The Registry of Italians Residing Abroad (A.I.R.E.), established by law no. 470, contains the data of Italian citizens residing abroad for a period of more than twelve months. The registry is managed by the Italian municipalities on the basis of data and information supplied by consular offices abroad.
A.I.R.E. enrolment is a citizen’s right/duty (art. 6 Law no. 470/1988) and is needed in order to access to a series of services from consular offices, as well as the exercise of some important rights (issue of travel documents, certificates, exercise the right to vote abroad...).
A.I.R.E. enrolment 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 enrol 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 staff working for NATO abroad.
How to register with the AIRE
Italian citizens permanently resident in Botswana, Eswatini and Mozambique can apply for registration with AIRE (for themselves and their family members of Italian citizenship) by filling in the application form (Aire Registration and update) available in the Form section. Documentation proving actual residence must be attached to the form (e.g. residence permit, copy of the employment contract, residential utility bills ...). Requests can be submitted by:
- either going in person to the Consular Office of the Embassy;
- or sending an e-mail (in this case a copy of an identity document must be attached) to consolare.maputo@esteri.it. Registration to the A.I.R.E. it's free.
- or online through the FAST.IT portal, which allows greater dematerialization of the process and other advantages. Click to visit the FAST-IT portal.
Please be aware that Italian Municipalities will automatically register citizens in their A.I.R.E. when they become aware that those citizens reside permanently abroad. Likewise, having established that a citizen has effective and permanent residence abroad, the consular office of this Embassy will request the Italian Municipality to register him/her with the A.I.R.E.
Updating the AIRE registration data
Italian citizens living outside of Italy are obliged to notify the Consular Office of any changes regarding:
- change of address;
- change in civil status, especially when requesting the registration in Italy of foreign deeds (marriage, birth, divorce, death, etc.);
- definitive return to Italy:
- It should be noted that AIRE registered citizens who return permanently to Italy must report to the Municipality where they have decided to settle in order to declare their new residential address;
- on the same date, the Municipality will provide for the cancellation from the AIRE with simultaneous registration in the APR (Resident Population Registry);
- the Municipality is responsible for officially communicating the effective date of the repatriation to the Embassy which will register the repatriation in its consular files.
- loss of Italian citizenship.
Changes must be advised by completing the Aire Registration and update form, in the same way as for registration (delivery of form at the consular office or sending it by e-mail).
Changes of residence can also be informed through the portal of online consular services (FAST.IT).
Please note that failure to update information, in particular that relating to the change of address and telephone and e-mail addresses, makes it impossible for the consular office to contact the citizen and, should elections take place, to receive the electoral envelope by mail.
Cancellation from A.I.R.E. takes place in the following cases:
- for registration in the Resident Population Registry (A.P.R.) of an Italian municipality following a transfer from abroad or repatriation. The cancellation from Aire for repatriation with the consequent updating of the consular register can only take place following the confirmation of the registration of the citizen with the APR by the Italian Municipality, which restores the registry residence and the registration in the list of voters in the territory of the Republic and notifies the Embassy.
- by death, including judicially declared presumed death;
- for presumed unavailability. If the Embassy receives notice that the Italian citizen registered in his consular district has left the territory, in the absence of confirmation of his repatriation by the Italian Municipality and registration in the APR, he must proceed with the request for cancellation due to unavailability, after verification the fact that the delivery address is no longer current;
- for loss of Italian citizenship.
