If you are an Italian citizen residing abroad and wish to apply for a mortgage to purchase a property in Italy, it is important to consider several advantages, key aspects, and additional duties. For instance, banks typically require more detailed documentation from Italians residing abroad than from those living and working in Italy. Among the required documents, the inclusion in the A.I.R.E. Registry may be necessary. It can be obtained from the relevant Italian Embassy, although not all banks may require it.

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What does A.I.R.E. refer to?

A.I.R.E. (Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero) is the Registry of Italians Residing Abroad, established by the Law of 27 October 1988, No. 470. Italian citizens are required to register to A.I.R.E. (Articles 6 of Law 470/1988 and 11 of Law 1228/1954) in order to (1) have access to consular services offered by Italian representative offices abroad and (2) exercise important rights, such as postal voting and obtaining identity and travel documents.

Registration is COMPULSORY for:

• Citizens who have their habitual residence abroad or transfer their residency abroad for at least 12 consecutive months. The documentation must be submitted within 90 days from the date of expatriation.

IMPORTANT: Starting January 1, 2024 (the date of the entry into force of law n. 213/2023, which amends law 1228/1954), individuals who fail to comply with the 90-day deadline for A.I.R.E. registration will be subject to administrative pecuniary sanctions ranging from 200 to 1000 euros per year for each year of failure to register with the A.I.R.E, for a maximum of 5 years. The Comune (municipality) in which the transgressor is registered at the civil registry is the responsible authority for assessing and applying the sanction.

• Individuals already living abroad who possess Italian citizenship by birth or by acquisition.

Those going overseas for less than 12 months are not required to register with A.I.R.E. Additionally, seasonal workers residing abroad, Italian government employees assigned overseas under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), school principals, teachers, and administrative staff dispatched abroad for educational purposes, as well as members of the Italian military personnel based at NATO structures and offices overseas, are exempt from registration.

Italian citizens living abroad can benefit from advantages related to purchasing a first home. It is required that the property is actually used as their principal residence and that they establish residency in Italy within 18 months from the date of purchase. It is possible to acquire a property without changing one’s residency if (1) the property is located in the buyer’s hometown, (2) the property is located in the city where the buyer last lived before moving abroad, or in the place where the buyer carried out their activities for at least five years. In its Risposta No. 28/2025, the Agenzia delle Entrate (Revenue Agency) highlighted the importance of the expat citizen’s ties to their birthplace, place of living, and employment, clarifying several aspects of purchasing a primary residence. The Agency further specified that a citizen who meets all other requirements for first home benefits would also be eligible to purchase a property in a city that is different from those previously mentioned, as long as it is a place where the buyer had lived before relocating abroad, even if it is not their birthplace or last city of residence in Italy.

In any purchase scenarios not encompassed by the aforementioned circumstances, the citizen will be ineligible for fiscal benefits pertaining to their “first home” and must adhere to the standard fees imposed for property acquisition.
A.I.R.E. registration is free of charge, and more information on the application process, updates, or cancellation can be found on the consular services page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website: www.esteri.it