Dichiarazione di valore
Declaration of value is the statement that must accompany any official foreign academic degree and all related academic papers (diploma and transcript, etc.).This document is required by all Italian Universities and schools to formally evaluate
a foreign degree.
When you contact an Italian University to begin your pre-admission process, unofficially and in good faith, photocopies of academic papers will be temporarily accepted.
Nevertheless, Italian Universities are not able to officially register foreign students until they have secured Dichiarazione di valore for their foreign academic degrees.
Dichiarazione di valore is not an academic evaluation. It is instead a certification of the document's legal value in the United States and is intended to provide required information to the Italian Education Institutions that will perform a thorough evaluation of the foreign academic career and degree toward accreditation in Italy.
For information on what academic documents you need to present to obtain a Dichiarazione di valore, you should contact the Consulate General of Italy that covers the territory where your degrees were issued. If your academic career has developed in multiple locations, then contact the Consulate General of Italy closest to your city of legal residence for instructions on what Consulate is in charge of each territory. The Consulate General of Italy in Houston covers the area of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
The Italian Consulate in the area where the foreign degree was issued can prepare a Dichiarazione di valore only after all original, certified academic documents, presented by the applicant, with apostille attached and thorough translation into Italian, have been verified and confirmed. Dichiarazione di valore will not be issued separate from the official foreign degree it refers to and it will become invalid if it separates or detaches from the academic documents it describes.
For information on what academic documents you must present to receive a dichiarazione di valore of a specific foreign degree, refer to the information provided below under title ACADEMIC PORTFOLIO.
For information on how to obtain the apostille on academic documents refer to the information provided here below:
Authenticity of Foreign Academic Documents
Foreign academic documents to be used in Italy, in support of any application to an Italian University or to the Italian Labor office, must be original, official and accompanied by the Apostille of the Secretary of State.
In order to receive the Apostille of the Secretary of State, an original academic document must bear the autographed signature (hand signature) of the Registrar (the school authority in charge of school records) affixed on the academic document itself before a duly authorized notary public acknowledging the identity and title of the signer.
A printed signature of the Registrar on a script safe paper transcript will not suffice. The Registrar, or an associate in the office of academic records, should autograph the document and a notary public should witness the signing thus providing the required acknowledgment (statement of veracity of the autograph, the identity, and title of the Registrar) on the original document itself.
Example of Certification of authenticity by the Registrar:
This is the original Diploma / transcript issued by this school/University to ___ (full name of the student as it appears on the records) .
_______________________________________, The Registrar.
(Date, autograph and printed name of the Registrar)
Example of acknowledgment of the notary public:
On this day _________ of ________, 200__, before me came ___(full name of the Registrar whose signature has to be acknowledged ) _____ , to me known to be the individual who executed the foregoing instrument and acknowledged that he/she executed the same.
State of ________
County of _________
Notary commission expires on ____________
_______________________________________, Notary Public
(Date, autograph and printed name of the Registrar)
To avoid spoiling the art of the original Diploma (display diploma), the Registrar’s statement of authenticity can be written on its back side. On a transcript or report card, the Registrar’s statement of authenticity can be written at the end of the transcript or anywhere there is a blank space.
Again, the statement of authenticity should be written on the original diploma and official transcript. A notarized copy of a transcript and diploma will not be accepted.
If you have lost or misplaced your original diploma and are unable to present it, you should ask the Registrar of the school or University to issue a duplicate or substitute statement of diploma on letterhead paper of the institution. In this case you should also write a statement to this Consulate stating that you are unable to present the original diploma because it is lost and you are instead providing an official duplicate or substitute statement of diploma issued by the school.
Please be aware that Notaries Public are more accustomed to executing a photocopy of a document than performing a notarial service called acknowledgement. This is because acknowledging the identity and signature of a person, requires that person to sign in front of the notary and present valid identification. Of course, that is possible only when the notary is also a staff member of the school or university and can witness the Registrar’s signature when done in his/her presence. It is suggested that you inquire with the school/university about who is the staff member with a notary mandate by the State.
For better explanation of the process you can also remind the notary of the following regulations:
How does a notary identify a signer?
A notary identifies a signer by carefully examining the identification presented by that person and comparing the signatures the person has made on the document with the signature on the identification or by personal knowledge. Proper "ID" should include a photograph and signature such as a driver's license or passport. It is also considered sufficient identification if, under oath, a credible witness personally known to the notary public identifies the person.
Can a notary notarize their own signature or the signatures of relatives?
A notary cannot notarize his or her own signature. A notary is to be an impartial witness. The law does not forbid notaries from notarizing the signatures of relatives. However, if the notarized document was ever the subject of a court suit, a judge might determine the notary was not an impartial witness.
Also, on the official documents no other marks or signatures by pen should appear other than those required above. Any marks made by you on the official document will be considered an alteration and invalidate the document.
Once your document has been certified as authentic through the above process, you should mail it to the Secretary of State with your request for an Apostille for Italy. To know more about the Apostille and how to obtain it via postal service, visit the web site of the Secretary of State of the State where your document was issued.
This Consulate General of Italy in Houston will only process academic documents issued in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. If you have obtained your degrees in States other than those mentioned, you should contact the Consulate General of Italy in the United States that covers that territory for information on the Secretary of State in that area. The academic office of the same Consulate is also in charge of verifying the correctness of the process and issue the consular certification and validation called dichiarazione di valore required by the Italian authorities for any foreign academic document.
See the website of the Secretary of State in your State for information on how to obtain an apostille by mail:
TEXAS
ARKANSAS
LOUISIANA
OKLAHOMA
http://www.sos.state.ok.us/general/general_home.htm
