L’AIRE – Registro Italiano della Popolazione Italiana Residente all’Estero

AIRE – Italian Register of the Italian Population Residing Abroad

AIRE is the registry of the Italian population residing abroad. Established in 1990 following the enactment of Law no. 470 of 27 October 1988 and its implementing regulation, Presidential Decree no. 323 of 6 September 1989, AIRE contains the data of citizens who have spontaneously declared their intention to reside abroad for a period of time exceeding twelve months or, for whom such residency has been officially certified.

Is AIRE registration mandatory for all citizens residing abroad? What are the registration procedures and the benefits deriving from it? In this guide we will provide you with all the information you need on the Registry of Italians Resident Abroad. So, all you have to do is continue reading to get an answer to your questions!

Who must register with AIRE?

Registration in the Registry of Italians Abroad is mandatory in cases specifically prescribed by law.

In particular, you will have to register with AIRE:

  • if you are an Italian citizen and you intend to move your residence – understood as the place of habitual residence, where the owner carries out his family, working and social life – abroad for a period exceeding twelve months ;
  • if you are an Italian citizen born abroad and have always resided outside of Italian territory;
  • if you acquired Italian citizenship abroad.

On the other hand, registration does not have to be carried out in the case of:

  • Italian citizens who travel abroad for reasons of limited duration not exceeding twelve months;
  • citizens who go abroad to carry out seasonal work;
  • permanent employees of the State in service abroad and persons living with them, who have been notified to the local authorities pursuant to the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic relations and consular relations, respectively of 1961 and 1963, ratified by Law no. 804 of 9 August 1967.

Why is it important to register with AIRE?

In addition to fulfilling an obligation established by law, registration with AIRE determines the emergence of a wide range of benefits for the interested party.

First of all, registration with AIRE guarantees the interested party the possibility of enjoying a set of services normally reserved only for residents in Italy: by virtue of registration with AIRE, it will be possible to request, among others - conveniently from one's residence abroad, without returning to Italy - the issuing of registry certificates, passport renewal, driving license renewal for those residing in non-European countries, the provision of a certificate of residence.

AIRE members also have the option of exercising their right to vote by correspondence – both in political elections and referendums – through the competent Consulate, which takes care of sending the ballot papers to the designated foreign domicile.

How do I register with AIRE? What documents are required?

Registration with AIRE is very simple and completely free. The procedure is carried out at the office competent consular office, within 90 days of expatriation. This deadline, in fact, is not peremptory: the legislator in fact recognises the possibility of requesting registration even after the expiry of the above-mentioned deadline.

Once the interested party has gone to the office in question, he or she simply fills in the appropriate registration form or submits it directly (the form can in fact be easily downloaded in advance from the website of the relevant consular office). The form must also, as a rule, be accompanied by all documents suitable for demonstrating actual residence in the consular district, such as, for example, the certificate of residence issued by the foreign authority, the residence permit, the foreign identity card, a copy of the employment contract, etc.

The Consular Office, once it has ascertained that the applicant is in possession of Italian citizenship, will then proceed to send the registration form to the last municipality of residence of the citizen who has submitted the application for registration with AIRE, or, in the case of birth and continuous residence abroad, to the municipality of last residence of his/her parents or ancestors.

The municipality, once it has examined the documents and ascertained its own competence, finally proceeds to register the requesting citizen in the AIRE, as well as to simultaneously cancel him/her from the APR (the registry of the population resident in the municipality concerned).

Cancellation from AIRE

In conclusion, it seems useful to provide some brief information on the cancellation from the Registry of Italians residing abroad.

The latter can occur first of all in the case in which the citizen, who has completed the AIRE registration procedure, has returned to live permanently and permanently in Italy.

In this case, the interested party must go to the office of the Italian Municipality where he/she has decided to settle to declare the new address of residence. On the same date, the Municipality will implement a procedure diametrically opposed to the one described above, carrying out the cancellation from AIRE with simultaneous registration in APR (Resident Population Registry). The Municipality will also take care of officially communicating the effective date of the repatriation to the Consulate of origin which will register the repatriation in its consular records.

Cancellation from AIRE may also occur:

  • for death, including judicially declared presumed death;
  • for presumed unavailability, unless proven otherwise, after one hundred years from birth or after two subsequent surveys have been carried out, or when the previously communicated foreign address is no longer valid and it is not possible to acquire the new one;
  • for loss of Italian citizenship.

On our site you can get it in a very short time and completely conveniently the AIRE certificate here

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