An Overview of AIRE: The Registry for Italians Living Outside their Homeland

Are you familiar with the acronym AIRE as it applies to Italy? If you are an Italian or seeking to become one, you should be cognizant of its meaning: the Registry Office for Italian Citizens Residing Outside the Country.

This article provides answers to the most common queries we receive from Italian nationals living abroad.

1. What does AIRE stand for?
AIRE is an abbreviation for the Registry Office for Italian Citizens Living Outside Italy, a repository containing details and facts on Italians who have been residing outside their home country for more than 12 months.

2. What institutions are responsible for AIRE registration?
Italian municipalities are in charge of registering Italian citizens who are either living abroad or in Italy.

3. What advantages does AIRE-registered citizens have?
Italian citizens registered in AIRE can make use of the services provided by the Italian municipalities (procurement of identity cards and passports, access to any subsidies, help in repatriation, asking for certificates, etc.) at the right consular office and also can make use of the right to vote overseas.

What individuals must be registered with AIRE?
a) Italian citizens who are leaving the country for a period longer than one year;
b) People born outside Italy who still reside there; and
c) Those who have gained Italian citizenship abroad and have transcribed the birth certificate and/or the decree granting citizenship into the Italian Civil State records.

5. What is the procedure for filing an AIRE application?
Consular Offices with authority over the new country of residence must receive the application for expatriation registration within 90 days of the move. Applications can be either sent by mail or presented in person at the office.

6. Is it necessary to revise the AIRE registration?
Indeed. In order to take advantage of the consulate's facilities, any shift in residence (location) or marriage status must be reported to the appropriate diplomatic agency. Furthermore, any Italian citizens that are living together should also be included in these updates.

7. What's the procedure for obtaining registry office certificates as an AIRE member?
Individuals registered in the AIRE who are Italian citizens can only receive certificates concerning residence and family status at the registry office of the Italian municipality that the AIRE is registered in. Certificates of existence in life, death, and birth may be issued by either the respective municipality or the relevant consular office.

8. How to receive Italian citizenship documents when AIRE is registered?
The consular office in the region is the only entity that can provide certification for Italian citizenship for those who were born and reside abroad. In the case of those who have moved abroad, the Italian municipality will only be able to provide a certificate testifying to the possession of Italian citizenship up until the time of their relocation.

9. What are the steps to take upon repatriation?
Individuals who plan on repatriating or those born overseas who plan on relocating to Italy, must inform the local Italian city hall where they want to make their home and provide their new address.
After receiving the official decree granting Italian citizenship, the individual must swear an oath of loyalty to the Italian Republic within 6 months. This is done in front of an official of the Town Hall or a Consular officer and involves uttering the phrase: " Giuro di essere fedele alla Repubblica e di osservare la Costituzione e le leggi dello Stato".
Once the oath has been taken, the individual is officially a citizen of Italy and can then proceed to obtain both an Italian identification card and a passport.

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