On the occasion of the Confirmatory Constitutional Referendum of 22.03.2026 and 23.03.2026, concerning the amendment of several articles of the Constitution as part of the so-called justice reform, Italians residing abroad can regularly exercise their right to vote directly from abroad, without needing to return to Italy.
The vote was called by decree of the President of the Republic of 13.01.2026, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale (the Italian official journal) of 14.01.2026. Voting is a right guaranteed by the Italian Constitution and, under current legislation, Italian citizens residing or temporarily staying abroad who are registered on the electoral rolls can vote by post.
Voting from abroad takes place through the sending of a ballot package to one’s address of residence. For this reason it is essential that personal data and the address held by the competent consular office are correct and up to date. To this end, the use of the online consular services portal Fast It is strongly recommended, bearing in mind that the ballot packages must be sent out almost a month before the date of the vote in Italy.
To correctly exercise the right to vote from abroad, a few essential steps must be followed:
As an alternative to postal voting, voters registered with AIRE can choose to vote in Italy in their municipality of electoral registration. This choice must be communicated in writing to the Consulate by 24.01.2026 and applies exclusively to the referendum in question. The choice can subsequently be revoked by the same date.
The law does not provide for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred for returning to Italy to vote, but only fare reductions for travel within the national territory.
For any further clarification, you can contact your consular office of reference, which is the main point of contact for useful information of public interest dedicated to Italians residing abroad.
Link to the DECRETO DEL PRESIDENTE DELLA REPUBBLICA 13 gennaio 2026 (Decree of the President of the Republic of 13 January 2026)
Link to Fast It
Link to the Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation)
