Is it true that married couples are issued documents under different surnames when obtaining Italian citizenship? The husband with his surname, and the wife with her maiden name? I can’t find exact information anywhere — has anyone encountered this?
Detailed analysis of the topic: Permanent residence in Italy 2026: from a temporary residence permit (ВНЖ) to an indefinite permesso (пермессо) and citizenship
Italian citizenship is issued under the surname listed on the birth certificate — that’s how the Italian system works. So the husband gets his, the wife gets hers (her maiden name). And one more thing that surprises many: if you use your husband’s surname in Italy, Italians will readily take you for brother and sister or father and daughter, depending on the age difference. For them, the same surname means relatives, not a couple.
Thanks — the bit about the birth certificate is clear now. And I didn’t even know they’d accept a brother and sister, that’s kind of funny. So there’s really no way to register a double surname either?
Double surnames aren’t used in Italy — the system simply doesn’t provide for them.
By the way, the Italian document system is kind of quirky. Once they refused our marriage certificate — said it was too old and told us to bring a newer one. It turns out they treat it like an ordinary certificate with a limited validity period, even though in Russia it’s valid indefinitely. So if you’re going to submit anything important, get a duplicate as close to the submission date as possible.
They put my maiden name in the system as well, even though I’ve been married for several years.
An apostille for the birth certificate is mandatory, without it they won’t even look at it at the questura (квестура).
My husband and I also have different last names on our documents — I have my maiden name on all of mine.
Logically you can’t take your husband’s full last name — you can only add it to your own, making a double surname. But if someone has already arrived married with their own surname in their passport, no one is forcing them to redo their documents to comply with local rules. On the codice fiscale they’ll record what’s on the birth certificate, and that’s it.