VOTING BY MAIL FOR ITALIAN CITIZENS RESIDING ABROAD AND OPTION TO VOTE IN ITALY
By decree of the President of the Republic dated 13 January 2026, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on 14 January 2026, the dates of 22 and 23 MARCH 2026 have been set for the referendum pursuant to Article 138 of the Constitution, concerning amendments to certain articles of the Constitution (so-called “Justice Reform”).
It is recalled that VOTING is a RIGHT protected by the Italian Constitution and that, pursuant to Law No. 459 of 27 December 2001, Italian citizens residing or temporarily staying abroad, registered on the electoral lists, may VOTE BY MAIL, receiving their electoral package at their residence address. To this end, it is recommended to check and, if necessary, immediately update one’s personal and address details with the competent Consular Office (under Italian law, electoral packages must be sent approximately one month before the vote in Italy), preferably using the online consular services portal Fast It.
As an alternative to voting by mail, registered AIRE electors may choose to vote in Italy at their municipality of registration by submitting their choice (OPTION) in writing to the Consulate within ten days of the announcement of the referendum. The choice (option) to vote in Italy applies only to the specific referendum for which it is expressed.
The OPTION must be received by the Consular Office no later than ten days after the announcement of the consultation, i.e., by 24 January 2026.
For this purpose, a dedicated form is available for download from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (www.esteri.it) and from that of the relevant Consular Office.
The completed and signed form, accompanied by an identity document, may be submitted or sent to the relevant Consular Office in person, by post, by ordinary email, or by certified electronic mail (PEC). Relevant addresses are available on the website of the respective Consulate.
The communication of the option may also be submitted on plain paper; in any case, to be valid, it must include the elector’s first name, surname, date and place of birth, place of residence and signature, and must be sent together with a copy of an identity document.
Current legislation requires electors to ensure that their postal communication of the option has been received in due time by the relevant Consular Office. Requests received after the above deadline will not be considered valid.
The choice to vote in Italy may subsequently be REVOKED by a written communication submitted to the Consular Office using the same methods and within the same deadline provided for exercising the option.
The law DOES NOT provide for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred to return to Italy for voting purposes, but tariff concessions are available within the Italian territory.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR RELEVANT CONSULAR OFFICE.
