Viaggiare Sicuri
The www.viaggiaresicuri.it site, published by the Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Unit in collaboration with ACI, provides the latest information on all the countries of the world.
Check the page for the country you plan to visit for any special advice notices and an up-date on the overall situation and any security or weather-related problems, epidemics, etc.
Country sheets
The Viaggiare Sicuri site also includes country sheets with more detailed up-dates: security and health conditions, information for business travellers, transport conditions and useful addresses.
Check again just before you leave
Remember to check www.viaggiaresicuri.it again just before you leave because the security situation can change rapidly. The laws and regulations in force in foreign countries can change too. We up-date all of this information constantly.
Crisis Unit phone-line
You can also contact the Crisis Unit’s phone-line for information. The service is available every day (with recorded messages during the night).
From Italy: 06-491115
From abroad +39-06-491115
Dove siamo nel mondo (Where we are in the world)
Before leaving, you can also register with the www.dovesiamonelmondo.it site by entering your name, your itinerary and your mobile phone number (your right to privacy is protected – see below). The Crisis Unit can then use this information in crisis situations to estimate the number of Italians present in the region affected, identify them and plan any emergency assistance that may be needed.
Privacy
All the information you enter on the www.dovesiamonelmondo.it site is deleted automatically two days after the return date you provided. We only use the information in emergencies to help the Crisis Unit organise any emergency measures that may be needed.
Registering by text (SMS)
You can also register using your mobile phone. Just send a text (SMS) containing a question mark – ? – or the word AIUTO to this number: 320 2043424. Alternatively, you can phone 011-2219018 and follow the instructions.
Get insurance before leaving!
We strongly recommend that you obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) when travelling in the countries of the European Union. For trips outside the EU, you should organise health insurance. The insurance should be sufficient to cover not only medical expenses at hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the country you are visiting, but also any air transfer you may need. This could be to another country or to return home – which can mean, in the most serious cases, transfer by air-ambulance.
Package tours – check the conditions!
If you’re going on a package tour, we suggest that you carefully check the terms of the insurance cover included in your travel package. If the cover provided is too low and does not provide sufficient guarantees, we advise you to take out additional private health insurance.
Loans with promissory note
In recent years we have noted an increase in the cases of Italian nationals who find themselves in financial difficulty for health/medical reasons while abroad. Diplomatic/Consular missions provide any necessary assistance. But they cannot offer direct financial assistance to individuals. Only in the most serious and urgent cases can they grant loans to Italian nationals not residing in their consular district who become indigent. The individuals concerned must sign a promissory note pledging to repay the loan once they return to Italy.
“Se parto per…” guide to healthcare assistance abroad
For more general information on access to healthcare abroad, we suggest visiting the Ministry of Health website and its “Se Parto Per…” service. This will tell you, for each country of the world, whether or not, as an Italian national, you are entitled to healthcare.
Italy’s diplomatic missions abroad
Our diplomatic missions abroad have a the task of protecting Italian interests in the countries they are responsible for. They offer a range of services.
They provide help for visiting Italian nationals in cases involving, for example, death, accidents, serious illness, arrest or imprisonment, or violent attacks. They also provide assistance in crisis situations (natural disasters, civil unrest, armed conflict, etc). And they can issue emergency travel documents if your passport is lost or stolen.
Here is the list of the main services provided by our consulates. Each service has its own section.
What to do if the country you’re visiting has no Italian diplomatic mission
If you’re travelling in a country where there is no Italian diplomatic mission, you can ask for consular help and protection from the embassy or consulate of another European Union member state. You can find more information in this section of the European Commission website http://ec.europa.eu/consularprotection/index.action
All of Italy’s diplomatic missions worldwide are listed here.
Feedback
Remember that you can express your opinion of the service you obtained from the embassy or consulate you visited. Each of our missions abroad has a special public register available for this purpose. For more information, contact the Office for Relations with the Public.