Warden Messages

Information for Americans

For the latest Security Notices, please see the "Security Tips" webpage.

(February 13, 2008) - U.S. TAXPAYER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 2008

The U.S. Embassy in Rome is pleased to announce that a representative of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will be available in Rome during the dates and times shown below to answer questions related to U.S. federal tax returns. Most common tax forms will be available but can also be downloaded from the IRS website: www.irs.gov.

Please note: The IRS representative cannot accept tax returns and cannot prepare tax returns for individuals.

IRS Walk In Services: Consultations with the IRS representative in Rome will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Appointments are not necessary and cannot be made. Each visitor will be allowed 15 minutes maximum with the IRS representative.

Where: The ground floor of the U.S. Embassy Consular Building - Via Vittorio Veneto 121

Dates: Monday, March 10 through Thursday, March 13

Hours: 9:00 – 12:00 / 14:00 – 16:30

IRS Telephone Services: Consultations are available by telephone only at the dates and times listed below. Please do not telephone outside of these hours for IRS consultations.

Telephone number: 06-4674-2167

Dates: Monday, March 10 through Thursday, March 13

Hours: 12:00 - 13:00 / 16:30 - 17:30

General information for U.S. Citizens in Italy

All Americans in Italy are urged to register either online at https://travelregistration.state.gov or by phone or in person directly with the U.S. Embassy in Rome or the Consulates General in Naples, Milan and Florence. Registering gives U.S. citizens access to updated information on travel and security within Italy and makes it easier for the Embassy to contact citizens in case of emergency.

The U.S. Embassy Consular Section in Rome is located at Via Vittorio Veneto, 121.
Our website is: italy.usembassy.gov

U.S. Consulates in Italy are located in:
MILAN: Via Principe Amedeo, 2/10; telephone number: 02-290-351
FLORENCE: Lungarno A. Vespucci, 38; telephone number: 055-266-951
NAPLES: Piazza della Repubblica; telephone number: 081-583-8111

U.S. Consular Agents in Italy are located in:
GENOA: Via Dante, 2
PALERMO: Via Vaccarini, 1
VENICE: Marco Polo Airport, General Aviation Terminal, Viale Galileo Galilei, 30

As the Department continues to develop information on conditions affecting the well-being and safety of U.S. citizens overseas, it shares information through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the internet at http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on the internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

(October 4, 2007) - Voting Information for the 2008 Primary and General Elections

This is a reminder that in just three months we will be entering the U. S. presidential and state primary season. Five primaries are currently slated for January, another 20 are scheduled for February, and the rest take place from early March through early October. Registration for the first primary (the District of Columbia) closes December 10, 2007. We encourage you to act now so that your opinion is heard – not only in the November 2008 presidential and general elections, but also in the presidential primary and state primary elections! The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance is the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website www.fvap.gov.

Generally, all U.S. citizens 18 years or older who are or will be residing outside the United States during an election period are eligible to vote absentee in any election for Federal office. This includes primary, run-off, and special elections that occur throughout the year, as well as the general election in November 2008. Some states allow overseas voters to vote in elections for state and local offices, and for state and local referendums.

Voting eligibility and residency requirements are determined by the various U.S. states, and are available on-line at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/vag.html. Your "legal state of residence" for voting purposes is the state where you last resided immediately prior to departure from the United States. Voting rights extend to overseas citizens even though they may no longer own property or have other ties to their last state of residence, and even if their intent to return to that state may be uncertain. For those who have never resided in the U.S., sixteen states, to date, allow eligible U.S. citizens to register where a parent would be eligible to vote.

To register to vote and/or apply for an absentee ballot, you can use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). The on-line version, the OFPCA, is accepted by all states and territories except American Samoa and Guam. Voters from American Samoa and Guam must use the standard form of the FPCA, available at the Consulate General or through many American civic groups. The on-line OFPCA form must be completed legibly, printed, signed, dated, and mailed to your local election officials. Your state may allow faxing to speed the process, but you will still need to send in the original by mail. Use an envelope and affix proper postage. The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance, www.fvap.gov, has a wealth of information about absentee voting, including the state-specific instructions for completing the FPCA form, links to state and local officials, and a downloadable emergency ballot for use by those who register in time but fail to receive an official ballot.

As a general rule, you should try to send in the FPCA so that it reaches your local election officials at least forty-five days before the first election in which you are eligible to vote --- ample time for them to process the request and send you a blank ballot. If applying for both registration and an absentee ballot, you may want to mail the FPCA earlier. One FPCA will qualify you to receive all ballots for Federal offices for the next two regular Federal elections (through 2010). However, we recommend that you submit a new FPCA in January of every year, and whenever you move, to ensure that your most recent mailing and e-mail addresses are on file with your local election officials.

Under normal circumstances, most states and territories begin sending ballots to overseas citizens 30-45 days before an election. However, if you haven’t received your ballot within three weeks of your state’s ballot receipt deadline, and you are required to return your voted ballot by mail, you should download, complete, sign, date, and send in a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB), available at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefwab.html. Make sure it is witnessed if required by your state. If you subsequently receive your regular absentee ballot, execute it and return it regardless of when you receive it. Court decisions sometimes require late counting of ballots voted by Election Day, but received by local election officials for a specified period of time following Election Day.

Be an Educated Voter

Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues is widely available and easy to obtain via the Internet. Use the links appearing on the FVAP website at http://www.fvap.gov/links/otherlinks.html, read your hometown newspaper on-line, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.

The Voting Assistance Officer at Embassy Rome is available to answer questions about absentee voting. To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, call 06-4674-2420 or 2421, Monday through Friday, between 3 pm and 5 pm, or e-mail us at USCitizensRome@state.gov.

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