Issued by Italy Purpose Identification | Type of document Passport Eligibility requirements Italian citizenship | |
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Date first issued 26 October 2006 (biometric passport)
20 May 2010 (current version) Expiration 10 years after issuance (for adults over 18); 5 years for applicants aged 3-17; 3 years for applicants under 3 | ||
Italian passports are issued to Italian citizens for the purpose of international travel. Biometric passports have been available since 26 October 2006, are valid for 10, 5 or 3 years (depending on the applicant's age). Every Italian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union and European Economic Area.
Contents
Physical appearance
Italian passports share the common design of EU Passports: they are burgundy-coloured, with the Emblem of Italy emblazoned in the center of the front cover. The word "Passaporto", meaning passport, is inscribed below the coat of arms and "Unione Europea" (English: European Union), "Repubblica Italiana" (English: Italian Republic) above. The biometry symbol appears right below "Passaporto" in the centre. The current version of the passport contains 48 pages.
Identity information page
The biodata are on page 2 of the passport, and include the following:
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone.
Languages
The data page is printed in Italian, English and French. Further translation is provided on page 6, in all 23 official languages of the European Union.
Visa free travel
Visa requirements for Italian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Italy. In 2014, Italian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 172 countries and territories, ranking the Italian passport 3rd in the world according to the Visa Restricitions Index.
Issuing
The Italian passport is issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, through
However, Italian citizens can also apply through Carabinieri (Stazioni dei Carabinieri) and Police (Commissariati) offices. Since the introduction of biometric passports in 2006, applicants should appear in person at the Police offices to have fingerprints collected; children under 12 are exempt, but should appear in person nonetheless.
The current fee for a biometric passport is €116. The requirement to purchase revenue stamps annually was eliminated on 24 June 2014