COM.IT.ES. 2026 ELECTIONS

The elections for the renewal and establishment of the COMITES (Committees of Italians Abroad) will be held by the end of 2026.
The Committees of Italians Abroad are bodies representing the Italian community in its relations with the diplomatic-consular representations, and they work toward the integration of the Italian community residing in the foreign country in which they are located.

On this page:

information for voters;
information for candidates.

INFORMATION FOR VOTERS

How to register to vote

The Committees of Italians Abroad are bodies representing the Italian community in its relations with the diplomatic-consular representations, and they work toward the integration of the Italian community residing in the foreign country in which they are located.

This important electoral event is open to voters who meet the legal requirements for active electoral rights, who are resident and registered with AIRE in the consular district for at least 6 months (prior to the date of the elections).

Voting takes place by mail, but — unlike political elections and referendums — the ballot package is sent only to voters who have submitted an express request for registration on the electoral roll for the COM.IT.ES. elections by 4 November 2026.

PLEASE NOTE: in order to receive the ballot package, voters must therefore request registration on the electoral roll from their relevant consulate NO LATER THAN 4 NOVEMBER 2026.

Citizens may submit the registration form for the COM.IT.ES. elections in one of the following ways:

delivering it in person (by appointment, where required — bring a valid identity document);
sending it by regular mail together with a photocopy of an identity document bearing the holder’s signature;
sending it by regular email to consbrisbane.elettorale@esteri.it or by certified email (PEC) to con.brisbane@cert.esteri.it, together with a copy of the identity document bearing the holder’s signature.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Preparation and submission of candidate lists

Pursuant to Article 14 of Presidential Decree (DPR) 395/2003, lists may be submitted to the Electoral Office during office hours from the twentieth to the thirtieth day following the call for elections.
The collection of signatures, the signing of lists, and the related authentications may begin now.

Lists must include a number of candidates at least equal to the number of Committee members to be elected, and no more than 16 for COM.IT.ES. bodies composed of 12 members, or 22 for those composed of 18 members (DPR 395/2003, Art. 14, para. 2).
Each list, bearing its own symbol, is submitted by one of the candidates or by a signatory. The person submitting the list must declare their domicile for the purposes of subsequent notifications.

Documentation

The declarations of submission of candidate lists may be signed on separate documents (sheets). Separate signature-collection documents must bear the list symbol as well as the names of all candidates.
Each list of candidates (each with surname, first name, place and date of birth, and a sequential number assigned by the list submitter) must be accompanied by the following documentation:

declarations of acceptance of candidacy by each candidate, signed and authenticated;
certificates, which may be collective, attesting that the voters are registered on the electoral rolls of the relevant district. These certificates are issued by the consular office upon request of the interested parties, based on the records held by the office, starting from the fifteenth day following the date the elections are called, within a non-extendable period of twenty-four hours from the request (DPR 395/2003, Art. 14, para. 8);
the designation of one permanent representative and one alternate representative for the district electoral committee;
the signatures required by law, with the related authentications. For each signatory, the list must show surname, first name, place and date of birth, and the electoral certification referred to in point b).

Please note that each list, bearing its own symbol, is submitted by one of the candidates or one of the signatories to the electoral office, during office hours, from the twentieth to the thirtieth day following the date the elections are called.

Signatures and authentication of signatures

Pursuant to current regulations (Art. 13, paragraph 1, Law 286/2003), list signatories must have been resident in the consular district for at least six months and must be eligible to vote for the COM.IT.ES. elections. Signatories may not be candidates and may not sign more than one list, under penalty of nullity of the signature.

Article 15, paragraph 3, of Law 286/2003 establishes that candidate lists must be signed by a number of voters:

no fewer than 100 for communities with up to 50,000 resident Italian citizens;
no fewer than 200 for communities with more than 50,000 resident Italian citizens.

For each signatory, the following must be indicated:

surname;
first name;
place and date of birth.

Under current legislation, signatures may only be authenticated by first-category Consular Offices, thus excluding Honorary Consuls. Authentication is always free of charge (Art. 34 of DPR 395/2003).

To facilitate the signing of lists and the related authentications, interested parties may visit the Consulate during dedicated opening hours, starting from 17 August, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, without an appointment, provided the list to be signed has already been formed. List leaders are therefore requested to send the Consulate, as soon as possible, a submission form with the first section completed, so as to allow the collection of signatures. For further information, please contact the Consulate at the dedicated email address consbrisbane.elettorale@esteri.it.

At the time of signing, the signatory must be identified by means of an identity document (passport or identity card), provided it bears the holder’s photograph and was issued by an Italian public authority or by that of another State.

Requirements

Pursuant to Article 16 of DPR 395/2003, a candidacy is not admissible:

when the candidate is a minor;
when the candidacy is submitted for more than one list;
when the candidate is not resident in the consular district;
when the declaration of acceptance of candidacy is missing.

Pursuant to Article 6 of DPR 395/2003, the following Italian citizens are eligible:

those resident in the consular district;
those who are candidates on one (and only one) of the submitted lists (and in only one district);
those registered on the updated list referred to in Article 5, paragraph 1, of Law 459/2001;
those meeting the requirements to stand as candidates in administrative elections, i.e. the requirements set out in Article 55 (Passive electorate), paragraph 1, of Legislative Decree 267/2000, namely having reached the age of eighteen by the date set for voting.

The following are not eligible:

employees of the Italian State serving abroad, including contract staff;
those holding institutional offices and their salaried staff;
administrators and legal representatives (under the deed of incorporation and bylaws) of entities managing school activities operating within the Committee’s territory;
administrators and legal representatives (under the deed of incorporation and bylaws) of assistance committees that receive public funding;
those referred to in Articles 60 (Ineligibility) and 61 (Ineligibility and incompatibility for the office of mayor and provincial president) of Legislative Decree 267/2000;
those to whom the conditions set out in Articles 10 (Ineligibility for provincial, municipal, and district elections) and 11 (Suspension and automatic forfeiture of local administrators in a condition of ineligibility) of Legislative Decree 235/2012 apply;
those who have already served two consecutive terms on the same Committee.

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21/07/2026

In 2026, elections will be held to renew the Committees of Italians Abroad (Com.It.Es.).

Com.It.Es. are bodies that represent Italian citizens abroad in their relations with Embassies and Consulates and promote their integration. They also have the task of preserving the historical memory of Italian emigration and highlighting the Italian contribution to the societies in which they operate.

They can be established in consular districts with more than 3,000 AIRE-registered citizens and are composed of 12 members in communities of up to 100,000 citizens, and 18 members in communities exceeding that threshold. Committee members serve for a term of 5 years.

Voting takes place by mail, and it is open to citizens who have resided for at least 6 months in their consular district of reference.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation reaffirms the importance of voter participation, an essential moment for strengthening the representation of Italy’s many communities abroad. The Committees serve as a constant point of reference for citizens, acting as spokespeople for their needs and promoting their interests in their respective territories.

The Consulate of Italy in Brisbane invites all Italian citizens residing in the district to actively participate in this important democratic event, thereby helping to support and enhance their local Italian community.

To learn more about the activities of the Com.It.Es. of Queensland and the Northern Territory, visit: https://www.comitesqldnt.com/