If you have acquired Italian citizenship by descent, one of your new responsibilities is to make sure that you are registered at AIRE. If you applied for your citizenship by descent at an Italian Consulate in the US (or abroad), then you typically would have filled out the AIRE registration forms when your application was accepted. If you acquired your Italian citizenship through temporary residency in Italy or through the Italian Court System, then you must complete the registration at the Italian Consular location that has jurisdiction over your legal residence. This blog will describe AIRE and the registration process in detail.
What is AIRE and who needs to register?
AIRE is the acronym for Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero and stands for: Registry of Italians Residing Abroad. Registration at AIRE is mandatory for all Italian citizens who are transferring their residency from Italy to another Country for a period of at least 12 months. Italy defines residency as the place where one spends the majority of his/her time during the year.
The following Italian citizens do NOT need to register in AIRE:
- Italian citizens residing outside of Italy for less than 12 months;
- seasonal workers residing abroad;
- employees of the Italian government stationed abroad
- members of the Italian Armed Services stationed at NATO posts abroad.
The registration request must be completed by the Italian citizen for themselves and for their immediate family members with Italian citizenship (spouse and/or children). This registration is necessary both for Consular records and for obtaining all documents and certificates issued by this Consulate. This includes the issuance of an Italian passport.
Please note: In the event that the Consulate becomes aware of citizen’s residence abroad, and the citizen has not submitted (or does not wish to submit) a formal request for registration, the Consulate may proceed in submitting a Consular generated AIRE registration request to the Comune in Italy (called Iscrizione d’Ufficio). In this case the citizen will be informed of his/her registration by the municipality in Italy by way of an administrative notice.
When Does an Italian Need to Submit their AIRE Registration?
Requests for AIRE registration must be submitted to the Italian Consulate within 90 days of arrival in the Consular jurisdiction.
How Does an Italian Citizen Register at AIRE?
The person registers using the “//online Portal FAST IT” to create an account and file the registration. There is a form to fill out and other required documents, these include: copy of US Passport; Italian Passport or Italian Birth Certificate; proof of residency (driver’s license or State ID)
The effective date of AIRE registration corresponds to the date in which the Comune in Italy receives the registration request from the Italian Consulate. Please note that the AIRE registration date cannot be retroactive.
If citizens, prior to their expatriation, notified their Comune in Italy of their transfer of residency abroad, the effective date of AIRE registration will correspond to the date in which they notified their Comune of their expatriation. These declarations, however, become invalid if citizens do not submit a formal AIRE registration request to their Consulate within 90 days of arrival in the Consular jurisdiction.
While notifying the Comune of expatriation is optional, the submission of the AIRE registration request to the Italian Consulate abroad is mandatory.
How do you Verify your AIRE Registration Request and What is the Processing Time?
Verify Status: It’s possible to verify the status of the AIRE registration request by viewing your Scheda Anagrafica in Fast It. For additional information regarding AIRE registration the vital records/anagrafe/stato civile department of the Italian Consulate can be contacted via email.
Processing Time: The Consulates typically take approximately 50 days from the date the request was submitted to complete the AIRE registration.
The status of the application at the Italian Consulate can be viewed at the FAST IT portal at the Italian Consulate website.
In light of the fact that each Comune has its own registry (which in fact cannot be accessed directly by the Consulate) it is suggested that citizens whose AIRE application status has been processed but whose AIRE registration does not show “ISCRITTO” after 50 days contact their Italian Comune directly. Citizens may find the contact information for their Comune in Italy by visiting www.comuni-italiani.it, or www.comuni.it.
Registration at AIRE of Children Born Abroad
If a child is abroad, his/her birth certificate must be registered in Italy through the Consulate, the Consulates have this information on the Stato Civile page at their websites. The registration along with the required documentation (child’s long form birth + apostille + translation) is submitted to the Vital Records department. If submitting a birth registration request for a minor, it is NOT necessary to submit the online AIRE registration request for that minor. The consulate office will prepare the AIRE registration and submit to the Italian Comune with the birth certificate registration request.
Keeping Your AIRE Registration Updated
In addition to registering the birth of children, Italian citizens living abroad must register all civil events (marriage, divorce, death of a spouse) and changes of address to AIRE.
Healthcare Coverage in Italy for Those Registered at AIRE
All Italian citizens who are registered in AIRE lose access to Italian National Healthcare both in Italy and abroad. It is recommended that citizens registered in AIRE open a health care policy abroad through a private insurer to cover them during their residency abroad, as well as during trips to Italy and other countries.
Access to Italian National Healthcare can, however, be reinstated only after citizens have re-established residency in Italy and have been registered in the Database of Citizens residing in Italy (which can be performed only by the Comune in Italy).
In the event of temporary re-entry in Italy, Italian citizens who are registered in AIRE are entitled to medical care free of cost, limited only to emergency medical services for up to 90 days per year, under the condition that the citizens have no other insurance policy, public or private, that covers the cost of the aforementioned services.
In such a case, the citizen must submit a declaration to the competent Local Department of Public Health in Italy (ASL), in which he/she declares:
to have been born in Italy, to be an Italian citizen, as well as to reside abroad, indicating his/her Comune of AIRE registration, ORto have been born abroad, to be an Italian citizen, to have resided in Italy and in which municipality (Comune), and to be currently registered in AIRE.
Additional Information About AIRE
- Individuals who applied and received recognition of Italian citizenship at an Italian Consulate in the US are registered at AIRE at the time that their application is accepted by filling out a simple form; changes in address or civil status after the citizenship is recognized must be updated as listed above
- Those who become citizens through residency in Italy must register at AIRE upon return to the US.
- Those who receive Italian citizenship through the courts register at AIRE on their own after the successful court ruling, your attorney might offer assistance so be sure to inquire to receive correct advice.
At ICAP, we provide assistance with AIRE registration for our Apply in Italy clients, and for our clients who obtain Italian citizenship through our Court Program in Italy. Our Apply in Italy program assists clients in obtaining Italian citizenship by descent through temporary residence in Italy, whereas our Court Program assists clients in obtaining citizenship when their consulate appointments are greater than 730 days from the date of booking. If you are interested in more information on either of these programs please contact us today!