Married in Italy documents are in Italian

[dsantos1]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California
Hello,
My father was interested in renewing his vows with my mom because all the documentation they have from their marriage is in Italian. I don't know type of documentation they would receive (if any) once they renewed their vows however I wasn't sure if this is necessary or what will come out of him renewing his vows. My father asked me to look into this because he is 75 years old and was diagnosed with a cancerous mass in his stomach which has fortunately not been fatal so far (it's been aprox 3 yrs) but he is afraid if something happens to him my mom might be stuck in a bad situation. My mom can speak and understand english but since they got married in Italy over 46 yrs ago my dad is just scared if he's gone that something bad might happen with my mom being alone. My dad was in the Military so he is a US Citizen, my mom on the other hand was born and raised in Italy and has never applied for US Citizenship since they've been here in the states. She has a green card and is currently getting social security because of her age but they (mom & dad) don't have a will/trust or anything drawn up in the event that something happens to either one of them. Can you tell me what should be done in a case like this? Thank you for your time and assistance with this. Donna Santos

 

[proud_parent]

A renewal of vows is typically done for strictly personal reasons. Some officiants do not even require proof of marriage before performing a renewal ceremony. Some provide a certficate of renewal, but this is intended as a commemorative / keepsake.

If your parents were legally married in Italy, their marriage is recognized in the U.S. if an "apostille" was attached to their marriage documents. For a description of "apostille", read here:
http://travel.state.gov/law/info/judicial/judicial_2545.html

In the likely event that the marriage is already recognized under the Hague convention, renewing vows here in the U.S. will not provide any additional legal benefit.

I would therefore suggest that you post your other questions to the Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning forum: https://forum.freeadvice.com/forumdisplay.php?f=113

Oh, and find someone who speaks Italian to translate your parents' existing marriage certificate -- for their peace of mind, if for no other reason.

 

[LdiJ]

A renewal of vows is typically done for strictly personal reasons. Some officiants do not even require proof of marriage before performing a renewal ceremony. Some provide a certficate of renewal, but this is intended as a commemorative / keepsake.

If your parents were legally married in Italy, their marriage is recognized in the U.S. if an "apostille" was attached to their marriage documents. For a description of "apostille", read here:
http://travel.state.gov/law/info/judicial/judicial_2545.html

In the likely event that the marriage is already recognized under the Hague convention, renewing vows here in the U.S. will not provide any additional legal benefit.

I would therefore suggest that you post your other questions to the Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning forum: https://forum.freeadvice.com/forumdisplay.php?f=113

Oh, and find someone who speaks Italian to translate your parents' existing marriage certificate -- for their peace of mind, if for no other reason.

Since they were married in Italy, and immigrated to the US, I guarantee that their marriage was ruled as valid by the then INS. Otherwise mom wouldn't have a green card and be collecting social security.