Ask for the full copy, not the short extract
The registry in Genoa can print two different papers. The short extract gives bare facts, while the full copy — the copia integrale — reproduces the whole entry with both parents and any notes added later. Almost every foreign office wants the full copy, so how to legalize a Birth Certificate starts with asking for that one by name.
Freshness counts as well. Many desks abroad refuse a certificate printed long ago, since a birth entry can gain notes over the years. Order a new copy rather than reusing one from a drawer. Ask the clerk to date it on the day of issue and to sign it by hand.
Where the record sits in Genoa
Birth entries are held by the Comune where the birth was registered, in the Ufficio di Stato Civile. If you were born in the city, the Genoa registry holds your entry and can print it. If you were born elsewhere in Italy, that comune has it and Genoa cannot help. Check which office holds the entry before you queue anywhere.
You can go to the counter in person, send someone with a signed note, or use the comune's online desk where one exists. Whichever route you pick, you still have to legalize a Birth Certificate in Genoa afterwards, because a bare registry print carries no weight abroad. The stamps are what make it travel.
The Prefettura stamp
Italy divides legalization between two offices. The Prefettura, the arm of central government sitting in each province, handles civil-status and other administrative papers. The Procura della Repubblica, the prosecutor's office in the courthouse, takes judgments and notarial acts instead. A birth record is administrative, so the Prefettura is your desk.
The clerk there is checking one thing: that the registrar's signature on your copy matches the specimen the office holds. Consular legalization of a Birth Certificate in Italy cannot begin until that mark is on. If the signature is illegible, or the sheet is a photocopy, expect it back. Bring the original print, freshly issued.
Handing it to the mission
Next comes the mission. The embassy legalization of a Birth Certificate in Genoa is completed at the destination country's consulate in Italy, which adds its own stamp on top of the Prefettura mark. Most missions want an appointment, the original, a copy and your identity paper. Some also ask for a translation, so write and ask before you go.
Duty, timing and what it is for
A €16 marca da bollo covers the Italian duty, bought at any tobacconist and fixed to the file. The consulate then charges what its own tariff says, which we cannot quote for you. Standard timing sits at 10–15 business days, and a hurried file can be turned in 3–5. The mission's queue is the loose part of that.
Marriage abroad, a citizenship file, a school place or a residence permit are the usual reasons people need this. Whether the embassy attestation of a Birth Certificate in Genoa is required, though, depends entirely on the destination. Some accept a single-step certification instead. Ask the office that will read the certificate, and get their answer in writing.