1. I need a Declaration of Values of my educational qualification. What should I do?
You should contact the Consulate under which territorial jurisdiction lies the institution that issued the qualification. The Consulate General in Vancouver is responsible only for BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Yukon Territory. You can contact the education office of our Consulate General by sending an email to: education.vancouver@esteri.it
A complete list of Italian Diplomatic and Consular Offices in Canada can be found here.
2. I don’t know whether to request a Declaration of Value or a Consular Declaration, what is the difference?
The Declaration of Value (DV) is an official document written in Italian and issued by one of the Italian Consular authorities in the country where you have studied. It is required to verify the authenticity of the academic credentials obtained abroad in order for the receiving institution to evaluate their correspondence into the Italian educational system. A DV also provides information about the validity of the qualification in the country where the applicant studied, confirms the legal status and nature of the awarding institution and indicates the length of the program/s concerned.
The Consular Declaration (CD), on the other hand, can be requested for documents other than a Diploma, such as report cards, university transcript, etc., which do not hold “legal value”. So, if you have not obtained a Diploma (such as a Grade 12, or a Bachelor, etc.) you may request a CD for your school report cards and/or official academic transcripts, in order to guarantee their authenticity and make them acceptable for Italian authorities.
3. Once I have obtained the Declaration of Value of a qualification, will I be able to have access to a university in Italy?
Access to university courses in Italy is regulated every year by guidelines issued by the Ministry of Universities; each university defines the criteria for access, based on the DV issued by the Consulate and on the legislation in force. Please note that the Canadian education system is comprised of a total of 12 years of schooling, instead of 13 as is the case in Italy. For more information:https://www.studiare-in-italia.it/studentistranieri
4. What is the difference between the Declaration of Value of a Diploma and a Statement of Equivalence?
The DV is a descriptive document of the qualification obtained abroad (see question no. 2), issued by the Consulate. It does not imply any recognition, or equivalence, with respect to the Italian qualifications. The equivalence procedure – which implies the equalization in all respects of a foreign, artistic or musical qualification, with a corresponding Italian qualification – can be issued by one of the Italian Regional School Offices and it requires, among other documents, also the DV of the educational qualification.
For more information: https://www.miur.gov.it/equipollenze
For general procedures regarding the assessment of foreign qualifications in Italy, please visit also the website of CIMEA: www.cimea.it
5. I do not hold the High School Diploma yet, but I know that I have graduated: can I start the procedure to obtain the Declaration of Value?
No, you cannot. In order to start the procedure, you must have received the Dogwood Diploma, which is normally made available by the local Ministry of Education between the end of July and the end of August, depending on the graduation session.
In addition to the Diploma, you will also need to attach other documents (translation, copy of the document, etc.) indicated in the list available here.
6. What are the average times for the Consulate General to issue a Declaration of Value or Consular Declaration?
To obtain a DV or DC it takes up to 30 days from when a complete application has been received by the Consulate.
It is recommended to send all the documentation together along with a pre-paid and pre-stamped envelope/waybill to speed up the shipment to the sender of the application once completed.
Please note: The application will be returned if the documentation submitted is incorrect or incomplete. Should this Office need to carry out further verification, the processing of the application will be delayed.
7. What might be useful for me to do while I am still in Canada in relation to the request for Declaration of Value or a Consular Declaration?
It might be advisable to purchase and send to the Consulate a pre-paid envelope – that can be purchased at the “Canada Post” post offices or other courier service – to allow the Consulate to return the documents to you once you have left Canada. The pre-paid envelope must also be self-addressed, with the address where you want to receive the documents (including the original of the Diploma).
8. How can I receive the processed documents in Italy if I have not provided the Consulate with a Canadian pre-paid envelope?
You can contact an international courier such as UPS or FedEx, pay for the service in advance and send the waybill issued by
the courier to consolato.vancouver@esteri.it
Courier will be allowed to collect the documentation at the front desk (Suite 840 – 1140 West Pender Street, Vancouver BC – V6E 4G1 – Canada) only between 9:30 AM and 16:00 PM from Monday to Friday (excluding holidays).
9. How can I obtain a copy of my diploma or transcript from the education authority?
Diplomas and transcripts can be obtained through the websites of the Ministries of Education and Universities of the various provinces/territories.
10. Do the translations in Italian need to be done by a certified translator?
Translations must be done by one of the certified translators listed in the list published here.
11. I am about to send my documentation (report card/transcript/Diploma) for translation, but I have a question: do I need to translate the Apostille or only the school-university documentation (report card/transcript/Diploma)?
The document(s) must be translated in full (and not partially), including the Apostille.
12. Is it possible to obtain a Declaration of Value or a Consular Declaration even after a few years or is there a deadline?
Yes, it is possible. There is no deadline to obtain the DV of the diploma or the DC for school documents. The original Diploma and, if required, the original of the “Official Transcript” or other school’s document, will need to bear the Apostille issued by the competent federal or provincial government.
13. Is there a fee to be paid for the Declaration of Value or the Consular Declaration?
The DC is always free, while the DV is free of charge if the applicant needs it to continue their studies (please specify, in the application form which studies you intend to undertake and where).
In this case the applicant must specify the University address, the specific course of study and its web-site.
In all other cases, it is subject to the payment of consular fees (the amount of which varies every quarter, depending on the Euro / Canadian dollar exchange rate).
For current rates, click here under “Consular fees”. Payment must be made exclusively by money order payable to CONSULATE GENERAL OF ITALY IN VANCOUVER. Money orders in Canada are issued by banks and by Canada Post.
14. I was offered an expedited Apostille process from an agency saying that they can get my document’s true copy notarized by a notary public and then apostilled from the British Columbia/Alberta/Saskatchewan Ministry”
Is it correct to follow the agency’s instructions?
No, it is not correct. You have to follow the procedure indicated on this website.
In preparing the Declarations of Value and consular legalizations, the necessary Apostilles must concern the authenticity of the signature and the qualification of the Canadian officials, authorized to sign the school and academic documents, and not those of the Canadian public notaries, who certify the certified copy of the aforementioned school and academic documents. For these reasons, Apostilles relating to Canadian public notaries cannot be accepted.
The Apostille must be attached to the original document(s) (diploma, degree, etc.).
Last update: Oct. 08, 2024