Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale

What Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale does

The Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (MAECI), commonly known as the Farnesina, is the Italian government ministry responsible for executing the Republic's foreign policy and international cooperation. Headquartered at the Palazzo della Farnesina in Rome since 1959, the Ministry has traced its institutional form to 1848 and currently operates under the political leadership of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Its mandate, governed by Article 12 of Legislative Decree No. 300/1999, encompasses bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, consular protection, visa issuance, international development cooperation, cultural and scientific diplomacy, and trade promotion. The Ministry runs the world's third-largest diplomatic-consular network, with 319 embassies, permanent representations, consular offices, Italian Cultural Institutes, and 49 ITA (ICE) trade offices coordinated with over 450 offices including Scientific Attachés.

The Ministry delivers services through an integrated digital ecosystem anchored on Esteri.it (11 million annual page views). Consular services include the Fast IT portal, Prenot@Mi online booking, Viaggiare Sicuri travel-safety portal and mobile app, Dove Siamo Nel Mondo registration system, and Visto per l'Italia visa information portal. Economic-diplomacy services for Italian businesses include export.gov.it, ExTender (2.6 million page views on international tenders), Info Mercati Esteri, Nexus (direct linkage to commercial offices), and OpportunItaly. Specialized platforms support scientific collaboration (Innovitalia), international careers (Join-IT), diaspora heritage tourism (Italea), and study-abroad promotion (Study in Italy, Invest Your Talent in Italy). Operational services include the 24/7 Unità di Crisi for citizen emergencies and the URP public-relations office handling 60,000+ annual inquiries.

The Ministry does not operate a commercial revenue model; it is funded through the Italian national budget. Service delivery generates nominal administrative fees for consular and visa transactions, but the core funding flows from the State. The Ministry employs 1,001–5,000 staff (excluding locally engaged personnel at overseas missions) and serves a stakeholder base of approximately 6.6 million Italians abroad registered in consular registries, 680,000 business users of internationalization services, 1.46 million language-course enrollees at Italian Cultural Institutes, and 1,368 annual scholarship recipients. Through its subsidiary AICS (Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo, established 2014), the Ministry channels development cooperation, and through partnerships with bodies such as UNESCO, Italian universities, and cultural associations, it extends Italy's soft-power reach globally.

Name

Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale

Legal name

Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale

Website

https://esteri.it

Company type

Public

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Farnesina) executes Italy's foreign policy, operating the world's third-largest diplomatic-consular network of 319 offices. It serves 6.6 million Italians abroad with consular, visa, crisis, and cultural services, and supports Italian businesses through 49 global trade offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Foreign Affairs and Consular Services

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), International Affairs (928120)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Diplomatic Missions & Embassies (Bilateral Relations) (BPAIAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Development Cooperation & Foreign Aid Administration (BPAIAIAG), Economic & Trade Diplomacy (Commercial, Investment, Sanctions Policy) (BPAIAIAF), Consular Services & Citizen Assistance (BPAIAIAB), Visa, Immigration Liaison & Travel Document Policy (Foreign Affairs) (BPAIAIAL), Business Visa Application & Processing Services (THACAKAA)

Keywords

• Diplomatic services
• Consular services
• Foreign affairs
• International cooperation
• Economic diplomacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome, Latium

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation conducts Italy's foreign policy and provides consular services to Italian citizens abroad, visa services to foreign nationals, and internationalization support to Italian businesses. It operates an integrated network of diplomatic-consular offices worldwide alongside a portfolio of digital portals for appointments, travel safety, visa information, market intelligence, scholarships, and crisis assistance. Its work spans economic diplomacy, cultural promotion, scientific cooperation, development aid, and emergency response for citizens abroad.

Product overview

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation operates a comprehensive digital service ecosystem consisting of the main Esteri.it website and numerous specialized thematic portals. The core offering includes consular services (Fast IT, Prenot@Mi, Viaggiare Sicuri), internationalization support for businesses (export.gov.it, ExTender, Info Mercati Esteri, Nexus, OpportunItaly), and cultural promotion (Collezione Farnesina). These interconnected services are unified through the main website, with targeted portals addressing specific citizen and business needs including visa information (Visto per l'Italia), diaspora services (Italea), research support (Innovitalia), and international career opportunities (Join-IT). The portfolio also includes emergency services (Unità di Crisi) and internal administrative systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Esteri.it The official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, providing information about diplomatic services, consular assistance, international relations, and government services to citizens and businesses.
• Viaggiare Sicuri

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,625,028 Italian citizens served through consular services
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025Italy and UNESCO partnership for restoration of the Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Following the November 2025 earthquake, Italy is supporting UNESCO's efforts to safeguard cultural heritage in Afghanistan.
• MIDJ – Associazione Musicisti Italiani di JazzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry collaborates with MIDJ to promote the 'OltreConfine – Italian Jazz Around the World' initiative, supporting and enhancing the Italian jazz scene internationally through economic grants to Italian jazz musicians.
• Università Cattolica del Sacro CuoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership under the solidarity diplomacy initiative, conducting medical conferences to facilitate knowledge exchange in medicine and public health between Italian academic institutions and international partners.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO): UK's combined foreign affairs and development ministry, providing consular assistance, visa services, trade promotion, and development cooperation through a similarly structured global embassy and consulate network — closest functional analogue to MFA Italy.
• German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt): Germany's federal foreign ministry delivering identical services (consular protection, visa issuance, cultural diplomacy via Goethe-Institut, economic promotion) through a comparable embassy-consulate network.
• U.S. Department of State: Direct counterpart and most directly comparable national foreign affairs ministry, operating the largest global diplomatic-consular network with consular services, visa processing, and crisis response functions identical to the Farnesina's portfolio.
• French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE): France's foreign ministry with one of Europe's largest consular networks, offering passport services, visa processing, economic diplomacy, and cultural promotion through Alliance Française — directly comparable in scope and Mediterranean strategic context.
• Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC): Spain's foreign ministry providing consular services, visa processing, and development cooperation with similar Mediterranean and Latin America focus; offers comparable cultural promotion through Cervantes Institute network.
• Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA): Japan's foreign ministry operating consular services, visa processing, and economic diplomacy through a comparable embassy network; similar emphasis on cultural promotion (Japan Foundation mirrors Italian Cultural Institutes).
• Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT): Australia's integrated foreign affairs and trade ministry performing the same mix of consular, visa, economic promotion, and bilateral diplomatic functions across a similarly global footprint.
• Global Affairs Canada (Affaires mondiales Canada): Canadian department of foreign affairs, trade promotion, and development assistance — matches the Farnesina's combined diplomacy + trade + development mandate structure.

Emerging players

• Italian Trade Agency (ICE): Government agency operating 49 offices globally for Italian export promotion, integrated within the Farnesina's economic-diplomacy network and jointly executing the internationalization mandate.

Broad incumbents

• European External Action Service (EEAS): EU's diplomatic service with overlapping mandate in trade, multilateral representation, and crisis response; competes with and complements national bilateral diplomacy across the same geographies served by Farnesina.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ItalyMFA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Farnesina
• Instagraminstagram.com/italianmfa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farnesina

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale