Consular services are provided according to principles of equality, impartiality, efficiency and transparency and their aim is to protect fundamental rights and personal freedom of Italian citizens.
The protection concerns, for example, cases of death, accident, serious illness, arrest or detention, acts of violence, assistance in the event of a serious crisis (natural disasters, civil unrest, armed conflicts, etc.), issuance of travel documents emergency due to loss or theft of passport.
According to the law 470/88, Italian citizens residing abroad must be registered in A.I.R.E., which is the acronym for Register of Italians residents abroad. Notably, the registration need to be formalized before requesting consular services. The provision of some services is subject to verification of regular registration in the A.I.R.E. registers. (eg: for identity card and passport).