The Registry of Italians Residing Abroad (A.I.R.E.) was established by Law No. 470 of 27 October 1988 (Law No. 470 of 27 October 1988 – Normattiva).
A.I.R.E. is the register of Italian citizens residing abroad and is managed by Italian municipalities on the basis of data and information received from Italian diplomatic and consular missions abroad. All Italian citizens residing abroad, in addition to being registered with A.I.R.E., must also be registered with the Consular Registry of their place of residence in order to make use of the consular services provided by the relevant Consular Office (the so-called Consular Registry).
A.I.R.E. Registration – Rights and Obligations
Registration with A.I.R.E. is both a right and an obligation of the citizen (Article 6 of Law No. 470/1988) and is a prerequisite for accessing the consular services provided by Italian diplomatic and consular missions abroad, as well as for exercising important rights, such as:
- the possibility of voting by correspondence in political elections and referendums pursuant to Articles 75 and 138 of the Constitution, as provided for by Law No. 459/2001;
- the possibility of obtaining identity and travel documents;
- the possibility of requesting certificates issued by the Italian diplomatic and consular missions abroad.
Who Must Register with A.I.R.E.?
- citizens who move their residence abroad for a period of more than twelve months;
- citizens who have always resided outside Italy, either because they were born abroad or because they subsequently acquired Italian citizenship by any means (recognition/reconstruction of citizenship, marriage, court judgment, etc.).
Who Does Not Have to Register with A.I.R.E.?
- citizens who travel abroad for a period of less than one year;
- seasonal workers;
- permanent State employees serving abroad who have been notified pursuant to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations;
- Italian military personnel serving at NATO offices and facilities located abroad.
How to Apply for A.I.R.E. Registration
All users residing within the consular jurisdiction of Jeddah who need to register with A.I.R.E. and/or report a change of residence may do so exclusively online through the FAST IT portal (Online Consular Services), after registering on the system: FAST IT – Online Consular Services
A.I.R.E. registration and any other changes concerning personal and civil-status information submitted through the FAST IT system are COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE. Applicants are advised to always submit such applications themselves.
Italian nationals are reminded that registration of a citizen residing abroad may also be carried out ex officio, on the basis of information available to the Consular Office and the data in its possession (Article 6, paragraph 6, of Law No. 470/1988).
For tax-related matters, please refer to the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 917 of 22 December 1986 (Consolidated Income Tax Act) and to the circulars issued by the Italian Revenue Agency.
What Happens if You Do Not Register with A.I.R.E.?
A.I.R.E. registration is carried out following a declaration that the applicant must submit to the territorially competent Consular Office within 90 days of transferring their residence abroad. Registration entails the simultaneous removal of the applicant from the Register of the Resident Population (A.P.R.) of their municipality of origin.
For Italian nationals who have always resided abroad and have acquired Italian citizenship following citizenship recognition/reconstruction proceedings carried out at this Consulate General, no declaration is required, as the Consulate itself has already requested their registration with A.I.R.E. from the relevant municipality.
The declaration must instead be submitted by all Italian nationals who have moved abroad from Italy, including those who acquired Italian citizenship following citizenship recognition/reconstruction proceedings carried out in Italy and subsequently moved abroad.
Anyone who, despite being subject to registration obligations, fails to comply with the provisions of Law No. 1228 of 24 December 1954, Law No. 470 of 27 October 1988, and the implementing regulations of those laws is subject to administrative financial penalties, as provided for by Law No. 213 of 30 December 2023. The authority responsible for establishing the violation and imposing the penalty is the municipality in whose population register the offender is registered.
The procedure for establishing violations and imposing penalties by municipalities is governed by Law No. 689 of 24 November 1981. Article 1 thereof provides that: “No one may be subject to administrative penalties except by virtue of a law that entered into force before the violation was committed.”
How Can I Find Out Whether I Am Already Registered with A.I.R.E.?
As stated above, A.I.R.E. registration must be requested by the citizen through the FAST IT system. Citizens are responsible for requesting A.I.R.E. registration when they transfer their residence from Italy abroad.
However, responsibility for completing the A.I.R.E. registration procedure lies with the competent Italian municipality, not with the Consulate, which is responsible only for ensuring the correct transmission of the application submitted by the applicant.
Therefore, any request concerning the status of an A.I.R.E. registration application must be addressed directly to the competent Italian municipality.
IMPORTANT – A.I.R.E. REGISTERED CITIZENS MOVING FROM ANOTHER CONSULAR JURISDICTION
Italian citizens who are already duly registered with A.I.R.E. in another consular jurisdiction and who wish to report their new residence within the jurisdiction of this Consulate General must NOT submit a new A.I.R.E. registration application.
They must first request online identity association with their original Consulate/Embassy by logging into FAST IT, selecting the relevant diplomatic/consular mission, and requesting access to their consular record.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The first name and surname must be entered exactly as they appear on the applicant’s Italian documents.
Once the user-to-consular-record association procedure has been completed, the applicant must log in to FAST IT, select the option “Report a change of residence”, and follow the instructions provided.