The Registry of Italians Residing Abroad (A.I.R.E.) contains personal information of Italian citizens who reside abroad for a period of more than 12 months. It is a citizen’s right/duty to enroll in the A.I.R.E.. It is a prerequisite for use of certain services provided by diplomatic and consular missions abroad, as well as for the exercise of some important rights, such as the right to absentee voting in political elections or issuance or renewal of personal documents and certifications. All you need to do is go to your local competent consular office within 90 days from your departure and fill out a form.
Registry of Italians Residing Abroad (A.I.R.E.)
The Registry of Italians Residing Abroad (A.I.R.E.) contains personal information of Italian citizens who reside abroad for a period of more than 12 months. n1
The Register is administered by Italian municipalities (Comune of Rome, Milan, Turin, etc.) which receive the relevant information from the foreign missions.
According to art. 6 Law no. 470/1988, it is a citizen’s right/duty to enroll in the A.I.R.E.. It is a prerequisite for use of certain services provided by diplomatic and consular missions abroad, as well as for the exercise of some important rights, such as:
“• the right to absentee voting in political elections and referendums and for the election of Italian representatives to the European Parliament in the seats set up by the diplomatic-consular network in EU member countries;
• the right to the issuance or renewal of identification and travel documents and to certifications;
• the right to renew a drivers license (only in non-UE countries; for details consult the Automobiles – Drivers License section).”n.2
A.I.R.E. enrollment is mandatory for:
- “citizens who take up residence in a foreign country for more than 12 months;
- citizens residing abroad either as a result of being born there or having obtained Italian citizenship for any reason whatsoever.
Not required to enroll in the A.I.R.E.:
- citizens who go abroad for a period of less than 12 months;
- seasonal workers;
- government employees posted abroad, who are notified in pursuance of the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic relations and consular relations respectively of 1961 and 1963;
- Italian military servicemen/women working under the auspices of NATO abroad.”n2
In case you need to enroll in the A.I.R.E., all you need to do is go to your local competent consular office within 90 days from your departure and fill out a form with all your relevant information (click here to download the template provided by the Italian Embassy in Washington D.C.).n3 Usually you can send your application by mail or email or you can take it to the Consulate in person. A.I.R.E. enrollment comes with no costs.n4
Generally, required documents are:
AIRE registration form;
Italian passport valid for each of the family members of the applicant;
proof of legal residence in the foreign country, if available (visa, permanent resident card, etc.);
proof of residence (driver’s license, utility bills, copy of the employment contract).n4
After filing this request you will be canceled from the Civil Registry (APR) of your Italian municipality of residence.
The applicant must notify the Consular Office of any changes when they occur. Relevant changes are referred to: address, civil status, (marriage, birth, divorce, death, etc.), relocation to Italy, loss of Italian citizenship. In case of transfer to another consular district (Boston, Chicago, New York, etc.), you must notify the new Consular Office.
“A.I.R.E. enrollment is rendered void by:
- enrollment in the Civil Registry (A.P.R.) of an Italian municipality following transfer or repatriation from abroad;
- death, including legally declared presumed death;
- presumed inability to contact, barring proof to the contrary, at 100 years from date of birth or after two successive attempts, or once the address reported abroad no longer results valid and a new one is not available;
- loss of Italian citizenship;
- transfer from the A.I.R.E. of another Italian municipality.”n5
CONTACT US

David
I recommend David, he is dedicated and get the things done! Well done David, and thank you.
A big thank you to David who has helped moved things along with my AIRE registration. After months of trying to contact the consulate in London, David has managed to help me find out my situation and get the ball moving. Thoroughly recommend using Vademecum Italia. Thank you again!
I moved to uk 59 years ago from italy and I’m applying to renew my passport. Do I need to register with a.i.r.e to do this as I have never had to do this before.
Thanks
Dear Donato,
If you are an Italian citizen living abroad, you need to request the registration in the AIRE. In order to do this, you need to check the website of your local Consulate for instructions and timing. For example, please note that, at the moment, the Consulate of London takes around 12 months to complete the AIRE registration process.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.
Thank you,
David.
Thank you for your help David.
Hi David, my partner is currently applying for an AIRE in London, but until she receives it, she cannot renew her passport (currently 6 months left) and visit her parents in Canada. Given that the process might take 6 or even 12 months, is there any way to speed up the process? Eg. can she get the passport renewed in Italy without an AIRE?
Many thanks
Dear Adam,
Please send me an email (assistance@vademecumitalia.com)
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
David.
Hi, is there some way of telling if my mother, resident in the UK for 66 years, is registered with AIRE? I seem to recollect her receiving Italian voting papers in the past. I need to somehow renew her passport, difficult given her age, frailty and deteriorating memory. Thank you.
Dear Alison,
Yes there is.
However, I will need more info. Therefore, I will send you an email as soon as possible.
Thank you,
David.
Hi,can I register with aire alone and my wife and children retaining their residence in italy
Hi there, I’m looking to renew my Italian passport, it expired years ago, the last one I have to hand is dated from 1990. I’m trying to work out if I’m AIRE registered or not. Would having a passport issues after 1988 when it was introduced mean that I am registered? Thanks for any help!
I leave in Italy holding italian citizenship but my wife is not but hold a member of Eu documents and she is in uk doing some studies,we are expecting a new baby so in this case how can l obtain Italian citizenship for the baby
Dear Tommy,
Please send an email to citizenship@vademecumitalia.com