Italian Consulate General in Houston
Italy's consular office for the South Central U.S., serving Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
On this page
Jurisdiction
The Houston consulate serves all of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
| State | Scope |
|---|---|
| Texas (TX) | Entire territory |
| Arkansas (AR) | Entire territory |
| Louisiana (LA) | Entire territory |
| Oklahoma (OK) | Entire territory |
Departments & contacts
Each service has its own office and email. The department for a given case should be contacted directly, not the general line.
General switchboard , Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM (closed Wednesdays). Written enquiries go to the relevant department below.
Vital recordsStato Civile
Official pageTranscribes U.S. births, marriages and deaths into Italian registries. About 30 days; transcription is free, only apostille and translation carry cost.
CitizenshipCittadinanza
Official pageApplications by descent (jure sanguinis), marriage and residence. 730-day statutory cap; documentation must be filed in person, not by mail.
Notarial & legalNotarile
Official pagePublic acts, wills, powers of attorney and legalizations. About 60 days. Available to Italian citizens only, by appointment.
Passports & CIEPassaporti
Official pagePassports (valid 10 years), electronic ID cards and emergency travel documents. About 15 days; book no earlier than 6 months before expiry.
AIRE registryAnagrafe
Official pageRegistration of Italians resident abroad. Mandatory within 90 days of moving; non-registration is fined €200 to €1,000 per year.
VisasVisti
Official pageSchengen, national type-D and student visas. U.S. citizens need no visa under 90 days. Type-D applicants are fingerprinted on-site.
Social assistanceAssistenza
Official pageGeneral assistance for Italian citizens and foreign nationals, including consular welfare and repatriation support, legal referrals, and emergency assistance.
Booking an appointment
Every appointment is booked on Prenot@mi, the official portal. No third party should ever be paid to book on an applicant’s behalf.
Consular fees
The fees most relevant to citizenship and vital-records applicants. Q3 2026 (July 1 – September 30, 2026), EUR 1 = USD 1.1651.
| Service | EUR | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship (descent, jure sanguinis) Art. 07C | €250.00 | $291.30 |
| Certificate/extract Art. 7 | €12.00 | $14.00 |
| Translation conformity (per page) Art. 72A | €13.00 | $15.20 |
| Ordinary passport Art. 27 (A+B) | €116.20 | $135.50 |
Documents & translation
A U.S. vital record generally needs two separate steps before submission: an apostille, then an Italian translation.
The apostille authenticates the record; it does not translate it. The two are distinct steps, and both are required before a vital record is submitted.
Partenza provides professional English-to-Italian translation of U.S. birth, marriage, and death certificates, formatted for consular submission. Get a quote →
Apostille offices
Before translation, a U.S. vital record must be apostilled by the state that issued it, or by the U.S. Department of State for federal records.
| Jurisdiction | Issuing authority | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Texas Secretary of State | $15 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Secretary of State | $10 |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Secretary of State | $20 |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Secretary of State | $25 |
| Federal (U.S. Department of State) | U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications | $20 |
Frequently asked questions
Does the consulate translate my documents?
No. The consulate does not translate documents; the translation must be arranged separately, either by the applicant or by a professional translator. Partenza provides professional English-to-Italian translation formatted for consular submission.
Where can I have my vital records translated into Italian?
U.S. birth, marriage, and death certificates must be translated into Italian before submission. Partenza provides professional English-to-Italian translation of vital records, formatted for consular submission.
Find your consulate
The Italian consulate serving an applicant is set by their U.S. state of residence; it cannot be chosen. Below are the other offices and the states each covers.
Sources
Information on this page is verified against official Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) sources.
- Contacts — Consulate General of Italy in Houston · conshouston.esteri.it
- The Consul General — Mauro Lorenzini · conshouston.esteri.it
- Consular network — jurisdiction (TX, AR, LA, OK) · conshouston.esteri.it
- Vital Records (Stato Civile) — Houston Consulate · conshouston.esteri.it
- Citizenship — Houston Consulate · conshouston.esteri.it
- Passports — Houston Consulate · conshouston.esteri.it
- Visas — Houston Consulate · conshouston.esteri.it
- Assistance — Houston Consulate · conshouston.esteri.it
- Emergency contacts — Consulate General of Italy in Houston · conshouston.esteri.it
- Italian Missions Abroad — Italian diplomatic network · esteri.it
- Prenot@mi — Official appointment portal · Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Legge 23 maggio 2025, n. 74 — conversione del DL 36/2025 sulla cittadinanza · Normattiva — Portale della legislazione vigente
- Citizenship by descent — new rules (Law 74/2025) · Italian Consulate General (English explainer)
- Legge 30 dicembre 2023, n. 213 — sanzioni mancata iscrizione AIRE · Normattiva — Portale della legislazione vigente
- New measures against unauthorized intermediaries on Prenot@mi · Italian Consulate General in Rosario (MAECI network policy)
- Italian Decree-Law No. 145 (11 October 2024) — entry provisions including visa biometrics · Normattiva — Portale della legislazione vigente
- Consular fee table — Q3 2026 (1 Jul – 30 Sep 2026, official PDF) · ambwashingtondc.esteri.it
Sources verified against the consulate and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI). Updated July 2026.
Translating U.S. records for this consulate?
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