Digital sworn translation: what changes under Law 182/2025

In short

• Article 39 of Law no. 182 of 2 December 2025, in force since 18 December 2025, rewrote Article 5 of Royal Decree no. 1366 of 1922.
• Sworn translations "may also be drawn up, signed and transmitted digitally", in accordance with the rules of Italy's electronic civil proceedings system (processo civile telematico).
• The digital document must contain the translator's oath and a statement that the translation conforms to the original text; stamp duty is still payable.
• Implementation is under way, court by court: some have already published instructions for electronic filing, others still describe only the oath taken in person at the counter.
• The rule concerns sworn certification (asseverazione) at Italian court registries. It does not govern sworn translations made abroad, which remain subject to the same rules as before.

For a century, "sworn translation" in Italy meant something very specific: the translator goes to the court registry with the document, the translation and the form, takes an oath before the clerk and comes home with a paper file, stamped and covered in revenue stamps (marche da bollo). At the end of 2025, the legislature opened the door to a digital version. It is a genuine change, but one that is rarely discussed, and often misrepresented. In this guide you will find the exact text of the rule, what changes, what does not and the questions still open.

What exactly does Law 182/2025 say?

References

• Law no. 182 of 2 December 2025, "Disposizioni per la semplificazione e la digitalizzazione dei procedimenti in materia di attività economiche e di servizi a favore dei cittadini e delle imprese";
• published in Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 281 of 3 December 2025;
• in force since 18 December 2025;
• Article 39, headed "Disposizioni in materia di traduzioni giurate" (provisions on sworn translations);
• amended provision: Article 5 of Royal Decree no. 1366 of 9 October 1922, "concernente la semplificazione di taluni servizi delle cancellerie e segreterie giudiziarie".

The text before the reform

Until 17 December 2025, Article 5 of the Royal Decree said only: "Gli atti notori e i verbali di giuramento di perizie stragiudiziali, sono ricevuti dal cancelliere, eccettuati i casi nei quali le disposizioni in vigore richieggano che l'atto notorio sia formato davanti al magistrato" (affidavits and records of oaths for out-of-court expert reports are received by the clerk, except where the rules in force require the affidavit to be made before a magistrate). Translations were not even mentioned: in practice they were treated as out-of-court expert reports, sworn at the counter.

The text now in force

Article 39 replaces Article 5 with the following text: "Gli atti notori e i verbali di giuramento di perizia stragiudiziali sono ricevuti dal cancelliere. Le perizie stragiudiziali, ivi comprese le traduzioni giurate, possono altresì essere formate, sottoscritte e trasmesse digitalmente nel rispetto della normativa, anche regolamentare, concernente la sottoscrizione, la trasmissione e la ricezione dei documenti informatici nel processo civile, fermo restando il versamento dell'imposta di bollo e degli altri diritti di cui sia prevista l'esazione, ove dovuti. In tal caso, l'atto contiene il giuramento di avere bene e fedelmente adempiuto le funzioni affidate, allo scopo di far conoscere la verità e, se si tratta di traduzioni giurate, l'attestazione di conformità del testo tradotto al testo in lingua originale". In essence: out-of-court expert reports, including sworn translations, may also be drawn up, signed and transmitted digitally under the rules on electronic documents in civil proceedings, with stamp duty and other fees still payable; the document then contains the oath and, for sworn translations, a statement that the translated text conforms to the original.

What actually changes?

A careful reading of the rule shows four changes.

1. Sworn translations are named for the first time

The new Article 5 states expressly that out-of-court expert reports include sworn translations. This may seem trivial, but it gives a clear textual basis to a practice that until now relied on interpretation.

2. The oath can be made digitally

Alongside the oath at the counter ("received by the clerk"), the law adds an alternative: the translation can be drawn up, signed and transmitted digitally. The word "altresì" (also) is important: the paper route is not abolished, a second route is added.

3. The rules are those of electronic civil proceedings

The law does not create a new platform: it refers to the rules on electronic civil proceedings (signature, transmission and receipt of electronic documents). In practice, anyone who wants to swear a translation digitally must be able to use the tools of electronic proceedings: a digital signature, certified email (PEC) and registration in the justice systems.

4. The oath becomes part of the document

In the digital version there is no record drawn up by the clerk in the translator's presence: the document itself must contain the wording of the oath and, for translations, the statement of conformity with the original text.

How are the courts applying it?

Caution is needed here, because implementation is not uniform and changes from week to week.

The Court of Fermo, for example, has published instructions for electronic filing that expressly cite Article 39 of Law 182/2025. To swear a translation online, the translator must:

• be registered in REGINDE (the register of electronic addresses of the justice system), with a tax code and a PEC address;
• have a digital signature on a device (smart card or USB key);
• use the free SLPCT software to prepare the electronic filing envelope;
• file a single signed PDF containing the document, the translation and the online sworn statement, with scanned revenue stamps (16 euros for every 4 pages or 100 lines), keeping the original stamps for any inspection.

Other courts, however, still describe only the oath at the counter. The instructions of the Court of Cagliari, updated in April 2026, for example, give the office's days and opening hours, a daily maximum of sworn translations per translator and the cost in revenue stamps. So if you need an Italian asseverazione, check the page of the court concerned: that is where you will find out whether electronic filing is already available.

What does not change

• Revenue stamps. The law says so expressly: stamp duty and other fees remain payable. The digital version is not a way of saving on stamps.
• The translator's liability. An oath is still an oath: anyone who makes a false statement is liable for it, digitally just as on paper.
• The apostille for use abroad. A translation sworn in Italy for use abroad may still require an apostille from the Procura della Repubblica (the public prosecutor's office). How this step applies to a digitally signed file depends on the practice of the offices and on the foreign authority receiving it: check case by case. The general rules are in our guide to apostille and sworn translation.
• The rules on foreign documents for use in Italy, which we look at next.

What about sworn translations made abroad?

This is the most important point, and also the one most often oversimplified. Law 182/2025 amends a rule on Italian court registries: it governs how a translator swears a translation before an Italian office. It says nothing about sworn translations made outside Italy, and should not be read as if it applied to them.

For a foreign document to be used in Italy, the applicable rules remain the same as before:

• Article 33 of Presidential Decree (DPR) 445/2000, which requires a translation into Italian "certified as conforming to the foreign text by the competent diplomatic or consular representation, or by an official translator", subject to the exemptions provided by laws or international agreements;
• EU Regulation 2016/1191, under which, for public documents within its scope, a certified translation made by a person qualified under the law of a Member State is accepted in all Member States (Art. 6(2));
• the international conventions on the apostille and on exemption from legalisation.

In other words: the reform modernises the Italian asseverazione, but does not change the other routes already provided for by law to translate a foreign document. What those routes are, and how to tell which one your office requires, is explained in our guide sworn, asseverated, certified or legalised.

What it means for you

If you need to submit a foreign document in Italy

For most procedures (citizenship, residence permit, university, Comune, i.e. the municipality), the authority asks for the document with an apostille or legalisation, where needed, and an official translation. The reform adds no new requirements. The question to ask the office is still the same: which form of translation it accepts, and in which format. If the procedure is online, like the application for Italian citizenship, you will need files to upload anyway: read when a sworn translation in PDF is enough.

If you really need an Italian asseverazione

This happens mainly with Italian documents for use abroad, when the foreign authority expressly asks for a translation sworn before an Italian court. In this case the reform can shorten the process, if the translator is set up for electronic filing and the court has activated it. Before going ahead, ask the foreign authority whether it accepts a digitally signed document or wants the paper file, and with which apostille.

What Giuradoc does

To be clear, here is where our service stands in relation to the reform. Giuradoc connects people who need a translation with translators sworn before the competent courts of appeal. The standard translation is made from the scan you upload, signed and stamped by the translator, with a statement that it is faithful to the document received, and you receive it in PDF within 24-48 working hours, at 30 € per page.

This translation is not an asseverazione before an Italian court, neither on paper nor in the new electronic form: Law 182/2025 is not its legal basis and we will not tell you otherwise. If your authority requires an Italian asseverazione, check before ordering: in that case we can arrange it on quotation. For other needs:

• the most requested documents are the birth certificate, the criminal record certificate, the degree certificate, the power of attorney or notarial deed and the court judgment; the full list is on the our services page;
• if you also need it on paper, add the paper copy by post;
• certification of conformity with the original and the apostille are available on quotation, among our additional services;
• if you are not sure which option to choose, start with the which translation to choose page.

Frequently asked questions

Since when can sworn translations be made digitally?

Law 182/2025 has been in force since 18 December 2025. In practice, however, the court must have set up electronic receipt and the translator must have the required tools (REGINDE registration, PEC, digital signature). Check the court's "asseverazioni" page.

Does a digital sworn translation cost less?

Not necessarily. The law expressly keeps stamp duty and the other fees payable. It can save time and travel, not stamps. For the cost items of a translation, read how much a sworn translation costs.

Does the reform also apply to translators working abroad?

The rule concerns oaths taken before Italian court registries and refers to the rules of Italian electronic civil proceedings. It does not govern sworn translations made abroad, which remain subject to DPR 445/2000, EU Regulation 2016/1191 and international conventions. As far as we know, there is no ministerial guidance on this point yet.

Does the translator still have to go to court?

Not for the electronic route, if the court has activated it. The counter route, however, has not been abolished: many courts still receive oaths in person, by appointment.

Is a digitally sworn translation valid abroad?

It depends on the country and the authority receiving it, and on the apostille. Practice on this is still taking shape: ask the foreign authority, in writing, whether it accepts the digital document before going ahead. General answers about our services are in our frequently asked questions.

Sources: Law no. 182 of 2 December 2025, Art. 39 (Normattiva); Gazzetta Ufficiale, General Series no. 281 of 3 December 2025; Royal Decree no. 1366 of 9 October 1922, Art. 5 (Normattiva); DPR 445/2000, Art. 33; Regulation (EU) 2016/1191; Court of Fermo, sworn expert reports and translations; Court of Cagliari, instructions for swearing expert reports and translations (April 2026).