The right to be received


The right to reception for persons applying for international protection is provided by Italian Legislative Decree No. 142 of 2015, which transposed European Directive 2013/33/EU. The Italian Law 113 of 2018 ("Decree-Law on Security and Immigration") made significant changes to access and the right to reception for asylum seekers.

In Italy, the reception system operates on two levels: a first reception, comprising the 'hotspots' and Initial Reception Centres which only provide basic services (first aid, etc.), and, in cases of emergency, specially prepared temporary structures (CAS), and a second-line reception, which comprises the System of Protection for Beneficiaries of Protection and Unaccompanied Minors (SIPROIMI) — which replaced the SPRAR — System of Protection for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, through Decree-Law No. 113 of 4 October 2018.

With the changes introduced, reception in the former SPRAR facilities is no longer intended for asylum seekers but solely for those who have already obtained international protection and for unaccompanied foreign minors. Only those accommodated at SIPROIMI centres benefit from specific active measures aimed at the integration and social inclusion of foreigners on Italian territory.


For further information on the new features introduced by Legislative Decree No. 113/18.