Italy's Ambassador to Spain, Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi, visited Ibiza on Friday, September 18, to officially inaugurate the reopened Honorary Vice-Consulate of Italy in Ibiza and Formentera.

The ceremony took place alongside Honorary Vice-Consul Rossana Alvaro, who heads the office serving Italian citizens on the two islands.

The diplomatic mission forms part of a wider two-day visit by the Italian ambassador to the Balearic Islands, during which he also participated in the inauguration of new honorary consular offices in Mallorca and Menorca.

The office reopened in May

The Ibiza office officially reopened on May 18, 2026.

The Italian Consulate General in Barcelona announced at the time that Italian citizens resident in Ibiza and Formentera could once again use the office to request Italian passports and access other consular services falling within its assigned responsibilities.

The September ceremony therefore marked the formal inauguration of an office that had already been operating since May.

Located in Vara de Rey

The Honorary Vice-Consulate is located at Paseo Vara del Rey 22 in Ibiza.

The current consular network lists Rossana Alvaro as Honorary Vice-Consul, with jurisdiction covering the islands of Ibiza and Formentera.

Public appointments are currently available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 14:00 to 18:00.

Services for Italian citizens

The reopening gives Italian citizens living on the islands access to consular assistance locally.

Among the services available through the office is the submission of applications for Italian passports, alongside other services within the responsibilities assigned to the honorary vice-consulate.

The office works in coordination with the Italian Consulate General in Barcelona, which remains the competent full consular authority for the Balearic Islands.

Around 5,000 Italians live in the Pitiusas

The inauguration comes as the Italian community in Ibiza and Formentera remains significant.

Local reporting puts the number of Italian residents on the two islands at approximately 5,000 throughout the year.

That population increases considerably during the summer, when many more Italian visitors arrive in the Pitiusas.

The wider Balearic Islands are home to more than 25,000 Italian citizens who are permanently resident in the archipelago, according to information released during the ambassador's institutional visit.

A growing Italian presence in the Balearics

The Italian diplomatic mission said the Italian community in the Balearics has grown by approximately 35% over the past two years.

The community now numbers more than 25,000 permanent residents across the islands, according to the diplomatic information released during Buccino Grimaldi's visit.

Italian businesses and professionals are active in sectors including tourism and restaurants, real estate, construction, nautical activities, fashion, design, commerce, events and music.

Why the local office matters

Having an honorary vice-consulate in Ibiza means residents do not need to travel to another Spanish city for every consular matter that falls within the office's responsibilities.

The local service can also provide assistance when Italian citizens encounter emergencies or other situations requiring contact with Italian diplomatic authorities.

This can be particularly relevant during the summer, when the number of Italian visitors on the islands rises significantly.

The ambassador's visit

Buccino Grimaldi's Ibiza visit was part of an institutional mission to the Balearic Islands from September 16 to 18.

He was accompanied by Gabriele Luca Fava, Italy's Consul General in Barcelona, and Matteo Pianca, political adviser and consular coordinator at the Italian Embassy.

During the visit, the delegation took part in ceremonies marking the inauguration of the honorary consular office in Palma, the new honorary vice-consulate in Menorca and the reopened honorary vice-consulate in Ibiza.

New consular network across the islands

The opening in Menorca is also significant.

With the honorary consular office in Palma, the honorary vice-consulate in Ibiza and the new honorary vice-consulate in Menorca, Italy now has three fully operational honorary consular structures across the Balearic Islands, according to the Italian diplomatic announcement.

The network is intended to strengthen assistance for Italian citizens and support relations between Italy and the Balearic Islands.

Rossana Alvaro leads the Ibiza office

Rossana Alvaro is the Honorary Vice-Consul responsible for Ibiza and Formentera.

The official Italian consular network confirms her appointment and the office's jurisdiction over both islands.

Her role includes supporting Italian citizens locally while working in coordination with the Italian diplomatic and consular authorities responsible for Spain and the Balearics.

Strengthening Italy-Spain relations

During his Balearic visit, Buccino Grimaldi also held meetings with regional and local authorities.

The Italian diplomatic service described the Balearics as an increasingly established meeting point between Italy and Spain, with economic, professional and cultural connections between the two countries.

The two countries also maintain significant commercial links, with Italian companies active across several sectors in the islands.

What Italian citizens in Ibiza should know

The Honorary Vice-Consulate currently serves Ibiza and Formentera and operates from Paseo Vara del Rey 22.

The official consular network lists:

• Honorary Vice-Consul: Rossana Alvaro

• Jurisdiction: Ibiza and Formentera

• Address: Paseo Vara del Rey 22, Ibiza

• Public opening: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

• Hours: 14:00 to 18:00

• Appointments: required

• Telephone/WhatsApp: +34 628 582 775

A renewed Italian presence in Ibiza

The September inauguration formally marks the return of Italy's honorary vice-consular presence on Ibiza after the office reopened in May.

For the island's Italian community, the local office provides a closer point of contact with Italian consular authorities without requiring residents to travel off the island for services that can be handled locally.

With thousands of Italians living in the Pitiusas and a much larger seasonal population during the summer, the reopening gives the community a renewed local diplomatic and consular presence.