High School
Declaration of Value (“Dichiarazione di Valore “)
List of documents required to obtain the
Declaration of Value (“Dichiarazione di Valore”) to enroll in Italian schools and universities.
NB: All documents must be original. Copies will NOT be accepted. All original
diplomas will be returned to the student along with the Declaration of Value.
The consular jurisdiction of the Embassy of Italy in Washington comprises the following areas:
District of Columbia;
Maryland: Prince George’s and Montgomery counties;
Virginia: Arlington and Fairfax counties and the city of Alexandria;
All others must contact the Consulate with jurisdiction over the place where the school is located:
http://www.ambwashingtondc.esteri.it/Ambasciata_Washington/Menu/Informazioni_e_servizi/La_rete_consolare/
List of required documents to obtain the Declaration of Value (“Dichiarazione di Valore”):
1. “Application form for verification of academic degrees and documents” properly filled out with the
student’s information and signature. In case of underage students, one of the parents should sign the
application form;
2. Original High school diploma with APOSTILLE;
3. Original transcript with APOSTILLE;
4. Course catalog (for the last year of school) – The courses must be highlighted and only the courses
taken must be translated.
5. If applicable, a letter from the parent or legal guardian’s employer showing the period the family
lived in the United States due to work or immigration, listing the student as part of the family
members.
6. A copy of the student’s passport or Italian national i.d. card.
7. A pre-paid DHL, FedEx or UPS envelope to return the original documents back to the applicant
once they’ve been processed. Please be advised that we cannot accept pre-paid envelopes from the
U.S. postal service.
Note: documents submitted without the required “apostille” cannot be accepted and will be
returned. Please DO NOT detach the documents from the Apostille for any reason. Removing
the staple from the Apostille will make the document null and void.
Transcripts must clearly state:
 student’s full name;
 name of the school;
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school year/s of reference;
last year of school completed;
final grades;
that the student has been promoted or graduated;
grading scale.
All documents provided (diplomas, transcripts, letters, etc.), must be translated into Italian. The student
may prepare the translations which will then be authenticated by the Consular office. It is the
responsibility of the student to submit translations that are complete, accurate, and clearly typed.
Translations of transcripts must show the grades exactly as they are on the originals (A, B, C, etc.).
American Overseas Schools
The Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C. will also issue the corresponding Declaration of Value for
degrees obtained at the various American overseas schools: only those officially recognized by the US
Department of State, and those of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS).
1) The Apostille is not necessary on documents issued by these schools.
2) In order to expedite the procedure for the issuance of the Declaration of Value, it is necessary to add
to the rest of the documentation: an enrollment certification letter signed by the Principal,
indicating that the student has indeed attended that school, that the transcripts and potential diploma
are authentic, and date of graduation (if that is the case).
3) A letter authorizing this Embassy to ask for the release of personal information.
For US Department of State Schools, please address the letter to:
Office of Overseas Schools
U.S. Department of State
Room H328, SA-1,
Washington, DC 20522-0132
USA
Tel.: (202) 261-8200
Fax: (202) 261-8224
E-mail: OverseasSchools@state.gov
Website: http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/index.htm
For US Department of Defense Schools, please address the letter to:
DoDEA Records Center
Education Activity
US Department of Defense
Ft. Benning, GA 31905
USA
IMPORTANT: For all other overseas schools, the students should contact the Italian consulate with
jurisdiction over the territory where the accrediting agency is located.
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International Baccalaureate
For information on International Baccalaureate please consult the following web site:
http://www.ibo.org/ibo
Should the family’s move to Italy be imminent, and before the deadline for enrollment, parents are
advised to submit copies of all necessary documents to the Italian school in order to pre-enroll while the
finalized documents are being processed by the corresponding Consular Office.
IMPORTANT: Please note that all Declaration of Value applications will be processed in no
less than 1 month.
Therefore, please submit all the required documents with sufficient
advanced notice so that they can be processed on time.
For further information, and to make an appointment, please contact:
Ms. Martina Rizzo
Student Office
Embassy of Italy
3000 Whitehaven St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20008-3612
United States of America
Tel.: (202) 612-4435
Fax: (202) 518-2142
E-mail: ufficiostudenti.washington@esteri.it
Homepage: www.ambwashingtondc.esteri.it
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CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINAL SCHOOL/ACADEMIC DOCUMENTS
(“APOSTILLE”)
IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT detach the documents from the Apostille for any reason.
Removing the staple from the Apostille will make the document null and void.
The Italian Government and its agencies comply with the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961 (approved
by the United States of America on October 15, 1981) that requires documents originated in other countries
to be accompanied by the Apostille of the Secretary of State to satisfy the requirement of authenticity. The
Apostille actually certifies that the signatures of Officials appearing on the original document are true and
legitimate. In this manner all documents issued in the United States, if accompanied by the Apostille of the
Secretary of State, are recognized as authentic in Italy.
ORIGINAL school/academic documents (i.e.: Final Report Card, High School Graduation Diploma, High
School Transcript, Bachelor of Art Diploma, Bachelor of Science Diploma, Master Diploma, Ph.D.
Diploma, Academic Transcripts) should bear the signature by hand (no ink or raised stamps accepted) of
the Registrar or any other School/University authority in charge of students records and the signature
authentication by a Notary Public.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:
Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia
Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications
441 4th Street, NW, Room 810S
Washington, DC 20001
Tel.: (202) 727-3117
Website: http://os.dc.gov/os/cwp/view,a,1207,q,522462.asp
PUBLIC OFFICE HOURS: Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MARYLAND: Once the original document has been authenticated by a Notary Public in the state of
Maryland, it must be submitted to the County Clerk of the Circuit Court of the County in which the notary
is commissioned. The Clerk’s office will certify that the person who acted as notary was in fact a notary on
the day the document was signed.
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for Montgomery County:
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for Prince George’s County:
Loretta E. Knight, County Clerk
Montgomery County Circuit Court
Judicial Center
50 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, MD 20850
Tel. (240) 777-9460
Website: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/
Marilynn M. Bland, County Clerk
Prince George’s County Circuit Court
4
14735 Main St.
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-3051
Tel. (301) 952-3318 / 3330 / 3335
Website: www.princegeorgescountymd.gov
After this procedure, the document can be mailed (or taken personally) to the appropriate office of the
Secretary of State for the Apostille.
BY MAIL - along with the school document with notarized statement and clerk’s certification attached, the
student submits:
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a cover letter indicating the country of destination of the document;
a stamped, self-addressed envelope and
a check or money order in the amount of $5.00 per document made payable to Secretary of State.
The address is:
Certification Desk
Office of the Secretary of State
16 Francis Street,
Jeffrey Building, 1st Floor,
Annapolis MD 21401
WALK-IN SERVICE – 8.30 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. (including some State holidays)
16 Francis Street,
Annapolis MD 21401
Telephone: (410) 974-5521
E-mail: tpinkney@sos.state.md.us
Website: http://www.sos.state.md.us/Certifications/Certifications.aspx
Payment of $5.00 per document by check, money order or exact amount in cash, and the name of the
country of destination is required at the time of certification.
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VIRGINIA:
Before you apply for an apostille, all original transcripts and diplomas must be notarized by any notary
public in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
After this step, you may go to Richmond to apply for an apostille. You must specify that the apostille is
for Italy. If you decide to do this by mail, you must include a brief letter explaining the reason for
requesting the apostille as well as a self-addressed stamped envelope along with the appropriate fee and all
other required documents.
You may obtain the apostille at the following address:
Ms. Betsy Anderson
Director of Authentications
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
1111 East Broad Street, 4th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Tel.: (804) 786-2441
Website:
http://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/OfficialDocuments/Authentications/authentications.cfm
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