Passports

The Italian passport

The electronic passport is a biometric travel document that can be used for identification and is valid in all the States that are recognised by Italy.

It is not mandatory to request a new passport before its expiration date, unless you have to travel or there are other needs.

Before planning a trip, please consult the Viaggiare Sicuri website to find out the residual validity of the passport required by your country of destination.

The validity periods of the passport are determined by the age of the holder:

• for minors under the age of 3 the validity is 3 years;
• for minors between 3 and 18 the validity is 5 years;
• for adults aged 18 and older the validity is 10 years.

The passport is issued by the Consular Office responsible for the district where the applicant is a registered AIRE resident. Those resident in Italy will refer to the Questura.

Only Italian citizens can apply for an Italian passport.

The Consulate General therefore reserves the right to request supporting documents as proof of the uninterrupted possession of Italian citizenship from the applicant or their ancestors.

Before requesting a passport, kindly ensure that:

• You are registered in the AIRE database;
• You are a resident in our Consular Jurisdiction;
• Your current address is registered, or updated via the FAST-IT Portal available here: https://serviziconsolarionline.esteri.it;
• Your birth certificate has been transmitted to the relevant Italian Municipality for registration.

The passport is issued on the day of appointment (excluding residents of KwaZulu-Natal).

APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR ADULTS AND MINORS (excluding residents of KwaZulu-Natal)

Passport applications must be submitted online through the Prenot@Mi portal, available at https://prenotami.esteri.it. After having registered and chosen the relevant Consulate, you will be able to book appointments from the first available date. Applications are processed in chronological order and in any case within three days from the date of the appointment.

To book online, please follow the procedure below:

• Register on https://prenotami.esteri.it and choose “Consolato Generale d’Italia Johannesburg” as the relevant Consulate.
• Once registration is complete, select the “Book” tab from the horizontal menu at the top of the screen.
• Click the “BOOK” button under “Identity/Travel Documents – Passport – Johannesburg Appointments”.
• Select booking type and enter the applicants’ details, then click on “FORWARD”.
• Select the desired date from the calendar (available dates are marked in green), then click on “BOOK”.

• HOW TO BOOK A JOINT APPOINTMENT FOR ADULTS AND MINORS:
  Parents who wish to apply together with their children must book through the Prenot@Mi Portal, select “multiple booking” and attach the consent form.
• HOW TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT FOR MINORS:
  Parents who apply exclusively on behalf of their children must select “booking for other people”, enter the minor(s)’s details and attach the consent form.

Once the appointment has been booked, the user will receive an automatic email containing the list of requirements to bring on the day of the appointment and the cost of the passport.

• You can check the status of your application on the “My Appointments” page of the Prenot@mi portal.

– Application status “To be confirmed”: the application is being processed. Please wait for the application status to be updated;
– Application status “Confirmed”: the appointment is confirmed. The applicant will only have to show up at the Consulate General on the chosen day, bringing the necessary documents with them;
– Application status “Cancelled”: in the event of cancellation of the appointment, the user will receive an email within 24 hours containing the reasons for the rejection.

The applicant must present themselves at the Consulate General on the day of appointment for biometrics with the following documents:

• 2 colour photographs – High Quality, standard size, white background, no shadows (click here for full EU ICAO standards);
• Identification Document – Previous Italian Passport (if not possible, some other valid identity document such as an SA ID, Driver’s License, SA Passport etc.);
• Payment: to be made in local currency (Rand), at the Consulate General (South African debit card, no credit cards) or via EFT. Bank transfers must be made at least 3 days before the appointment (click here for bank details). It is mandatory to indicate your last name as our reference). The consular fee is updated every three months (click here for the current fees). The amount will also be indicated in the automatic email sent by the portal during the booking phase;
• Consent form for minor children (if applicable) – Minor children must be present for the appointment with at least one parent/guardian. In any case it is best for both parents to be present at the appointment. In cases where only one parent is able to attend, the other must come and sign a consent form at the Consulate General before the minor’s scheduled appointment. [Click here to download consent form].
  N.B.: Parents who are EU citizens may give consent by sending a completed consent form with a copy of their valid EU passport/ID. They do not need to come to the Consulate General to sign their consent forms.

PASSPORT APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR ADULTS AND MINORS RESIDENT IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Appointments for the submission of passport applications at the Italian Honorary Consulate in Durban must be booked online via the Prenot@Mi portal (https://prenotami.esteri.it).

To book online, please follow the procedure below:

• Register on https://prenotami.esteri.it and choose “Consolato Generale d’Italia Johannesburg” as the relevant Consulate.
• Once registration is complete, select the “Book” tab from the horizontal menu at the top of the screen.
• Click the “BOOK” button under “Identity/Travel Documents – Passport – KwaZulu-Natal Appointments”.
• Select booking type and enter the applicants’ details, then click on “FORWARD”.
• Select the desired date from the calendar (available dates are marked in green) and click on “BOOK”.

• HOW TO BOOK A JOINT APPOINTMENT FOR ADULTS AND MINORS:
  Parents who wish to apply together with their children must book through the Prenot@Mi Portal, select “multiple booking” and attach the consent form.
• HOW TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT FOR MINORS:
  Parents who apply exclusively on behalf of their children must select “booking for other people”, enter the minor(s)’s details and attach the consent form.

Once the appointment has been booked, the user will receive an automatic email containing the list of requirements to bring on the day of the appointment and the cost of the passport.

• You can check the status of your application on the “My Appointments” area on the Prenot@mi portal.

– Application status “To be confirmed”: the application is being processed. Please wait for the application status to be updated.
– Application status “Confirmed”: the appointment is confirmed. The applicant will only have to show up at the Consulate General on the chosen day, bringing the necessary documents with them.
– Application status “Cancelled”: in the event of cancellation of the appointment, the user will receive an email within 24 hours containing the reasons for the rejection.

KZN applicants will need to meet the Honorary Consul at his offices at 3 Meadway, Drummond, Outer West Durban, KwaZulu-Natal with the following documents:

• 2 colour photographs – High Quality, standard size, white background, no shadows (click here for full EU ICAO standards).
• Identification Document – Previous Italian Passport (if not possible, some other valid identity document such as an SA ID, Driver’s License, SA Passport etc.).
• Payment: to be made in local currency (Rand), at the Consulate General (South African debit card, no credit cards) or via EFT. Bank transfers must be made at least 3 days before the appointment (click here for bank details). It is mandatory to indicate your last name as our reference). The consular fee is updated every three months (click here for the current fees). The amount will also be indicated in the automatic email sent by the portal during the booking phase.
• Consent form for minor children (if applicable) – Minor children must be present for the appointment with at least one parent/guardian. In any case it is best for both parents to be present at the appointment. In cases where only one parent is able to attend, the other must come and sign a consent form at the Consulate General before the minor’s scheduled appointment. [Click here to download consent form].
  N.B.: Parents who are EU citizens may give consent by sending a completed consent form with a copy of their valid EU passport/ID. They do not need to come to the Consulate General to sign their consent forms.

Kindly note that KwaZulu-Natal applicants will have their passports printed in Johannesburg and sent to the Honorary Consul, where the applicant will arrange for collection.

CONSENT FOR ADULTS WITH MINOR CHILDREN

Citizens are kindly informed that, starting from the 14th of June 2023, in basis of Italian Law D.L. 69/2023. Parents who share minor children no longer need consent for the release of their passport or CIE.

Specifically, the recent article 3-bis of Law. 1185/1967 indicates that, when it becomes certain that there is a concrete and actual danger that the transfer of the parent abroad may cause them to avoid fulfilling their obligations to their minor child, i twill then be possible for the other parent to request and injunction against the issuance of the passport/CIE.