I can make a self-declaration.
ow-to-cher-ti-fi-ka-TSYO-ne — seven syllables; stress the sixth.
Use this instead of obtaining an official certificate from a public office. Italy's autocertificazione system allows citizens to declare facts about themselves (residency, civil status, qualifications, etc.) on plain paper, and the receiving office must accept it instead of requiring an official certificate.
Under Italian law (DPR 445/2000), citizens can substitute many official certificates with a self-declaration (autocertificazione) signed under the criminal liability provisions for false declarations. Public offices are legally required to accept autocertificazioni. Private parties (employers, landlords) can also request them, though they are not legally required to accept them from private individuals.
Posso autocertificare la mia residenza.
I can self-declare my residency.
The most common type of autocertificazione; saves a trip to the anagrafe.
L'autocertificazione ha lo stesso valore del certificato.
The self-declaration has the same value as a certificate.
Legal principle; public offices cannot require the original certificate if an autocertificazione is offered.
Attenzione: le dichiarazioni false sono reato.
Warning: false declarations are a criminal offence.
Important caveat; autocertificazioni are made under criminal liability, not mere civil liability.
Italy's autocertificazione system, introduced in 1968 and expanded in 2000, was specifically designed to reduce the legendary code of Italian bureaucracy by eliminating the need for citizens to collect certificates from one office to present to another. In practice, implementation is uneven — some offices still illegally demand original certificates. Citizens who encounter this can formally complain to the inspector general.