DECLARATION OF VALUE INSTRUCTIONS TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 2 2. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS ....................................................................... 2 2.1

GRADES ONE THROUGH EIGHT ......................................................... 2

2.2

HIGH SCHOOL (GRADES 9 to 12) ....................................................... 3

2.3

HIGH SCHOOL (Italian Exchange Student) ............................................ 4

2.4

RECOGNITION OF ACADEMIC DEGREE ................................................. 5

2.5

COLLEGE – UNIVERSITY (ASSOCIATE – BACHELOR – MASTER – PH.D) .............. 5

2.6

AMERICAN SCHOOLS ABROAD ........................................................... 6

3. GENERAL INFORMATION ...................................................................... 7 3.1

NOTARIZATION AND APOSTILLE ........................................................ 7

3.2

DOCUMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS ...................................................... 8

3.3

DV FOR TITLES ABOVE HIGH SCHOOL ................................................. 9

3.3.1 IF THE DV IS REQUESTED FOR THE CARTA BLU .................................... 9 3.4

DECLARATION OF VALUE COSTS ........................................................ 9

3.5

DOCUMENTS SHIPMENT ................................................................ 10

4. ATTACHMENTS ............................................................................... 11 4.1

EXAMPLE OF CORRECT NOTARIZATION LETTER AND APOSTILLE (1) ............ 11

4.2

EXAMPLE OF CORRECT NOTARIZATION LETTER AND APOSTILLE (2) ............ 13

4.3

EXAMPLE OF PREPAID SHIPPING LABEL .............................................. 15

4.4

EXAMPLE OF ATTENDANCE LETTER (Exchange Students)......................... 16

4.5

CHECKING LIST ......................................................................... 17

1. INTRODUCTION American School Degrees are not automatically recognized in Italy. The first step to recognize them is to request a Declaration of Value at the Italian Consulate which has jurisdiction over the area in which the school where the degree is obtained is sited. The Declaration of Value certifies the validity of the Degree and allows to obtain the equivalence by the competent authority in Italy (could be the Ministero dell'Istruzione, Università e Ricerca or each individual school). We remind you that this Consulate can only prepare Declarations of Value for schools sited under its jurisdiction. Below are the instructions to obtain a Declaration of Value for the different Degrees obtained at American schools sited in a State under this Consulate jurisdiction. Since the procedure is quite complex, in order to prevent errors we kindly invite you to read very carefully the instructions related to the degree for which you wish to obtain a DV, as well as the whole section “General Information” and the examples attached. ATTENTION: For private schools, please check that they are accredited before sending the documents to the Consulate, or inquire about the accreditation by sending an email to [email protected].

2. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS 2.1 GRADES ONE THROUGH EIGHT The student’s parents must send to the Education Office of this Consulate General: 1. Application form for Declaration of Value. The form must be completed in each part, with correct names in original language; 2. Report Card that the Principal or Registrar of the school signed, with its notarization and Apostille (see paragraph 3.1); 3. If the Report Card does not specify that the student was admitted to the following grade, the Principal will have to sign an attendance letter stating the above and his signature must be notarized and legalized with an Apostille (see paragraph 3.1); 4. Literal translation in Italian of the documents indicated at paragraph 2 and 3. Translations in Italian must maintain grades as the appear in the original documents (A,B,C or E, G, S, etc.). Degree titles and school names must NOT be translated. Translations must also be sent in WORD format via email to [email protected];

5. Copy of passport of the student; 6. Prepaid shipping label for the restitution of the documents, if you don’t plan on collecting them directly at this Consulate. ATTENTION: Before preparing the documents, we suggest contacting the italian school in which you wish to enroll the student; often the school only requires a certificate of conformity of translation of the Report Card, and not a complete DV. In case the school only requires a certificate of conformity of translation, it is necessary to send to the Consulate the original Report Card, along with its translation into Italian ((which should also be sent via email in WORD format at [email protected]) and Apostille of the Secretary of the State. For more information, email [email protected].

2.2 HIGH SCHOOL (GRADES 9 to 12)

The person requesting the DV must send to this Consulate the following documentation: 1. Application form for Declaration of Value. The form must be completed in each part, with correct names in original language; 2. DIPLOMA that the Principal or Registrar of the school signed, with its notarization and Apostille (see paragraph 3.1); 3. 4 Year Transcript that the Principal or Registrar of the school signed, with its notarization and Apostille (see paragraph 3.1); transcript should include the final GPA and the Grading System; in case they were not included, please ask the school to include them and add them to the documentation. Alternatively, it is possible to ask the school to send them directly to us via mail, using letterhead paper. 4. If the student has not yet completed high school and the report card does not specify that the student was admitted to the following grade, the Principal will have to sign an attendance letter stating the above and his signature must be notarized and legalized with an Apostille (see paragraph 3.1); 5. Literal translation in Italian of the documents indicated at paragraph 2, 3 and – if necessary - 4. Translations into Italian must maintain grades as they appear in the original documents (A,B,C etc.). Degree titles and school names must NOT be translated. Translations must also be sent in WORD format via email to [email protected] ; 6. Copy of passport; 7. Prepaid shipping label for the restitution of the documents, if you don’t plan on collecting them directly at this Consulate.

NB: SAT scores are not included in the Declaration of Value. If you request it, the Consulate can provide for a certificate of conformity of translation. To obtain it, it is necessary to send the Consulate the original SAT document with its translation into Italian (which should also be sent via email in WORD format at [email protected] ) and Apostille of the Secretary of State. For more information, email [email protected] .

2.3 HIGH SCHOOL (Italian Exchange Student)

Italian exchange students who after the year abroad re-enter the school in Italy must present to the Consulate the following documents: 1. Application form for Declaration of Value. The form must be completed in each part, with correct names in original language; 2. Report Card that the Principal or Registrar of the school signed, with its notarization and Apostille (see paragraph 3.1). The Report Card should include the final GPA and the Grading System; in case they were not included, please ask the school to include them and add them to the documentation. Alternatively, it is possible to ask the school to send them directly to us via mail, using letterhead paper; 3. Attendance certificate (letter of attendance) that the Principal or Registrar of the school signed, with its notarization and Apostille (see paragraph 3.1); 4. Honorary diploma (if issued); 5. Letter of the organizer of the exchange Program; 6. Literal translation in Italian of the documents indicated at paragraph 2, 3 and, if necessary, 4 and 5. Translations must maintain grades as the appear in the original documents (A,B,C etc.). Degree titles and school names must NOT be translated. Translations must also be sent in WORD format via email to [email protected] ; 7. Copy of passport; 8. Prepaid shipping label for the restitution of the documents, if you don’t plan on collecting them directly at this Consulate. ATTENTION: Before preparing the documents, we suggest contacting the Italian school; often the school only requires a certificate of conformity of translation of the Report Card, and not a complete DV. In case the school only requires a certificate of conformity of translation, it is necessary to send to the Consulate the original Report Card, along with its translation into Italian (which should also be sent via email in WORD format at [email protected]) and Apostille of the Secretary of State. For more information, email [email protected] .

2.4 RECOGNITION OF ACADEMIC DEGREE

Italian and foreign citizens who obtained a degree in a College or University located in this Consular jurisdiction can request a Declaration of Value to this Office to have it recognized by an Italian University. The application must be presented to the President of the academic institution. It is important to make sure that the University offers courses similar to the ones completed in the US.

2.5 COLLEGE – UNIVERSITY (ASSOCIATE – BACHELOR – MASTER – PH.D) The person requesting the DV must send to this Consulate General: 1. Application form for Declaration of Value. The form must be completed in each part, with correct names in original language; 2. DIPLOMA that the Registrar of the school signed, with its notarization and Apostille (see paragraph 3.1); 3. Transcript that the Registrar signed, with its notarization and Apostille (see paragraph 3.1). The Transcript should include the final GPA and the Grading System; in case they were not included, please ask the school to include them and add them to the documentation. Alternatively, it is possible to ask the school to send them directly to us via mail, using letterhead paper; 4. Literal translation in Italian of the documents indicated at paragraph 2 and 3. Translations must maintain grades as the appear in the original documents (A,B,C etc.). Degree titles and school names must NOT be translated. Translations must also be sent in WORD format via email to [email protected]; 5. Copy of passport; 6. Prepaid shipping label for the restitution of the documents, if you don’t plan on collecting them directly at this Consulate. ATTENTION: In order to obtain a Declaration of Value for Associate, Bachelor, Master or PH.D it is necessary to obtain also the Declaration of Value of the preceding title, in case it was obtained outside of Italy. Therefore it is necessary to send to this Consulate General also the documentation to obtain the DV for the preceding title(s). In case the titles have been obtained at a school outside the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia, it is necessary to obtain the DV from the competent Consular authority and to send a scanned copy of the DV for the preceding title to this Consulate. In case the DV is requested for the Carta Blu, it is enough to submit the documents related to the latest Degree obtained.

2.6 AMERICAN SCHOOLS ABROAD For American Schools abroad, accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, please send an email to [email protected] to receive specific instructions.

3. GENERAL INFORMATION 3.1 NOTARIZATION AND APOSTILLE It is of fundamental importance that each transcript and each diploma/letter of attendance must be notarized and then apostilled. Each document must have its own notarization, done on a different paper than the original document, and Apostille. If they are not correct, the Consulate will not be able to issue the Declaration of Value. Check the examples for notarization and apostille in the attachments section and follow the wording of the template, as this is the step most people do incorrectly, in which case the documents will have to be returned. 1) Notarization. Each transcript and each diploma/letter of attendance needs its own double statement notarization letter:  In the first statement, a school official (registrar, secretary, principal etc.) certifies that those are the true and original transcripts/diploma/letter of attendance released by that school/university for that student;  In the second statement, the Public Notary will certify that the document has been signed by that person, in front of him on that date (attached are two possible fac simile of the wording of the second statement). Please note that the student’s signature DOES NOT appear in the notarization at all. 2) The Apostille is a document that will have to be attached to each notarized transcript/notarized diploma/notarized letter of attendance submitted. The Apostille must refer to the Notary who signed the notarization letter, since it certifies the validity of the Notary’s signature. The Apostille is released by the Department of State where the school/University is situated and/or accredited. Be aware that, for example, the Department of State of Pennsylvania only provides authentication for Pennsylvania Public Notaries' signatures. Anybody can submit the notarized documents to the Department of State (the applicant, a relative, a friend, the School official) it depends on the agreement you made. It’s not our concern. In most cases it is also possible to have the apostilled documents directly sent to the education office of the Consulate.

3.2 DOCUMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS All documents must be original, issued by the school/university and certified by a school stamp and a school official signature. Original diplomas and transcripts will become part of the Declaration of Value and will not be returned. Copies made by applicants and not certified by a Public Notary will NOT be accepted. In some special cases, to be evaluated by the Education Office, an authenticated copy will be accepted instead, for example if the Diploma is larger than the A4 format, or is not available (because it was lost, cannot be issued anymore by the school because too much time has passed etc.). The Education Office should be consulted in advance about this possibility. In case the transcripts do not include the final GPA and the Grading System, please ask the school to include them and add them to the documentation. Alternatively, it is possible to ask the school to send them directly to us via mail, using letterhead paper. All the following documents provided must be translated into Italian following these specific instructions: 





Diploma (or letter of attendance): the name of the school/university and the degrees will have to remain in English (Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, High School Diploma, etc.); Transcripts: the name of the school/university and the degrees will have to remain in English (Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, High School Diploma, etc.); translations must include grades as they are on the originals (A, B, C, etc.); the grading system (usually to be found in the back of transcripts) should be translated as well; signatures that are not recognizable should be translated as illegible. All notarization letters: signatures that are not recognizable should be translated as illegible.

Note that translations are necessary for every document except the Apostille. Translations don’t need to be notarized or certified. Professionally made translations are not necessary as long as translations are complete, accurate, and clearly typed. They should follow layout of the original documents, in order to be clear and understandable for the Italian institutions. In no case the logo or any information on who made the translation should appear on the submitted version. All translation can be sent via email to [email protected] but only in a WORD format file (or any modifiable file format – i.e. NOT PDF) will be accepted, in

order to allow us to correct possible little mistakes. In the presence of a large number of errors, the translations won’t be accepted.

3.3 DV FOR TITLES ABOVE HIGH SCHOOL In order to issue the Declaration of Value for any degree above High School it will be necessary to issue a Declaration of value for the preceding degree following the exact same procedure already described. This is not necessary in case the preceding degree has been obtained in Italy. If the degree is a “Non-Italian” degree OR an American one achieved out of the Consulate jurisdiction, the competent Italian Consulate or Embassy should be contacted for issuing the DV and after that a scanned copy should be sent to the education office that is competent to issue the Declaration of Value for the higher degree Under no circumstances a Declaration of Value for a University degree will be issued until the education office of the competent Consulate has received the DV for the preceding title. 3.3.1 IF THE DV IS REQUESTED FOR THE CARTA BLU If the DV is requested for the Carta Blu, it is sufficient to send only the documents related to the highest degree obtained.

3.4 DECLARATION OF VALUE COSTS Declarations of Value are issued free of charge ONLY for study purposes, whereas they are subject to a Consular fee if released for working purposes. The cost cannot be determined in advance as it depends on the number of original pages sent to the Consulate. Furthermore, Consular fees vary every three months. Payments will be accepted only through USPS money order. In case the Declaration of value is requested for study purposes, it is necessary to present to the Consulate, along with the other documents or via email at [email protected], an admittance letter by the school that requires the Declaration of Value from the student, or a similar document which proves that the DV will be used for study purposes.

3.5 DOCUMENTS SHIPMENT All the necessary documents must be shipped to: Ufficio Scolastico – Education Office Consolato Generale d’Italia – Consulate General of Italy Public Ledger Building, suite 1026 150 South Independence Mall West Philadelphia, PA 19106 It is possible to hand over the documents and collect them once the DV is ready by coming personally to the Consulate. If the Declaration of Value has to be shipped, a self-addressed envelope and prepaid shipping label should be delivered to the Education Office. Under no circumstances the Consulate will take care of shipment expenses. Documents should arrive well in advance of the date by which they are needed. The Consulate has a 60 days deadline to issue the requested DV started from the moment in which the complete documentation has been received. It is strongly recommended to email a scan of all documents before shipping them, or anytime it is needed during the process, to avoid any mistake that will cost time and money, especially in the preparation of notarizations and Apostilles. In case of any doubt or inquiry, please send an email to [email protected].

4. ATTACHMENTS 4.1 EXAMPLE OF CORRECT NOTARIZATION LETTER AND APOSTILLE (1) ATTENTION: The name of the Notary who signed the letter is the same reported in the Apostille Notarization (double statement letter)

Apostille (The Apostille should be from the State where the Notary has been commissioned. In this example, Pennsylvania.)

4.2 EXAMPLE OF CORRECT NOTARIZATION LETTER AND APOSTILLE (2) ATTENTION: The name of the Notary who signed the letter is the same reported in the Apostille Notarization (double statement letter)

Apostille (The Apostille should be from the State where the Notary has been commissioned. In this example, Pennsylvania.)

4.3 EXAMPLE OF PREPAID SHIPPING LABEL

4.4 EXAMPLE OF ATTENDANCE LETTER (Exchange Students)

4.5 CHECKING LIST This Checking list can be used to be sure you have all the correct documents.

o o o o

o o o o o

Passport Copy Application form, completed in all its parts Prepaid shipping label (in case you don’t wish to collect them directly at the Consulate) Eventuale copia o scan della DV del titolo precedente, se necessaria e se rilasciata da un Consolato diverso da quello di Filadelfia.

Degree:.................................................. Institution: ..........................................

Degree: ................................................. Institution: ..........................................

DIPLOMA Diploma (or attendance Exchange students) Diploma Notarization Apostille Translation of Notarization Translation of Diploma

DIPLOMA Diploma (or attendance Exchange students) Diploma Notarization Apostille Translation of Notarization Translation of Diploma

letter

for

TRANSCRPT o Transcript o Grading System (if not included in Transcript) o Final GPA (if not included in transcript) o Transcript Notarization o Apostille o Translation of Notarization o Translation of Transcript o Translation of Grading System (if not included in transcript translation) o Transaltion of Final GPA (if not included in transcript translation)

o o o o o

letter

for

TRANSCRPT o Transcript o Grading System (if not included in Transcript) o Final GPA (if not included in transcript) o Transcript Notarization o Apostille o Translation of Notarization o Translation of Transcript o Translation of Grading System (if not included in transcript translation) o Transaltion of Final GPA (if not included in transcript translation)