Italian bureaucracy is probably the most frustrating and pointless task you’ll ever experience in your entire life. Don’t make the mistake thinking just because the Declaration of Value (DOV) is obtained in the US, it will be less of “Italian bureaucracy”. Your experience will be the typical hair-pulling, nail-biting, one-second-away-from-loosing-your-mind kind of experience indicative of every kind of Italian bureaucracy.

It is my intention to make this process as easy and as inexpensive as possible for you to obtain your Declaration of Value, however keep in mind each consulate has slightly different requirements and they constantly change from year to year and from person to person (although they will never admit this). I will outline what the Declaration of Value is and how to step-by-step obtain this illusive document.

What is the Dichiarazione di Valore or Declaration of Value?

Dichiarazione di Valore or Declaration of Value is an official document confirming a qualification obtained in an education system different from the Italian one. Basically, the Declaration of Value states your education in the US is of the same value as the education in Italy. If you are applying to graduate schools for a Master’s or PhD degree, then the University will require this document as well as the visa office for your Student Visa.

However, although the Declaration of Value is an official government document, it does not mean that it is perfect. The Italian Council of State has even declared this in a ruling (No. 4613 of 4/9/07) stating that the Declaration of Value can not be recognized in a decisive and discriminating role. “In fact, the P.A. [public administration] has the obligation to motivate his decisions with regard to the educational content of the diploma, not simply in relation to extrinsic aspects with respect to the skills and professional abilities attested by the title, which formally is the Declaration of Value, but based on a substantial assessment, through the use (to be assessed case by case by the person in charge of the proceeding) of all the instruments normally available…” (Translated from Italian via Ministero dell’Istruzione dell’Università e della Ricerca (MIUR)) Therefore, keep in mind that the Declaration of Value is not set in stone nor may easily reflect your education so make sure you double check everything given to you by the administrator at the consulate.

How to obtain the Dichiarazione di Valore or Declaration of Value?

Step 1: Order a transcript from your high school and undergraduate institution. Most consulates require even your high school transcripts in addition to your undergrad and Master’s. The transcripts need to be signed by the registrar and in front of a Notary. In my case, my College, Mount Holyoke College, could not directly notarize the transcript, so instead they stuck a sticker on the transcript which was signed and notarized by the registrar stating the document is official. Some institutions will charge for releasing an official transcript, for example Mount Holyoke charges $4 per transcript. However, my high school gave me the documents free of charge.

Step 2: Translate these transcripts into Italian. The translations do not need to be technically official (Notarized by the translator) but since the rules and requirements change from person to person, it is a good idea to have an official translation of the documents to cover all bases. Official translators are usually suggested on the website of the consulate and the translations are then notarized by the official translator. Make sure the translations visually match the original document since Italian officials want to spend as little time as possible looking and figuring them out.

This process will vary in cost depending on the the translation agency and number of documents, but expect to spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a thousand to have all your documents officially translated. It is a good idea to ask the consulate if they will require course descriptions and if those will need to be translated as well since this will greatly increase your translation cost.

Step 3: The transcripts need to have an Apostille. The Apostille is an international legalization (HAGUE Convention October 5, 1961) which will validate the documents you’re sending to Italy. Basically the Apostille is a Notary of a Notary (silly I know, but must be done). The Apostille is issued by the Secretary of State by which state the document was notarized in. Depending on the state, the Apostille will vary in cost, but usually under $10 per document. The Apostille does not need to be translated into Italian (save your money!)

Step 4: Make photo copies of your passport. While you’re at it, make copies of all your documents in your possession. Italy has a tendency to loose things so its a good idea to have backups of everything!

Step 5: Download and fill out the application form for the Declaration of Value which can be found on the Consulate’s website. One form has to be filled out for each academic institution you’re legalizing.

Step 6: Take all documents to your consulate in your jurisdiction. Since I am a legal resident of New Hampshire, my consulate is in Boston.

The Italian Consulate in Boston

600 Atlantic Avenue, 17th floor, Boston, MA 02210-2206

(617)-722-9201

urp.boston@esteri.it

archivio.boston@esteri.it

Consul General: Federica Sereni

Feel free to call or email to make an appointment but most likely you’ll have to show up in person, possibly multiple times to get this done.

Step 7: Once you’ve obtained the Declaration of Value, the consulate may send it directly to the university you’re applying to or you might be required to send it yourself with a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) with stamps for about 40 pages in weight (~$12 to Italy). This can be done at your nearest post office.

Step 8: You’re done! Throw yourself an awesome party for having competed this with some of your sanity intact!

*Important* Remember you are dealing with a person at the consulate who  is not objective. Advocate for yourself! If your degree is not exactly represented in the DOV for any reason, don’t let it slide! There are more people than the person reviewing your DOV case you can go to for amending the document, such as the Consul General. Not every bureaucrat can understand your education especially if it’s in the sciences nor can they understand the intricacies of a foreign educational system.

I hope these steps allowed you to obtain this document in under a few months of back and forth at the consulate. However, please feel free to contact me if you have any issues or questions regarding the process of obtaining the Dichiarazione di Valore (Declaration of Value). Keep in mind this process will be long, most likely frustrating, and requires many trips to the consulate, so be patient. Eventually this will all get done if you follow my steps. In bocca al lupo! (good luck!)

If you need some inspiration to keep you going, check out some of my Italian adventures. Hopefully, they will inspire you to tolerate some Italian bureaucracy!

[instagram-feed]