For general information on AIRE, see the dedicated page on the Italian MoFA website
The Registry of Italians Resident Abroad (A.I.R.E.) was established by Italian Law No. 470 of October 27, 1988, and contains data on Italian citizens residing abroad for a period of more than 12 months. It is managed by municipalities on the basis of data and information from Consular Representations abroad.
Registration with the A.I.R.E. is both a citizen’s right and duty (art. 6 Italian Law no. 470/1988) and is a prerequisite for benefiting from a series of services provided by consular offices abroad, as well as for exercising important rights, such as
- the possibility to vote for political elections and referendums by post in one’s country of residence, and for the election of Italian representatives to the European Parliament in the polling stations set up by the diplomatic-consular network in countries belonging to the European Union;
- the possibility to obtain the issue or renewal of identity and travel documents and certifications.
The following people must register with A.I.R.E:
- citizens who transfer their residence abroad for periods of more than 12 months;
- those who already reside there, either because they were born abroad or because they subsequently acquired Italian citizenship for any reason.
The following people must not register with A.I.R.E:
- people going abroad for a period of less than one year;
- seasonal workers;
- permanent State employees serving abroad who are notified under the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations and Consular Relations of 1961 and 1963 respectively;
- Italian military personnel serving in NATO offices and facilities located abroad.
Enrolment in the A.I.R.E. is carried out following a declaration made by the interested party to the competent consular office within 90 days of the transfer of residence and entails simultaneous cancellation from the Register of Resident Population (A.P.R.) of the municipality of origin.
The request must be made through the Fast It portal, attaching documentation proving actual residence in the consular district and a copy of the applicant’s identity document.
If you are unable to use Fast It, for A.I.R.E. registrations or notifications of data changes, you can also hand in the form duly filled and signed (form downloadable here), attaching documentation proving your actual residence in the consular district and a copy of your identity document, in person at the consular office during opening hours, or by sending an e-mail to consolato.addisabeba@esteri.it.
Registration may also take place ex officio, on the basis of information of which the consular office has become aware.
Registration with A.I.R.E. is FREE OF CHARGE.
Updating the A.I.R.E. is up to the citizen.
The person concerned must notify the consular office without delay of:
- the transfer of his/her residence or dwelling abroad;
- a change of address (to the Consulate of registration if the change is in the same consular district, to the new Consulate of competence if the change is to another consular district);
- changes to civil status, including for the possible transcription in Italy of foreign acts (marriage, birth, divorce, death, etc.);
- the loss of Italian nationality.
Citizens registered with AIRE who return permanently to Italy must appear at the Italian Commune where they have decided to settle in order to declare their new address of residence. On the same date, the Municipality will provide for the cancellation from the A.I.R.E. with the contextual registration in the A.P.R. (Anagrafe Popolazione Residente). It will be the Municipality’s responsibility to officially communicate the effective date of repatriation to the Consulate of origin, which will register the repatriation in its consular files.
Failure to update the information, particularly that concerning the change of address, makes it impossible to contact the citizen and receive the postcard or electoral packet in the event of voting.
It is important that the italian citizen communicates his/her address correctly and completely according to the postal regulations of the country of residence.
Cancellation from the A.I.R.E. is effected:
- by registration in the Register of Resident Population (A.P.R.) of an Italian commune following transfer from abroad or repatriation;
- by death, including judicially declared presumed death;
- through presumed unavailability, unless proven otherwise, one hundred years after birth or after two successive records have been made, or when the address abroad communicated previously is no longer valid and it is not possible to acquire a new one;
- for loss of Italian nationality;
What happens if one does not register with A.I.R.E.:
Registration with the A.I.R.E. is carried out following a declaration that the interested party must make to the competent consular office within 90 days of the transfer of residence and entails the simultaneous cancellation from the Register of the Resident Population (A.P.R.) of the commune of origin. Anyone who, having registry office obligations, contravenes the provisions of Italian Law n° 1228 of 24 December 1954, Italian Law n° 470 of 27 October 1988, and the regulations implementing the aforementioned laws is subject to administrative fines, as provided by Italian Law n° 213 of 30 December 2023. The competent authority for ascertaining and imposing the penalty is the Municipality in whose registry the offender is registered.
The assessment and sanctioning procedure in the hands of the municipalities is regulated by Italian Law No. 689 of 24 November 1981, Article 1 of which provides that ‘No one may be subjected to administrative sanctions except by virtue of a law that came into force before the violation was committed’.
Fast It Portal – Italian MoFA Telematic Services for Italians Abroad
Please note that you can manage your AIRE registration from the comfort of your own home, by accessing the consular services portal Fast It with your SPID digital identity.