Having a Baby in Italy: Pregnancy & Birth

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Having a Baby in Italy: Pregnancy & Birth

This page exists to serve as a guide through the legislation and administrative details of having a baby in Italy. 

Antenatal Medical Examinations

As soon as a woman thinks she is pregnant, she should visit a gynaecologist for urine tests and confirmation of pregnancy.

In Italy pregnant women are entitled to the following examinations free of charge:

• blood tests (including tests for toxoplasmosis) 
• three echographies (ultrasound scans) during the course of the pregnancy
• a tri-test (A tri test is a test done at approximately the fifteenth week to check the possibility of the baby having Down's Syndrome. If the test comes back positive then an amniocentesis is highly recommended.)

It is highly recommended that women over the age of 35 have an amniocentesis. All the medical examinations linked to pregnancy, done before, during or after the birth, are free of charge.

Before the pregnancy, it is also advisable for the father to have a general medical examination and run blood tests (not free of charge).

Pre-declaration of the baby

If the parents are not married, or if the mother is legally separated from her husband, the baby can be registered before the birth.

The Delivery

The parents will decide, in agreement with the gynaecologist, where they want the delivery to take place.

The services offered by maternity hospitals vary and depend on the facilities available. These services include conventional (and sometimes water) delivery, prenatal classes, yoga, etc.

During delivery the mother is entitled to have the father (or any other person of her choice) with her.

Documents

Birth Declaration & Certificate

Once the baby is born, it is compulsory to declare the birth at the Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths (Registro Communale dello Stato Civile).

The Birth Declaration (Dichiarazione di nascità) is made orally, without witnesses, within three days if done in the hospital, and within ten days if done in the town hall.

This declaration of birth can be made by either one of the parents, a person to whom the parents have given proxy, a doctor, an obstetrician or any other person present during the delivery.

This declaration can be carried out at:

• the maternity hospital where the baby is born, in which case it is issued by the Medical Director
• the town hall of the city where the baby is born
• the town hall of the city where the parents live, if it is different from the place where the baby was born
• the city of residence of the mother, if the parents live in two different places
• the city of residence of the father, if the parents live in two different places and if they agree

A Public Officer (Ufficiale di Stato Civile) will oversee the issuing of the Birth Certificate at the town hall.

Documents

Carta Bianca: The Carta Bianca is a document for children under the age of 15, which allows them to travel abroad, and provides an alternative to registering the child onto one of the parents' passport.

Codice Fiscale: A fiscal number or tax code (Codice Fiscale) must be allocated to each person in Italy, in order to identify each citizen in their relation with the public administration and state. Once the baby is born, the birth certificate must be made available to the local tax office (Ufficio Locale dell'Agenzia delle Entrate) to issue this number. This process can also be done in the town hall.

Servizio Sanitario Nazionale: The baby must also be registered with the medical services department (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale) and this may be done by contacting the local medical section, the A.S.L. (Servizio Sanitario Locale).

• To find the nearest office: Click here 

Registration of babies born to foreigners in Italy

A baby born in Italy to two foreign parents does not get Italian nationality. However if one of the parents is Italian the baby is granted Italian nationality.

Once the birth has been registered at the town hall, parents will need to contact their nation's consulate or embassy in Italy and comply with the procedures required.

Health and Vaccinations

Italy follows the recommendations provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding infant vaccinations, and advises that they should be inoculated against various diseases.

Some of the vaccinations are compulsory:

• from the third month, the baby must be inoculated against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza B, with three doses in the first year (at three, five and eleven months) and booster injections later on
• Around 11 to 15 months, the baby must be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (German measles)

All the vaccinations are recorded in a book, the libretto individuale, of the baby. This book, provided by the hospital at the birth of the child, gives information about the time of the birth, the weight of the baby and holds other important records.

The vaccination book is very important in Italy and must be kept safely as it will be needed by the doctor, hospital, emergency services and schools.

Facilities and Allowances for Parents

Baby Bonus

According to the Financial Law 2006 (Legge Finanziaria 2006), parents may benefit from a baby bonus (bonus bebe) which is an amount of money paid by cheque to any baby born or adopted in 2005 or 2006.

The local fiscal office (Anagrafe Tributaria) allocates the cheque.

• For more information
  Hotline Tel: 800 863 223  (Numero Verde) 
  Tel: 0650 724 073

Maternity Indemnity

Mothers are entitled to 80 percent of their average daily wage during maternity leave. The compulsory maternity leave in Italy covers a period of five months maximum; usually the mother leaves work two months before the birth of her child and returns within three months after the birth. It is also possible to leave work one month before the birth and then take up to four months once the baby is born.

Maternity leave can be extended up to 11 months between the two parents, to be taken within the first eight years of the child's life. This indemnity also applies to parents adopting a child (for three months as from the date of adoption for children under six years) and also applies to the father. 

During the first year after birth, the law protects the rights of the mother at work, who may be reinstated in her previous job any time within that period.

To claim Italian maternity benefits an application must be made at the local INPS (Instituto Nazionale Previdenza Sociale) office. A medical certificate confirming the pregnancy is required and a statement from the employer stating that the woman has stopped work due to pregnancy.

After the birth it is necessary to provide the INPS with the child's birth certificate and a certificate of family status (certificato di stato di famiglia) available from the registry office (ufficio anagrafe).

Parental leave

Within the first eight years of the child's life, either of the parents may take parental leave, up to a maximum of 11 months altogether for both parents. In the case of adoption, the parents also have the right to take parental leave (the conditions then depend on the age of the child adopted). The salary paid for parental leave corresponds to 30 percent of the average daily wage.

Special rest

In the first year after the birth of the child, the mother is entitled to take two hours rest a day, for a working day of six hours or more, and one hour's rest a day for a working day of less than six hours. This facility also applies in the case of an adoption.

Child sickness

On presentation of a medical certificate, the parents have the right to take leave from work to attend to their sick child. The parents may take:

• up to five working days per year for a child aged between three and eight years old
• an unlimited number of days if the child is under three

Children with a handicap

Parents of a severely handicapped child may benefit from an extension of the parental leave or, alternatively, may take one or two paid hours off work per day, until the child is three years old. For children above three years of age, they are entitled to three days per month off work.

From January 2001, the law states that parents who need to look after their handicapped child can take up to a maximum of two years leave. This can be taken at various times.

Specific financial help

The Ministry of Work and Social Affairs (Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali) may provide financial help (Assegno di Maternità) to families in financial difficulties, jobless parents, and families with more than three children aged under 18 years, provided that the annual income of the family doesn't exceed a certain amount.

Relevant oganisations and professionals

Midwives

• See website Midwifery Today for links and information
• The Birth Center,
  At: Via Marmorata 169, sc. 3 int. 1, 00153 Rome
  Tel: 06 5758648 / 06 57300707
  Fax: 06 97614698
  e-mail
• Marina Baldocci Obong,
  At: Via Gravina di Puglia 44, 00133 Rome.
  Tel: 06 2050737 / 338 3112339
  Fax: 06 2050737
• Valerie Barchisi
  Tel: 06 5758648 / 06 57300707
  Fax: 06 97614698
• Nascere & Crescere
  Anna Maria Gioacchini
  Tel: 06 77250005 / 329 1644376
  e-mail
  Website (in Italian)

Breastfeeding Information and Counselling 

• M.A.M.I. Movimento Allattamento Materno Italiano
  At: Via Treggiai 11, 50020 Firenze (Romola)
  Tel: 055 2341156
  Fax: 055 39069711
  e-mail
  Website (in Italian)
• La Leche League International
  Tel: 06 5258365 or 06 9511170
  Fax: 06 5258365
  Website
• Ida Santellocco
  At: Via Erodotto 7, 00124 Rome
  Tel: 06 5053229 or 349 3853241
  e-mail
• The Ministry of Health (Ministero della Salute) provides information about breast-feeding: Click here

Adopting a child

Information about adopting a child may be found on the following websites (all in Italian only):

• ANFAA (Associazione Nazionale Famiglie Adottive e Affidatarie)
• Affidare
• Loretobambino
• The Ministero della Giustizia (the Italian Ministry of Justice) offers information on adoption and the law: Click here (in Italian)
• Familex

Fertility treatment 

Information about assisted reproduction may be found by consulting the PMA (Procreazione Medicalmente Assistita, Registro Nazionale) which provides information and counselling for couples about the various fertility treatments. 

• PMA website (in Italian)

Or, the Assisted Conception Taskforce has centres in Italy.

• To find an ACT centre in Italy: Click here

Further Information

• Instituto Nazionale Previdenza Sociale (in Italian)
• Italian Welfare: Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali (in Italian)
• Italian Government: Italia.gov (in Italian)