1 What is A.I.R.E.?
2 Who must register with the A.I.R.E.?
3 How to register with AIRE
4 How to update your address
1 What is A.I.R.E.?
The Registry of Italians Resident Abroad (A.I.R.E.), as indicated in the art. 1 of Law 470/1988, is managed by Italian Municipalities on the basis of information coming from consular representations abroad.
All Italian citizens who reside abroad for a period exceeding twelve months are obliged to request registration with AIRE within the first 90 days. This registration constitutes the prerequisite for using the consular services provided by consular representations abroad, as well as for the exercise of important rights, such as for example:
• the possibility of voting by post during political elections and referendums, referred to in articles 75 and 138 of the Constitution, as provided for by law 459/2001;
• the possibility of voting in the elections of Italian representatives to the European Parliament at polling stations established by the diplomatic-consular network in countries belonging to the European Union;
• the possibility of obtaining the issuance of identity and travel documents;
• the possibility of requesting the release of certifications of competence of the Representations abroad (please remember that the AIRE registration certificate is issued only by the AIRE Municipality in Italy);
Anyone, having registry obligations, contravenes the provisions of Law 24 December 1954, n. 1228, of Law 27 October 1988, n. 470, and of the implementing regulations of the aforementioned laws is subject to administrative pecuniary sanctions, as provided for by Law 30 December 2023, n. 213.
The competent authority for ascertaining and imposing the sanction is the Municipality in whose registry the offender is registered.
The assessment and sanctioning procedure for the Municipalities is governed by Law 24 November 1981, n. 689, whose art. 1 provides that “No one can be subjected to administrative sanctions except by virtue of a law that came into force before the commission of the violation”.
2 Who must register with the A.I.R.E.?
• Italian citizens who move abroad and establish their habitual residence there;
• Italian citizens already residing in another consular district and registered with AIRE;
• Italian citizens who already reside abroad, or those born abroad;
• for subsequent acquisition of Italian citizenship for any reason.
They do not have to register with the A.I.R.E. (art. 1 paragraphs 8 and 9 Law 470/1988)
• citizens who go abroad for a period of less than 1 year;
• seasonal workers;
• permanent State employees serving abroad who are notified pursuant to the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic relations and consular relations of 1961 and 1963 respectively;
• Italian soldiers serving at NATO facilities located abroad.
3 How to register with AIRE
The request for registration with the A.I.R.E. can be submitted by the interested party (for themselves and their family members), using the Fast IT portal. You can create an account with username and password or log in via SPID (https://www.spid.gov.it/) or via CIE (Electronic Italian ID)
The documents to attach to the application, for each member of your family unit, are the following:
1. Copy, front and back, of the Italian identity card or Italian passport even if no longer valid
2. Copy, front and back, of the Belgian residence document including: Verblijfsdocument/Document de séjour, Carta E/Carta E+ or special identity card (in case the address does not appear on the latter type of residence document , please include a declaration from your employer, including your address and family members living with you). Provisional residence certificates such as Annexe 19 or 8ter are not accepted. The rental contract and/or utility bills are not sufficient to prove residence in this consular district
As an alternative to the Belgian residence document, you can attach a residence certificate from the Belgian municipality, indicating the date of registration in the foreigners’ register or in the population register (for each member of the family).
If there are foreign citizens in your family composition, they must still be declared on the AIRE registration form, and if they are of legal age, they must also sign the form
For minor citizens, please include, in addition to the front and back copy of their Belgian residence document, also a certificate of family composition issued no more than 3 months ago by the Belgian municipality. Paternity and maternity must emerge from the documents. If the indication of the father and mother is missing, please attach a copy of the birth certificate with the indication of the parents. IMPORTANT: Please remember that if the minor children do not live with both parents, the non-cohabiting parent must complete and sign the consent (CONSENT FORM) to the AIRE registration or change of address, attaching a valid identity document from which the signature can be verified.
3. Registration form printed by FAST IT and signed (handwritten signature of all adults mentioned in the family composition; the digital signature with SPID replaces the handwritten signature of only the user who logs in with SPID)
Please note that, in the case of access via FAST IT using SPID/CIE, only the user who has accessed the system will not be required to sign the AIRE registration request form. All other adult members of the family unit must, however, sign the form.
4 How to update your address
The Italian citizen registered with AIRE has the obligation to update his address. This procedure must be carried out promptly. To check if this Office has your updated address, simply connect to Fast IT and request the association of your user with the consular register. If your address has changed, you can follow the instructions to request an update. Please update before attending your appointment with the Passport Office and/or CIE of this location, in order to avoid delays in processing the application.