Half a million passports issued and 4,000 assistance cases: the “general assembly” of Italian consuls in Rome
Mattarella: Italian communities abroad are an asset to the country
Key points
- Turnout in the constitutional referendum
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The consular network is increasingly focusing on the digitalisation of its services. This is being carried out in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, to enable the integrated management of civil registry, documentation and electoral procedures for Italians living abroad. In this context, in 2025 the consular network issued 554,083 passports and 202,026 Electronic Identity Cards (CIE). Around 90% of registrations with AIRE, the Register of Italians Resident Abroad, are also managed via the Fast It digital portal, which has reached 2,707,260 registered users. These figures were the focus of the Conference of Italian Consuls Worldwide, the main event dedicated to the Italian consular network abroad and to providing assistance to the more than 7 million Italian citizens living abroad, which took place on Friday 12 June at the Farnesina.
First Consular Conference in eight years
This was the first Conference of Consuls in eight years: the last one took place in 2018. The meeting was opened by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani. The sessions focused on the main challenges facing the consular network: services for citizens, digital innovation, assistance for compatriots, citizenship, documents, civil status and emergency management. Particular attention was paid to new initiatives aimed at making services for Italians abroad more modern, accessible and efficient. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ new technological tools were also at the heart of the proceedings, including, notably, the new Fast-It portal and the future linked app. The proceedings will continue behind closed doors on Saturday 13 June.
Mattarella: Italian communities abroad are an asset to the country
In a message to the conference, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, emphasised that ‘Italian communities abroad represent an extraordinary asset for our country. These include long-established communities and those formed by recent migration; though their backgrounds differ, they are united by their commitment to maintaining a living connection with Italia and their desire to contribute to the dissemination of its culture, creativity and capacity for innovation. They constitute a human and professional heritage that enriches Italy’s presence in the world and strengthens the bonds between peoples’, he added.
Consular network offers assistance to 7.3 million Italians
Comprising 176 career consulates and 330 honorary consulates, spread across every continent, the consular network serves as the main point of contact between the State and Italian communities around the world. It provides services and assistance to over 7.3 million Italian citizens living abroad. Argentina, Brazil and Germany are home to the largest Italian communities. One in six Italian citizens living abroad resides in Latin America.
