Foreign documents for the ISEE

Why the ISEE requires sworn translations

The ISEE — Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator — is obtained by filing the DSU, the single substitute declaration, with a CAF, a patronato or INPS directly. The DSU captures the economic situation of the entire household: income from two years earlier and assets held on 31 December of the previous year, wherever they are located. The law makes no distinction between Italian and foreign assets: a flat in Romania, a bank account in Moldova, a Ukrainian pension or a salary earned in Russia must be declared exactly like Italian ones.

The point is that the CAF officer must be able to read and verify what you declare. A cadastral extract in Cyrillic, a tax certificate in Romanian or a bank statement in English cannot be used as they are: the Italian public administration accepts them only with a sworn translation, sworn before the Court by a registered translator who takes personal responsibility for its accuracy. That is exactly what we do.

University ISEE when the family lives abroad

The ISEE for university study-right benefits — the one universities and regional bodies require for scholarships, fee waivers or reductions, student housing and canteen access — follows its own rules on household composition. A student living in Italy whose family remained abroad normally still belongs to the parents' household, which means the parents' income and assets in the country of origin must be documented, not just the student's.

This is where most of our September and October requests come from, when the calls for applications open: parents' income certificates, bank statements, cadastral extracts, family status certificates. Each document must be translated into Italian and sworn before it reaches the CAF or the regional study-right body. Deadlines are strict and a single missing translated attachment can cost the scholarship, so we work on the whole file in parallel and agree the delivery date before starting.

ISEE parificato for international students

An international student — or an Italian resident abroad — whose household has no tax presence in Italy cannot obtain an ordinary ISEE, because no Italian tax returns exist in their name. In these cases the ISEE parificato applies: an authorised CAF calculates it on the basis of economic documentation produced in the country of origin.

The condition is that this documentation be translated into Italian and legalised or apostilled according to the rules of the issuing country. Each university publishes its own list of required documents and may have specific requirements on the type of legalisation: our part is to ensure the translation is properly sworn and that the sequence — apostille on the original first, then the sworn translation — is respected, because reversing it almost always means doing everything again.

For a limited number of countries, Italian rules provide simplified procedures with certificates issued by the Italian diplomatic mission or by the university itself: if your case falls there, we will tell you straight away to save you unnecessary costs.

Income documents we translate

• Foreign tax return or annual tax certificate issued by the tax authority of the country of origin.
• Employment income certificate issued by the employer, stating gross income for the reference year.
• Payslips and salary statements, when the body requires monthly detail.
• Pension certificate from abroad: old-age, disability or survivor's pension.
• Unemployment certificate or proof of registration with the foreign employment service.
• Certificate of no income — the so-called negative certificate — issued by the tax administration for family members without their own income.
• Self-employment or business income records: financial statements, VAT returns, accounting certificates.
• Certificates of scholarships, subsidies and welfare benefits received abroad.

Real estate held abroad

Property owned outside Italy counts towards the ISEE just like Italian property, and must be documented with official records from the country where it is located. We translate and swear:

• Cadastral extract or land registry record, showing surface area, use and assessed value.
• Certificate of ownership issued by the land registry or cadastral office.
• Deed of sale, gift or inheritance proving title to the property.
• Cadastral or market value assessment, when an official valuation is required.
• Certificate of no property ownership, the negative record proving the household owns no real estate in the country of origin.
• Mortgage agreements still outstanding on the foreign property, which reduce the value to be declared.

Bank accounts and financial assets

Financial assets are where CAF offices are most demanding, because they need two different figures that foreign banks do not always issue together: the balance on 31 December of the reference year and the average annual balance. Ask for both in a single bank statement, so you only pay for one translation. We translate:

• Bank certificate showing the 31 December balance and the average balance of the account or savings book.
• Bank statements, annual or quarterly, when a summary certificate is unavailable.
• Certificates of deposits, securities, bonds and funds held with foreign institutions.
• Company shares or holdings in foreign businesses.
• Certificate of no bank accounts, issued by the institution or the competent authority.
• Vehicle and boat registration documents in the name of household members, where required.

Civil status and household composition

Before the figures, the CAF must know who makes up the household: this determines the equivalence scale and therefore the final ISEE. Households with relatives abroad need translated civil-status records:

• Foreign family status certificate or household composition certificate.
• Residence certificate for parents or relatives living outside Italy.
• Birth certificate of the student and of dependent siblings.
• Marriage certificate of the parents, or certificate of free status.
• Divorce or separation judgment, stating custody and maintenance obligations.
• Death certificate, for single-parent households through widowhood.
• Disability certification, which affects the equivalence scale and health-related benefits.

The student's own documents

Besides the family's financial records, universities ask international students for personal documents, often already translated at enrolment: passport or ID, residence permit or application receipt, enrolment certificate and, for new students, the academic qualification with the study plan. If you already had your diploma translated for enrolment, that translation is often reusable: send it to us before paying for a new one and we will tell you whether it still works for the call.

Apostille or legalisation: the right order

Almost every costly mistake starts here. A foreign document intended for the Italian public administration needs two separate steps: first validation of the original in the issuing country, then the sworn translation in Italy.

If the country is party to the Hague Convention — as Romania, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine are, along with most European countries — the original must carry an apostille from the competent local authority. If it is not, consular legalisation at the Italian diplomatic mission is required instead. Only then comes the sworn translation, which must also cover the text of the apostille itself.

Reversing the order is the most common error: translating and swearing before apostilling leaves you with an incomplete file and forces you to repeat — and pay for — the whole procedure. Send us a photo of your documents before you move: we will tell you what each one needs and in what order, with no obligation.

Mistakes that get files rejected

• Unsworn translations: a plain translation, however accurate, has no legal value for the CAF.
• Inconsistent name spellings across passport, certificates and bank records: we handle transliteration from Cyrillic so it matches your travel document.
• Incomplete bank certificates, showing only the balance without the average balance, or vice versa.
• Documents for the wrong year: income is from two years earlier, assets are those held on 31 December of the previous year.
• Missing apostille, or one added after translation, which forces the oath to be redone.
• Expired certificates: many foreign civil-status records have limited validity in the issuing country.

How we work, times and costs

Everything happens remotely. You send photos or scans by WhatsApp or email, we reply the same day with a clear quote — item by item, no surprises — and a delivery date. We translate, swear the file before the Court and ship the sworn bundle wherever you like, anywhere in Italy. Standard files are usually delivered in 3-4 working days; during scholarship season it pays to start a few weeks ahead. Large files are quoted on overall volume. See also our prices and how it works.