If you are resident in the consular district of Panama (which includes the territories of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago), you must register in the consular registry office and keep your file updated through the portal FAST IT (communicating, for example, changes of domicile, marital status, transfers, etc.).
The Register of Italians living abroad (A.I.R.E.) was established by Law No. 470 of October 27, 1988.
What is A.I.R.E.?
Registration with A.I.R.E. is a right and duty of every Italian citizen living abroad (Panamá) for a period longer than one year (12 months).
Furthermore, being registered in the A.I.R.E. allows for simpler consular procedures such as:
- Issuing of passports;
- Renewal of driving licenses;
- Request of certificates and participation in Italian elections from Panama (Right to Vote).
Who must register for the A.I.R.E.?
ONLY Italian citizens who have already received confirmation of their Italian citizenship can register. Proof of citizenship requires at least one of the following documents:
- Italian passport;
- Certificate of Italian citizenship issued by the Italian municipality of residence or by an Italian Consulate or Embassy abroad;
- Italian identity card;
- Judgment on the recognition of Italian citizenship together with the summary extract of the birth certificate;
- People who acquire Italian citizenship abroad and continue to reside there;
- Italian citizens already residing abroad, either because they were born abroad or due to subsequent acquistion Italian citizenship;
- Italian citizens who establish their habitual residence abroad
How to register for A.I.R.E.?
Registration for A.I.R.E. is done exclusively through the “Fast It” Consular Services Portal, after registering at the following link https://serviziconsolari.esteri.it, and no longer by sending the documentation by e-mail, or any other channel than the “Fast It” portal.
Using the “Fast It” portal allows for a simpler and faster registration in the A.I.R.E. compared to other modalities, which are to be considered residual.
The registration to the A.I.R.E is automatic if the birth certificate has been presented at the consular offices of Italy in Panama, in this case you will not have to make a new registration.
Registration to the A.I.R.E. is free of charge.
Penalties for not registering with the A.I.R.E.:
Citizens interested in registering with the A.I.R.E. must submit their request to the competent consular office no later than 90 days following their change of residence. This results in the immediate cancellation from the Register of the Resident Population (Anagrafe della Popolazione Residente, A.P.R.) of the Municipality of origin.
Those who, having registration obligations, breach the provisions of Law no. 1228 of 24 December 1954, Law no. 470 of 27 October 1988, and the regulations implementing the aforementioned laws, are subject to administrative fines, as provided by Law no. 213 of 30 December 2023. The competent authority for ascertaining and imposing the penalty is the Municipality in whose registry the offender is registered.
The procedure for ascertaining and imposing penalties is governed by Law no. 689 of 24 November 1981, Article 1, according to which “No one may be subjected to administrative penalties except by virtue of a law that came into force before the violation was committed”.
Update of the A.I.R.E. (for those already registered):
The A.I.R.E. is updated exclusively through the Fast It Consular Services Portal at the following link: https://serviziconsolarionline.esteri.it and no longer by sending the documentation by e-mail.
This system allows for a simpler and quicker procedure of updating the A.I.R.E. registry, thus responding to the necessity of Italian citizens living abroad.
Note: Failure to update the A.I.R.E may result in cancellation from the A.I.R.E for reasons of unavailability; in particular those concerning the change of address, makes it impossible to contact the citizen and to receive postcards or election cards in the event of a vote.
Cancellation from the A.I.R.E.
The cancellation from the A.I.R.E occurs for:
- Death, including presumed legally declared death;
- For presumed unavailability, unless proven otherwise, a hundred years after birth or after two subsequent surveys, or when the previously communicated address abroad is no longer valid and it is not possible to acquire the new one;
- Transfer of residence to another country;
- For registration in the Register of the Resident Population (A.P.R.) of an Italian Municipality following transfer from abroad or repatriation;
- For loss of Italian citizenship;
Who does not have to join the AIRE?
- Persons intending to travel abroad for a period of less than one year;
- Seasonal workers;
- State officials in service abroad, notified to the local authorities under the Vienna Conventions of 1961 and 1963 on diplomatic and consular relations;
- Military personnel in NATO offices and facilities.
Regulatory References:
(Office of Reference: D.G.IT. – UFFICIO II)
- Legge 27 ottobre 1988, n. 470 – Anagrafe e censimento degli italiani all’estero.
- D.P.R. 6 settembre 1989, n. 323 – Regolamento per l’esecuzione della legge 470/1988.
- Legge 24 dicembre 1954, n. 1228 – Ordinamento delle anagrafi della popolazione residente.
- D.P.R. 30 maggio 1989, n. 223 – Regolamento anagrafico della popolazione residente.
- Circolare MIACEL n. 20 del 17 dicembre 2001 – Posizione anagrafica dei militari italiani in servizio presso gli uffici e le strutture della NATO.
- Legge 27 maggio 2002, n. 104 – Modifiche alla Legge 27 ottobre 1988, n. 470.
- Circolare del Ministero dell’ Interno n. 2/2004: cancellazione dall’A.I.R.E. per irreperibilità. Decreto Legislativo 3 febbraio 2011, n. 71 – Ordinamento e funzioni degli Uffici consolari.
For the consultation of current Italian legislation, please visit www.normattiva.it
If in doubt write to the e-mail address consolare.panama@esteri.it