Start at the Comune
A Birth Certificate for use abroad comes from the Comune where the birth was entered. In Messina that means the civil status office at the town hall. Ask for a full extract rather than a bare statement of birth, because the fuller sheet names the parents as well. That is the sensible opening move for anyone reading up on how to legalize a Birth Certificate.
Which extract to ask for
Town halls print more than one form of this record. A short certificate confirms only the fact of a birth. A full extract adds the parents' names, the place and the register entry. Some offices can also print a multilingual form. Ask the office abroad which of these it wants before you pay for the wrong one, and check the clerk has signed and dated the sheet.
The Prefettura stamp
The Prefettura in Messina legalises papers issued by admin bodies, and a civil status extract is exactly that. The other counter, the Procura della Repubblica, exists for deeds signed before a notary and for papers a court issued. So consular legalization of a Birth Certificate in Italy runs through the Prefettura rather than the court, however personal the record feels to you.
The consular desk in Italy
Then the file goes to the embassy or consulate in Italy of the country that asked for it. That clerk reads the Italian mark, then puts a consular one beside it. The embassy attestation of a Birth Certificate in Messina is what a foreign registry office, school or pension desk will look for. Each mission sets its own hours, its own form and its own way of taking money.
Cost and waiting
Set aside a €16 tax stamp (marca da bollo) for the Italian leg and the consular fee for the last one. Plan 10–15 business days to legalize a Birth Certificate in Messina, counting from the day the Comune prints the sheet. A faster lane of 3–5 business days is sold at some desks. Order two extracts while you are at the town hall.
Family files abroad
These records open a lot of doors. They go into marriage files, school places, passport claims, inheritance files and pension claims. Whether the consular stamp is wanted at all depends on the destination, so ask the receiving authority in writing first. Some of them take a single-step certification instead. Once you know, the embassy legalization of a Birth Certificate in Messina can be arranged in a single run.