Registry of Italians residing abroad (AIRE)

The Registry of Italians Living Abroad (A.I.R.E.), was established on October 27, 1988 (law 470/1988) and is a database of all the Italian citizens who live abroad for more than 12 months. The registry is managed by the Italian municipalities (Comuni) based on the information provided by the Consular offices abroad.

Registration in A.I.R.E. is a right/duty (art. 6 law n. 470/1988) as it allows access to several consular services and is a prerequisite to be able to exercise important rights such as:

apply for a new passport or other travel documents, and certificates;
vote by mail during Italian general elections and referendum;
renew a driver’s license.

Please note that on January 1, 2024, Law No. 213 of December 30, 2023 (Budget Law) came into force, which in Article 1, Paragraph 242, amends Article 11 of Law No. 1228 of 1954, introducing a penalty regime for those who fail to comply with legal provisions imposing registry obligations. Anyone who, having registry obligations, contravenes the provisions of Law No. 1228 of December 24, 1954, Law No. 470 of October 27, 1988, and the implementing regulations of the aforementioned laws is subject to fines.

Registration in A.I.R.E. is free of charge.

Who needs to register:

All Italian citizens who transfer their residency abroad for a period of at least 12 months.
All Italian citizens who already live abroad, either because they were born there, or because they became Italian citizens later in life, regardless of how their citizenship was acquired.

Who does not need to register:

Italian citizens who move abroad for a period of less than 12 months.
Permanent civil servants and 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.

2. Enroll in A.I.R.E.

Requests to enroll in A.I.R.E. must be submitted to the Consulate within 90 days of arrival in the Consular jurisdiction.
Registration in A.I.R.E. results in automatic cancellation from the Italian municipality’s A.P.R. (Registry of Italians living in Italy) or from the Consulate/Embassy’s registry if a person was already enrolled in a different Consular jurisdiction.

You can register in A.I.R.E. using the Fast It portal.

What is Fast It?
Fast It (Farnesina Servizi Telematici per Italiani/e all’estero) is a web portal of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation that allows Italian citizens living abroad to obtain consular services online.

How does Fast It work?
To access the portal click HERE.
If you are accessing Fast It for the first time you need to create an account. Click on “Registration”, insert your email address and choose a password, following the instructions available in the portal.
The next step is to fill out the form with your personal information (exactly as it appears in your Italian ID), including the city where you reside abroad. You will then receive a confirmation email with an activation link. If you don’t receive this email, please check your junk mail or spam.
Once your registration is completed you can request services on the portal. We suggest to access Fast It from a computer and not from a smartphone. Please also ensure to have access to a printer and scanner.

How can you submit a request to register in A.I.R.E.?
After login in with your username and password click on “Consular Register and A.I.R.E.” and then “Request the registration in the Registry of Italian citizens residing abroad (A.I.R.E.)” and follow the instructions available on the website.

fill in personal information EXACTLY as it appears on the Italian Passport;
in the absence of an Italian passport, fill in information EXACTLY as it appears on the birth certificate issued by the Italian municipality;
include all middle names with the first name in the field “Name”;
enter dates of birth in the European format: day / month / year;
indicate the exact date of arrival in the consular jurisdiction and the city and country of last residence.

Please note that you will need to upload the following documents to the portal:

Registration form. The form is generated in Fast It, after you have logged in and confirmed your information, and must be signed then uploaded.
Copy of a valid Italian passport (pages 2 to 5; or Italian ID) for yourself, each family member living at the same address and for minor children living at a separate address.
In the absence of a current Italian ID submit copy of an expired passport.
If you never had an Italian ID submit a birth certificate issued by the Italian municipality where the birth was registered.
For dual citizens: copy of a valid foreign passport for yourself and each family member living at the same address.
Proof of address (provincial driver’s license or identity card, utility bill, rental agreement, etc.) that matches the address declared in the A.I.R.E. form.
Copy of the Canadian study or work visa, Permanent Resident Card or Certificate of Canadian Citizenship (applicable only to those not born in Canada) for yourself and each family member living at the same address.

Files must be in PDF or jpeg format, and the maximum size must be 1MB per file.

How can you review your personal file?
After login in with your username and password click on “Consular Register and A.I.R.E.” and then “View your registry personal file”. If you are already registered in A.I.R.E. this will allow you to verify whether the information in the Consular database is complete and correct, and if necessary, request an update.

What should you do in case you cannot use Fast It?
If it is not possible for you to use Fast It you can submit your request to enroll in A.I.R.E. via email by sending the documents listed below to aire.vancouver@esteri.it:

Application form AIRE02 (available in the Forms section). Each adult Italian family member must complete and sign a separate form.
Copy of a valid Italian passport (pages 2 to 5; or Italian ID) for yourself, each family member living at the same address and for minor children living at a separate address.
In the absence of a current Italian ID submit copy of an expired passport.
If you never had an Italian ID submit a birth certificate issued by the Italian municipality were the birth was registered.
For dual citizens: copy of a valid foreign passport for yourself and each family member living at the same address.
Proof of address (provincial driver’s license or identity card, utility bill, rental agreement, etc.) that matches the address declared in the A.I.R.E. form.
Copy of the Canadian study or work visa, Permanent Resident Card or Certificate of Canadian Citizenship (applicable only to those not born in Canada) for yourself and each family member living at the same address.

Files must be in PDF or jpeg format, and the attachments combined size per email cannot exceed 5MB.

Change of address

It it is possible to request a change of address within the same Consular jurisdiction or a transfer to another Consular jurisdiction (for example from Toronto to Vancouver) using Fast It.
To access this service, go to Fast It, login in with your username and password, click on “Consular Register and AIRE” then “Notify the change of address” and follow the instructions available on the website.

To request a change of address within the same Consular jurisdiction you will need to upload the following supporting documents to the portal:

The form “Notify the change of address” (required), that needs to be downloaded and signed after entering your personal information on Fast It.
Copy of a valid photo ID.
Proof of address (provincial driver’s license or identity card, utility bill, rental agreement, etc.) that matches the address declared in the A.I.R.E. form.

If it is not possible for you to use Fast It you can submit your request to change your address via email by sending the documents listed below to aire.vancouver@esteri.it:

The application form AIRE03 (available in the Forms section) signed and dated.
Copy of a valid photo ID.
Proof of address (provincial driver’s license or identity card, utility bill, rental agreement, etc.) that matches the address declared in the A.I.R.E. form.

Failure to provide updated information, particularly regarding change of address, renders it impossible for the Consulate General to contact a citizen in regard to information and services concerning him/her or to forward an electoral card or voting kit for elections or referendum.
In the event an Italian citizen becomes unreachable due to a confirmed “unknown address” this Consulate General will then automatically cancel the name from the A.I.R.E. registry.

Permanent return to Italy of citizens registered in A.I.R.E.

Italian citizens registered in A.I.R.E. who permanently return to Italy must report to the municipality where they have decided to settle in order to declare their new residential address.

The municipality will cancel the individual from A.I.R.E with concurrent registration in the A.P.R. (Registry of Italians living in Italy) and is responsible for officially communicating the effective date of repatriation to the Consulate of origin

Request a certificate of A.I.R.E. registration

Only the municipality (Comune) of residency in Italy can issue certificates of A.I.R.E. registration.

The Consulate can only issue a Certificate of Registration in the Consular Database. This document is not a certificate of A.I.R.E. registration and does not report the effective date of your A.I.R.E. registration. The Certificate states name and address of the individual and, if applicable, the names of their family members living at the same address.

Last update: Jan 26, 2024

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