parent, grandparent, etc.) or collateral relation (cousin, nephew, aunt, etc.) up to the third degree.

Sanctions

In case of false statements, the citizen shall be liable to the penalties provided for by the Italian Penal Code and shall lose any benefits. Public Administration officers are obliged to carry out random checks to verify the authenticity of the statements made by the applicant. Therefore, you must complete the document accurately: for example, the names must match exactly those indicated in your ID or passport and cannot be changed or shortened.

Self-declarations in place of sworn statements

You can declare facts, statuses and personal attributes about yourself that are not listed as self-certifiable information (under article 46 of Presidential Decree no. 445/2000) using a self-declaration in place of a sworn statement.
You can also declare facts, statuses and personal attributes about other people, as long as you know them personally and you have a personal interest in making the declaration. A self-declaration in place of a sworn statement cannot ever be used as an indication of wishes, a statement of intent, or a means of appointing a third party (e.g. for powers of attorney, acceptance or refusal or appointments, or final settlements).
Your signature must be authenticated by a public official, if the declaration needs to be submitted to a private individual or if money paid by public authorities needs to be collected. For the authentication, you must sign in front of the public official and  bring a € 16,00 revenue stamp (marca da bollo).
If the declaration is for a public authority, then the signature does not need to be authenticated. Just attach a photocopy of the identity document of the person who has signed. 

Delegation is the task given to a person (delegate) to collect pensions, collect certificates and documents, etc. at other institutions. It is distinguished from a power of attorney which is a decision-making task conferred by one person to another, who acts in the name and on behalf of the person who gave him the power of attorney.

The signature placed by the latter at the bottom of the power of attorney cannot in any case be authenticated by the municipal official.

To authenticate the signature at the bottom of a delegation, it is necessary to go to the Registry office with an identity document and a 16 euro tax stamp ( in the event that a specific reason for exemption is not provided for by law).

In the event that the person interested in the authentication is unable to physically go to the counter, in the sense that he cannot be accompanied in any way due to a serious pathology that forces him to be immobile and the authentication is urgent or in any case not possible wait for the period of possible temporary disability, the collection of the signature can be carried out by a Local Police officer at home. 

Authenticating copies and documents to submit to public authorities

You can ask a responsible official to check that the copies are true reflections of the originals.

Only copies of original documents can be authenticated.
To authenticate a copy of an original electronic document, you will need to show the electronic file, so that the official can see that it has a time stamp and a valid digital signature. Only if the file meets these requirements can the official print the document and authenticate it.
You may have to pay stamp duty, depending on how the document is to be used (for exemptions, see table B annexed to Presidential Decree no. 642/1972).
You can use a self-declaration in place of a sworn statement for the following documents:

• records and documents kept or issued by a government office;
• copies of publications;
• educational qualifications;
• tax documents that private individuals must keep by law.

You cannot use a self-declaration or other substitute for the following:

• medical certificates;
• health certificates;
• veterinary certificates;
• certificates of origin;
• EC certificates of conformity;
• certificates for trademarks or patents.

You can self-certify the following

(Under article 46 of Presidential Decree no. 445/00)

• date and place of birth;
• residence;
• citizenship;
• family status;
• marital status (single, married, widowed or divorced);
• certificate of life (esistenza in vita – that you are still alive);birth of children;
• death of a spouse, ascendant (parent, grandparent, etc.) or descendant (child, grandchild, etc.);
• inclusion on official public registers or lists;
• membership of professional bodies;
• educational qualifications and examinations passed;
• professional/specialist/technical training, certification and qualifications;
• income and financial situation (e.g. to assess entitlement to any benefits under special laws);
• payment of specific taxes and social-security contributions, stating the amount paid;
• tax code (codice fiscale), VAT number (partita IVA) and any other information held at the tax office;
• unemployment;
• pensioner status and type of pension;
• student status;
• status as legal representative of people or legal entities, as a guardian, carer, etc.;
• membership of associations or social groups of any kind;
• anything about military-service obligations, as documented in the service record book (foglio matricolare) and otherwise;
• absence of criminal or civil convictions, preventive or restrictive measures (seizure of assets, deportation, etc.), or administrative penalties registered at the criminal records office (casellario giudiziale) by law;
• absence of criminal charges, to the best of your knowledge;
• status as dependent on another person;
• all the information that you are aware of in the Registry of marriages;
• that you are not bankrupt or subject to winding up, and you have not requested arrangements with creditors.

How to do it

Self-declarations must be signed by the citizen concerned. The signature does not need to be authenticated, nor is the declarant’s identity document required.
Self-certifications can be submitted to the public authorities by someone else, or they can be sent by fax or email. Emailed self-certifications are valid only if accompanied by a digital signature.

Self-declarations in place of certificates:

• are exempt from stamp duty;
• have the same validity and legal effect as the certificate that they replace;
• can be used with public authorities, operators of public services, and with those private bodies that accept them.

Public authorities and operators of public services must never ask you for certificates in place of self-certification. The only exceptions are that: the law courts do not have to accept self-certificates; and self-certification is not accepted in the Italian citizenship application process.
For various reasons, you may be unable to provide a self-certification. If so, you can simply ask the relevant official bodies to automatically obtain the documents that they need for a particular procedure from the bodies that keep them.
If you make a false statement, then you may be committing a criminal offence. You could face criminal penalties, and you would lose any benefit that you had gained. The public authorities have to make random checks to see if the statements that you and other citizens make are true. So you must complete the document carefully. For example, the names given must match those on the corresponding identity cards or passports, spelled correctly and written in full.
Since the “Stability law” (Law no. 183/2011) came into force on 1 January 2012, public offices can no longer issue certificates to show to other public authorities and private operators of public services (under article 40 of Presidential Decree no. 445/2000). So the municipal Registry office can now issue certificates for private use only.

On-line self-certification

By accessing To Portale ANPR https://www.anagrafenazionale.interno.it/you can view your personal data and print the pre-completed form for self-certification.
To access the service, you must register with Spid.