Italy: Whether a minor can travel internationally on their mother's passport in 2013; requirements and procedures for a minor to obtain his or her own passport

1. Minors Travelling on their Mother's Passport in 2013

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs states on its website that, as of 25 November 2009, "it [was] no longer possible for parents to include minor children on their passports" (Italy 2013a). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an official at the Canadian Embassy to Italy stated that "minors can no longer travel on a parent's Italian passport; ergo, they require their own" (Canada 19 Dec. 2013).

According to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of 26 June 2012, "all Italian minors travelling abroad must have their own passports" (2013). The website of the Italian National Police notes that all minors who are travelling must be in possession of a passport to travel abroad (Italy 18 Oct. 2013). The Italian Consulate in Perth specifies that "children under 18 therefore need an individual passport" (Italy n.d.c). The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that "even if listed on a parent's passport previous to 25 November 2009, minors must be in possession of an individual passport or, where accepted as valid for expatriation, identity card or equivalent" (Italy 2013a).

The official stated that

[s]ince 25 November 2009, to adhere to the "one person - one passport" rule, Italian nationals were no longer able to add children to their passports. However, passports issued before that date and until 15 December 2009 were still valid for travel, for all parties, until the expiration of the document. In addition, 10-yr passports that had been issued individually to minors were to remain valid until expiration of the document. However, in May 2012, the Italian government decided to render all passports having minor dependants on them invalid for travel for the minor child and only valid for travel for the bearer it was issued to. (Canada 19 Dec. 2013)

The official concluded that in theory "there is no exception to the 'one person - one passport rule'" (ibid.).

Government sources state that minors 14 years of age and under must travel in the company of at least one parent, legal guardian, or an entrusted person, agency, or transport company (Italy n.d.a; Italy 18 Oct. 2013; Italy 2013a). The Italian consulate in Perth states that if the child is "entrusted to a third party in order to travel, [a] declaration to this effect must be signed by [the minors] parents/guardians at the Consulate prior to travel" (Italy n.d.c).

2. Requirements and Procedures for a Minor to Obtain an Italian Passport

Sources note that minors from 0 to 3 years of age are issued with a passport valid for 3 years and minors from 3 to 18 years of age are issued with a passport valid for 5 years (Italy 2013a; Italy n.d.a; Italy n.d.c).

To obtain a passport,

applications are submitted to the local authorities competent for the applicant's place of residence, in Italy and abroad. Italian citizens can, nevertheless, request issuance of the passport at any issuing office in Italy or abroad, but in such cases the authorities competent for the applicant's place of residence must delegate their responsibility in writing, which could lengthen the time it takes to issue the passport. (Italy 2013a)

To obtain a passport for a minor, parents must submit:

written consent from both parents whether the parents are married or not (Italy n.d.a; Italy n.d.b; Italy 18 Oct. 2013; Italy 2013b). The application can be done by one parent alone if they have written consent from the other parent (Italy n.d.a). If it is not possible to gain the other parent's consent, a decree signed by the Giudice tutelare or Guardianship Judge is needed (ibid.). The Italian National Police state that parents must sign an agreement in front of a public official at the passport office (ibid. 18 Oct. 2013);

a passport application form, completed and signed by the applicant (Italy 2013a);

display of valid identification document, in compliance with D.P.R. (Decreto del Presidente della Republica) 445/2000 (ibid.);

2 recent photographs (identical, face-front, colour, 35 x 40 mm) (ibid.);

receipt for payment of fee and related government tax for use of passport, except in cases of exemption, as stated in art. 19 of Law no. 1185/1967 (ibid.);

a fee of €42.50 [approximately C$ 62 (XE 20 Dec. 2013a)] and an issuance tax of €40.29 [approximately C$ 59 (XE 20 Dec. 2013b)] (ibid.);

if the applicant is under the age of 18 and foreign-born, it is necessary to submit the child's birth certificate - translated and legalised (or with affixed apostille) to the authorised consulate or, where required, a multilingual format certificate (ibid.).

Sources state that minors under the age of 12 are exempt from having fingerprints taken and leaving a signature for their passport application (Italy n.d.a; Italy 2013a).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Canada. 19 December 2013. Canadian Embassy in Italy. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate from an official.

Italy. 18 October 2013. "Passport for Minors." [Accessed 12 Dec. 2013]

_____. 2013a. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Passaporto." [Accessed 12 Dec. 2013]

_____. 2013b. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "FAQ Consular Offices and Services Abroad - Passport." [Accessed 12 Dec. 2013]

_____. N.d.a. Consulate of Italy, Liverpool. "Child's Passport (Under 12)." [Accessed 12 Dec. 2013]

_____. N.d.b. Consulate of Italy, Liverpool. "Adult Passport for Applicants with Children Under 18." [Accessed 12 Dec. 2013]

_____. N.d.c. Consulate of Italy, Perth. "Italian Passport - General Information." [Accessed 19 Dec. 2013]

XE. 20 December 2013a. "XE Currency Converter." [Accessed 20 Dec. 2013]

_____. 20 December 2013b. "XE Currency Converter." [Accessed 20 Dec. 2013]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Attempts to contact the following organizations were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response: Canada - Embassy to Italy in Rome; Italy - Embassy to Canada in Ottawa.

Internet sites, including: The British Broadcasting Corporation; Corriere del Salle; Factiva; The Washington Post.