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Codice Civile art. 337-octies — Poteri del giudice e ascolto del minore

TL;DR. Italian Codice Civile article 337-octies was the canonical listening-of-the-minor (ascolto del minore) and mediation-referral statute from 2013 to 2023. First paragraph: before adopting provisions under art. 337-ter (joint-custody-default + bigenitoriality + non-compliance modification), the court must order the hearing of the minor child aged 12+ — and also of a minor under 12 if capable of discernment (se capace di discernimento). In proceedings where the court is approving a parental agreement on custody, hearing is dispensed only where it would be contrary to the child's interest or manifestly superfluous. Second paragraph: where appropriate, the court may, with party consent, defer adopting art. 337-ter provisions to allow the spouses, with expert assistance, to attempt mediation focused on the child's moral and material interest.

⚠ The article was abrogated effective 28 February 2023 by D.Lgs. 149/2022 (Riforma Cartabia). The current regime is found in the new Codice di Procedura Civile articles 473-bis 4 (right of the minor to be heard) and 473-bis 5 (modalities) which apply to proceedings instituted on or after 28 February 2023. Per the transitional rule (art. 35 D.Lgs. 149/2022), proceedings instituted before that date remain governed by art. 337-octies.

Source: brocardi.it canonical — Italian state statute (historical). · Fetched: 2026-06-13 · Editorial commentary licence: CC BY 4.0

Full statutory text — verbatim Italian (article as in force 2013-2023)

Art. 337-octies — Poteri del giudice e ascolto del minore

Primo comma. Prima dell'emanazione, anche in via provvisoria, dei provvedimenti di cui all'articolo 337 ter, il giudice può assumere, ad istanza di parte o d'ufficio, mezzi di prova. Il giudice dispone, inoltre, l'ascolto del figlio minore che abbia compiuto gli anni dodici e anche di età inferiore ove capace di discernimento. Nei procedimenti in cui si omologa o si prende atto di un accordo dei genitori, relativo alle condizioni di affidamento dei figli, il giudice non procede all'ascolto se in contrasto con l'interesse del minore o manifestamente superfluo.

Secondo comma. Qualora ne ravvisi l'opportunità, il giudice, sentite le parti e ottenuto il loro consenso, può rinviare l'adozione dei provvedimenti di cui all'articolo 337 ter per consentire che i coniugi, avvalendosi di esperti, tentino una mediazione per raggiungere un accordo, con particolare riferimento alla tutela dell'interesse morale e materiale dei figli.

English translation (working — not an official translation)

Article 337-octies — Court powers and the hearing of the minor

First paragraph. Before adopting, even provisionally, the provisions referred to in article 337-ter, the court may take evidence, on the application of a party or on its own motion. The court further orders the hearing of the minor child who has reached the age of twelve, and also of a minor of a younger age where capable of discernment. In proceedings in which the court approves or takes note of an agreement of the parents regarding the conditions of custody of the children, the court does not proceed to the hearing if this is contrary to the interest of the minor or manifestly superfluous.

Second paragraph. Where appropriate, the court, having heard the parties and obtained their consent, may defer the adoption of the provisions referred to in article 337-ter to allow the spouses, with the assistance of experts, to attempt mediation to reach an agreement, with particular reference to the protection of the moral and material interest of the children.

Current law — Riforma Cartabia (D.Lgs. 149/2022, effective 28 February 2023)

The Riforma Cartabia abolished art. 337-octies and substituted a generalised right of the minor to be heard in family proceedings, codified in new articles of the Codice di Procedura Civile (c.p.c.):

  • Art. 473-bis 4 c.p.c. (Diritto del minore all'ascolto) — establishes the right of the minor to be heard "in proceedings in which provisions to be adopted concern the minor." The hearing is now framed as a fundamental right of the minor (diritto fondamentale del minore), elevating it from a procedural duty of the court (the art. 337-octies framing) to a substantive right held by the child. The age threshold remains at 12+ with discernment-based hearings below 12. New provisions allow the court not to proceed with the hearing where the minor has physical or psychological inability, or where the minor expresses the wish not to be heard.

  • Art. 473-bis 5 c.p.c. (Modalità dell'ascolto) — sets out the procedural modalities. The court must: (i) explain to the minor "the nature of the proceedings and the effects of the hearing" and ask whether the minor wishes to be heard; (ii) conduct the hearing in conditions guaranteeing the minor's serenity and confidentiality; (iii) audio-visually record the hearing (no facultative non-recording — only "technical reasons" permit omission); (iv) prepare a detailed verbale recording the minor's behaviour. The court must guard against secondary victimisation (vittimizzazione secondaria) from the audio-visual procedure.

  • Art. 152-quinquies disp. att. c.p.c. — provides for technical regulations on audio-visual recording, conservation, and inclusion in the digital case file (fascicolo telematico).

The substantive content at art. 315-bis Codice Civile, 3° comma (right of the minor to be heard in matters affecting them) is unaffected by the Cartabia reform and remains the codice civile-level right.

Why these provisions matter for parental-alienation analysis

The Italian listening-of-the-minor regime is doctrinally central to PA-context litigation because the child's expressed wishes are the principal evidentiary battleground in PA cases — alienating-pattern conduct that coaches a child to express objections to the target parent forms the substantive challenge.

Capacità di discernimento — the under-12 discernment threshold

Both the old art. 337-octies and the new art. 473-bis 4 c.p.c. permit the hearing of a minor under 12 "where capable of discernment" (se capace di discernimento). The brocardi.it commentary on the abrogated article provides a doctrinally helpful definition of discernimento: "the minor's capacity to understand what is best for them, making autonomous choices without being subject to the influence of the parents' will" (la capacità dello stesso di comprendere cosa sia migliore per lui, operando delle scelte autonome senza subire l'influenza della volontà dei genitori). This definition is directly PA-relevant — a child whose expressed wishes reflect a parent's coaching does not satisfy the discernment threshold.

Under the new Cartabia framework (art. 473-bis 5 c.p.c.), the court must explain to the discerning minor the nature of the proceedings + effects of the hearing, and ask expressly whether the minor wishes to be heard. This is a substantive safeguard against coercive parental pressure on the child to attend or not attend the hearing.

Audio-visual recording — anti-influence safeguard

The Cartabia requirement of mandatory audio-visual recording (subject only to "technical reasons" non-recording) creates a contemporaneous evidentiary record of the child's demeanour, tone, hesitation, and expressed views. This is a substantial PA-relevant safeguard: courts and subsequent expert evaluators can review the recording to assess whether the child's expressed views appear authentic or coached.

Mediation referral (second paragraph of art. 337-octies — analogous provisions in Cartabia framework)

The mediation-referral provision (deferring substantive art. 337-ter custody provisions to allow expert-assisted mediation focused on the child's moral and material interest) remains conceptually significant. In high-conflict PA-context cases, well-structured mediation with PA-aware experts can sometimes interrupt the alienating-pattern dynamic before contested custody orders entrench positions.

Connection to UN CRC Article 12

Both the old art. 337-octies and the new art. 473-bis 4-5 c.p.c. operationalise UN CRC Article 12 (right of the child to be heard, with views given due weight by age and maturity) at the national-procedural level. The Cartabia "fundamental right of the minor" framing aligns the Italian regime with the substantive UN CRC entitlement.

Cross-references within the AntiAlienate Knowledge Base

Primary source

  • brocardi.it canonical (historical): https://www.brocardi.it/codice-civile/libro-primo/titolo-ix/capo-ii/art337octies.html
  • Statute citation: Codice Civile italiano, art. 337-octies (abrogated 28 February 2023)
  • Codification history: Article inserted by art. 55 of D.Lgs. 28 December 2013 n. 154 (reformulating art. 155-sexies abrogated by the same decree); abrogated by art. 1 paragraph 5 of D.Lgs. 10 October 2022 n. 149 (Riforma Cartabia), effective 28 February 2023. Transitional rule at art. 35(1) D.Lgs. 149/2022 preserves application to proceedings instituted before that date.
  • Current law citation: Codice di Procedura Civile artt. 473-bis 4 (Diritto del minore all'ascolto) + 473-bis 5 (Modalità dell'ascolto) + 152-quinquies disp. att. c.p.c. (technical regulations on audio-visual recording).
  • Status: Italian state statute — public-domain text.

Sources & authoritative references

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