For Italians living abroad in the United States, there’s often a time when you will want to apply for an Italian passport or renew an expired Italian passport. Whether you are an Italian citizen by birth or acquired Italian citizenship by descent or by marriage, the process to apply for passports occurs at your local Italian consulate. This article will outline everything you need to know about the Italian passport and how to apply for it at an Italian consulate in the US. 

Benefits of Italian Passport 

One of the major benefits of Italian citizenship is the ability to live, travel, study, and work in Italy and in any European Union country. Having an Italian passport serves as a travel and identification document allowing Italian citizens to travel visa-free to over 130 countries. In fact, the Italian passport has a ranking of 3rd in the world according to passportindex.org, which ranks passports worldwide based on their global mobility score. In addition, residents of Italy can enjoy high-quality, low-cost healthcare and also have access to medical care when traveling throughout the EU. Traveling through the airport with an Italian passport can also be faster, allowing you to use the immigration lines reserved for citizens of the EU, using biometric scanners to pass through the passport checkpoints. 

Before Applying 

To apply for an Italian passport, you must first be recognized as an Italian citizen. Also, to apply at a consulate abroad, you must also be registered in AIRE (the Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad). This registration occurs through the FastIt online portal, allowing you to register as an Italian citizen residing abroad at the Italian consulate covering the jurisdiction where you reside. Therefore, when you make an appointment to apply for an Italian passport, it must be at the same consulate where you are registered in AIRE. If you have changed your legal address, you will need to update your AIRE registration with your current address in order to apply at the local consulate where you are now living.

There is sometimes the option to apply at an honorary consulate, where they will also be able to process passport applications and acquire biometric information. However, you must still be first registered with the Italian consulate that covers the jurisdiction where you reside. Be sure to check the website for your local Italian consulate that will include the details for the relevant honorary consulates and in some cases, there are specific websites for each honorary consulate listing the requirements and appointment booking details. In some cases, you will be able to make an appointment via email.

Passport Appointment

In order to make an appointment, you will first need to make an account on Prenot@mi, the online booking system for the consulates. Once you have secured an appointment, usually it also needs to be confirmed between 3-10 days before the appointment date, otherwise, it may be canceled. In most cases, each adult applying for a passport will need their own appointment.

The procedure for applying for minor children’s passports can vary depending on the consulate. In some cases, the application for children under 12 years old can be sent by mail and they will not require an appointment. At other consulates, an appointment is required for all minor children under 18 years old and it must be attended by both parents. It’s advisable to check the “Passport Section” on the website for your local Italian consulate to verify the specific requirements and regulations for your consulate.

It's also important to note that if your minor child’s birth certificate has not been registered with the Italian consulate and they have not been registered in AIRE, this step will need to be completed before applying for their passport.

Documents Required

In most cases, the documents required to bring to your passport appointment include the following: Completed application form; Valid ID (US passport) and photocopy of ID; 2 passport photos (recent and identical photos, size 3.5 x 4.0 cm or, 1.5″x1.5″, with white background, facing front and center, and with a neutral expression); Your previous Italian passport (if you are renewing a passport); Money order for payment of passport fee (fee may change, be sure to check the consulate website for current fees); Proof of citizenship (recognition letter or court ruling, as well as Italian birth certificate registration); Prepaid return envelope (in order to mail the passport to you).

It’s important to check the website for your local Italian consulate, as the list of required documents may vary.

Attending the Appointment

On the day of the appointment, you will present all the required documents and pay the passport application fee, which is currently set at €116. Biometric data will be taken at the time of your appointment including fingerprints.

The passport is generally issued within a few weeks of the appointment and will be mailed to your address within one to six weeks. However, some consulates will issue the passport at the time of the application.

Details of the Passport

The validity of the Italian passport is 10 years for adults, 5 years for minors between 3-17 years old, and 3 years for children under 3 years old. You are permitted to apply for a passport renewal within 6 months before the expiration date.

Security features of the Italian passport include a biometric chip to prevent duplication. It therefore can also be scanned at immigration control and passport scanners.

A common question arises with married women applying for an Italian passport, regarding whether to use their married or maiden surname. In fact, in Italy, a woman does not acquire her husband’s last name after the marriage. Therefore, on an Italian passport, women are listed with their maiden name. However, if you have taken your husband’s surname in the US, it’s possible to add his name to your passport. There will be a section on the application form where you can request your married surname be added. It will be listed on page 4 of the passport, which will help with consistency when using your passport with other documents or forms of identification that list your married name.

Conclusion

If you are an Italian citizen living in the US, it’s important to understand how to access the services available for Italian citizens residing abroad. To apply for a new passport or renewal, you will be required to address your local Italian consulate. This article has explained the procedure to make an appointment and apply for an Italian passport at a consulate in the United States. If you have further questions or require assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].