What a sworn statement really is
An affidavit is your own words, put on paper and sworn to. No office issues it for you. That is why the notary matters. He does not judge whether your words are true; he records that you signed in front of him on a given day. Every stamp after that checks his signature.
So the order is fixed, and knowing how to legalize an Affidavit begins with respecting it. Sign nothing in advance. Bring the unsigned page, photo ID and any exhibit you refer to, then sign at his desk. A page signed at home has to be redone.
The state office that signs after him
A notary here is a court-linked officer, so his signature is checked by the Procura della Repubblica, the prosecutor's office sitting at the court. The Prefettura, the state's local branch, takes town hall and office papers instead. If you are told to legalize an Affidavit in Bari, the Procura is your desk.
The clerk holds the page against the sample signature on file and looks at nothing else. Your story is not read there. Bring the original rather than a scan, and keep the seal flat and unfolded, because a smudged stamp is turned away as often as a missing one.
The question nobody can skip
After the state stamp, the embassy legalization of an Affidavit in Bari closes at the destination country's embassy or consulate in Italy. Whether that closing step is wanted at all turns on the country that will read your statement. Ask the receiving authority in writing and file their answer.
Some places take a single-step certification and want nothing further. Others insist on the consular counter, plus a translation made to their own rules. Fees are paid up front and are rarely returned, so wait for that reply before you spend a euro on the chain.
Fee, timing and where these papers land
Cost splits in two. A €16 tax stamp, the marca da bollo sold at any tobacconist, rides on the Italian side; the consulate sets its own fee and may change it. Full consular legalization of an Affidavit in Italy usually runs 10–15 business days, or 3–5 business days on the quick route.
People swear these statements to show they are free to marry, to sponsor a relative, or to claim a share of an estate. The embassy attestation of an Affidavit in Bari is often filed beside a passport copy and proof of address, so build one bundle and copy it.