(Reference Office: D.G.IT. – DESK II)
The Register of Italians living abroad (A.I.R.E.) was established by Law No. 470 of October 27, 1988 and contains the data of Italian citizens living abroad for a period of over twelve months. It is managed by the Municipalities on the basis of data and information from the Consular Representations abroad.
Registration with A.I.R.E. is a legal obligation for citizens (Article 6, Law 470/1988; Article 11, Law 1228/1954) and is a prerequisite for accessing consular services provided by Consular Representations abroad, as well as for exercising important rights, such as, for example:
- the possibility of voting by correspondence for national elections and referendums in the 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 the EU Member States;
- the possibility of obtaining the issuance or renewal of identity and travel documents, as well as certifications;
- the possibility of renewing driving licences (only in non-EU Member States; for details see the section Autoveicoli – Patente di guida (Motor Vehicles – Driving licences).
The following people shall register with A.I.R.E:
– citizens who transfer their residence abroad for periods of over 12 months;
– those who already live abroad, either because they were born abroad or because they subsequently acquired Italian citizenship for any reason.
The following people shall not register with A.I.R.E:
– people who go abroad for a period of time shorter than one year;
– seasonal workers;
– school managers, teachers and administrative staff placed out of service and sent abroad for school activities outside Italy
– 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.
How to apply for registration with the A.I.R.E.:
Citizens may apply on the portal of consular services Fast-It by filling in the specific application form (available on the websites of all consular offices) and attaching to it the documentation required by the consular office. For information on how to send the forms, please refer to the website of the consular office with jurisdiction over your area of residence. Citizens residing abroad may also be registered ex officio, on the basis of the information possessed by the consular office (Art. 6, par. 6, Law no. 470/1988).
For information on tax matters, please refer to the provisions of Italian Presidential Decree no. 917 of 22 December 1986 (Consolidated Income Tax Act) and to the circulars issued by the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).
Registration with A.I.R.E. is FREE.
Penalties for not registering with the A.I.R.E.:
Citizens interested in registering with the A.I.R.E. must submit their request to the competent consular office no later than 90 days following their change of residence. This results in the immediate cancellation from the Register of the Resident Population (Anagrafe della Popolazione Residente, A.P.R.) of the Municipality of origin. Those who, having registration obligations, breach the provisions of Law no. 1228 of 24 December 1954, Law no. 470 of 27 October 1988, and the regulations implementing the aforementioned laws are subject to administrative fines, as provided by Law no. 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 procedure for ascertaining and imposing penalties is governed by Law no. 689 of 24 November 1981, Article 1, according to which “No one may be subjected to administrative penalties except by virtue of a law that came into force before the violation was committed”.
Frequently Asked Questions “Moving abroad”