Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Central Directorate of Immigration and Border Police
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Piazza del Viminale, 1 - 00184 (ITALY)
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
22 March 2023
2.2. Metadata last posted
22 March 2023
2.3. Metadata last update
26 March 2025
3.1. Data description
Enforcement of immigration legislation data (EIL statistics) contain statistical information based on Article 5 and 7 of the Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 as amended by the Regulation (EU) 2020/851 with reference to third-country nationals:
refused entry at the external border,
found to be illegally present,
ordered to leave,
returned following an order to leave.
3.2. Classification system
See table 3.2. in the annex 'Quality report tables EIL 2024'.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Not editable concept.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
See table 3.4. in the annex 'Quality report tables EIL 2024'.
3.5. Statistical unit
Number of persons.
3.6. Statistical population
See table 3.6. in the annex 'Quality report tables EIL 2024'.
3.7. Reference area
Italy.
3.8. Coverage - Time
See table 3.8. in the annex 'Quality report tables EIL 2024'.
3.9. Base period
Not editable concept.
Number of persons.
Calendar quarter and calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The Ministry of Interior - Departmet of Public security - is the only authority with have the mandate for collecting EIL data.
Legislative decree 286/98 on reception of the EU Regulation 115/2008.
EU Regulation N. 862/2007. EU Regulation N. 603/2013. art.24 Schengen Border Code.
Employees are obliged to maintain confidentiality about official matters which, by their nature or in accordance with special regulations, must be kept secret. This obligation remains in force even after termination of the employment relationship:
Quality assessment procedure are based on self-assessment of the Police Department. The data quality office is uncharged of periodical and spot control in the database.
The National Statistics Institute yearly check the data and makes the necessary review and compliance monitoring.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Description of the Quality management system at national level
We are working on a better quality in the stock data being in touch with police authority for improving the data processing flow (e.g better treatment of the irrelevant information in the database). The National Statistics Institute yearly check the data and makes the necessary review and cancellation.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
1. General aspects
The statistics collected under the Regulation 862/2007 are widely used in official publications and by a wide range of users at national, European and International level.
Main users of EIL statistics at national level The EIL statistics produced are regularly used by national administrations: academic researchers and civil society groups working on a wide range of topics including the integration of immigrants, the development and monitoring of national asylum and immigration procedures, and the projection of the future population and labour force.
Police;
Ministry of Interior officers;
ISTAT (national statistics institute);
Main universities and academic research centres.
Main users of EIL statistics at European and International level The main users of EIL statistics are Eurostat, DG Home Affairs and EASO. The statistics are used in several publications of the Commission, as well as in the preparation of regular reports, policy proposals and analysis. The statistics also provide an input to the EMN studies and reports that address specific issues of current policy importance.
2. EIL data publication at national level
Presentation of the EIL statistics published at national level
No national publication on EIL statistics.
Differences between the data provided to Eurostat and the data published at national level (Comparability of figures):
Not applicable.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not available.
12.3. Completeness
See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2024’.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
98%.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The Accuracy of the total provided for each datasetis near to 90%.
Accuracy of the total provided for each category: underestimation within 10%.
Third-country nationals found to be illegally present: Italy confirms the value of 138.418 persons for 2022. The big diffences resides in table Y 2.2 (105.131) (sea borders).
For 2021 the value of table Y2.2 was not correct (849 instead of 67.477 that was the real number). For previous years, the main change resides in the new template and guidelines.
For 2020, the CNs found to be illegally present at sea border were 34.154 (2020), but the template was different and no apprehension on sea was included. The same was for years before 2020.
13.2. Sampling error
Procedures and classifications used in case of missing information (e.g. unknown citizenship, age, etc): Not available.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not available.
13.3. Non-sampling error
None.
13.3.1. Coverage error
See table 13.3.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2024’.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
See annex.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable.
13.3.2. Measurement error
none
13.3.3. Non response error
Not available.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not available
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not available.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not available.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not available.
14.1. Timeliness
Normally in time.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
14.2. Punctuality
See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2024’.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
1. Provision of data using the Eurostat EIL Technical Guidelines and exceptions applied
No exception.
2. Details on categories of Non-EU citizens difficult to be classified using the reference definitions from EIL technical guidelines and the categories excluded from these reasons (excluded from the statistics reported)
Not difficulty.
3. Description of records related to "Unknown" country of citizenship category
when the identification of the citizenship couldn't be established.
4. Description of records related to "Unknown" age category
When the age of the person couldn't be established.
5. Description of records related to "Unknown" sex category
When the sex of the person couldn't be established. The sex category wasn't mandatory and sometime the information is not given (for the past extraction).
6. Establishing the reported ground in case of “multiple grounds” for the same refusal and the impact on double counting of the person in the same dataset
In case of multiple grounds, the person is counted just one time.
There is no impact on double counting.
7. Type of "external border" applicable
Land boarder, Sea border and Air border.
8. The definition of “refused Non-EU citizens” applied
The Schengen Borders Code's refusal definition is applies for the Statistics reported to Eurostat and legislative decree 286/98.
Return handbook.
9. The correspondence between the national system of “grounds for refusal" classification and Schengen Borders Code classification.
The same as in Schengen Borders Code classification. art10 legislative decree 286/98.
10. The definition of “Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present” applied
The same as in Schengen Borders Code classification. art 13 and 14 legislative decree 286/98.
11. The definition of “Non-EU citizens ordered to leave” applied
The same as in Schengen Borders Code classification. art 13 and 14 legislative decree 286/98.
12. The definition of “Non-EU citizens returned following an order to leave” applied
The same as in Schengen Borders Code classification. Art 13 and 14 legislative decree 286/98.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2024’.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
See annex.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2024’.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Taking into consideration the reference period of data, both statistics on obligation to leave and third-country nationals returned shall relate to reference periods of three calendar months (art. 3.1.3 and 3.2.3 of the Guidelines for data collection under art. 5 and 7 of Reg 851/2020).
Italy interpreted the periodicity in relation to the date of the decision (for Y5) and the date of the return (for Y6).
For this reason, a little discrepancy could occur between number of decisions and number of returns reported in the same quarter.
Another small question that Italy would underline refers to the new born. Some time, after that a decision to leave is ordered, a new child born. In this case the return of the family could count the new born (not present in the order to leave).
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
See annex.
15.4. Coherence - internal
1. Links and differences between the Non-EU citizens with obligation to leave and Non-EU citizens who actually left the territory
Same database. "Actually left" category only after the person is out of EU territory.
2. Links and differences between the Non-EU citizens who actually left the territory and Non-EU citizens who left the territory to a third country
We insert only who left the territory to a third country (who left the territory to a MS in inserted only if the MS give us the information about the leaving of EU territory). No destination country information is present in the database.
None.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Not available. similar to Eurostat guidelines.
17.2. Data revision - practice
See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2024’.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2024’.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Daily.
18.3. Data collection
National systematic process of gathering data for official statistics
The data are directly registered by the different field offices in an unique database.
Starting from the first trimester of 2025, return statistics will be provided direcltly from the immigration database (National RECAMAS), while the general Police database (“SDI”) will not be used anymore for this purpose. This change will allow us to improve the precision of our statistics and completness of our statistics. In this regard, as the system is not able, yet, to collect all the data related to “voluntary returns” (irregular migrants voluntarily complying to a return decision or leaving on the basis of a voluntary departure decision), we will develop it in order to fill this last gap.
18.4. Data validation
Description of the data validation system at national level
Checks of totals consistency; Checks of magnitude of changes over time; Using intervals of values for outliers/errors detection; Using visual validation (visual verification of the tables or the graph resulted); Checking the data integrity over each processing step; Using special programs/software for data validation; Checking if the double counting cases are excluded; Checking the consistency between Y2 and Y3 datasets; Checking the consistency between “TCNs subjects to an obligation to leave” and “TCNs who actually left the territory”; Checking the consistency between “TCNs who returned to a Third Country” and “TCNs who actually left the territory”; Analyse the statistics reported by other countries.
18.5. Data compilation
Estimations used: Details on the estimations done for EIL statistics (methodology applied and the concerned categories and tables) :Not available.
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
Not availbale.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
Not editable concept.
The following classification is used for data availability at Eurostat level:
The term "not applicable" relates to the categories of data which do not exist in national legislation/administrative procedures and therefore such statistics cannot be issued.
The term "not available" relates to categories of data that exist in the national legal/administrative system but cannot be delivered under EIL data collection for various reasons (e.g. data cannot exist, data exist but are not collected, data are unreliable, etc.).
Enforcement of immigration legislation data (EIL statistics) contain statistical information based on Article 5 and 7 of the Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 as amended by the Regulation (EU) 2020/851 with reference to third-country nationals:
refused entry at the external border,
found to be illegally present,
ordered to leave,
returned following an order to leave.
26 March 2025
See table 3.4. in the annex 'Quality report tables EIL 2024'.
Number of persons.
See table 3.6. in the annex 'Quality report tables EIL 2024'.
Italy.
Calendar quarter and calendar year.
The Accuracy of the total provided for each datasetis near to 90%.
Accuracy of the total provided for each category: underestimation within 10%.
Third-country nationals found to be illegally present: Italy confirms the value of 138.418 persons for 2022. The big diffences resides in table Y 2.2 (105.131) (sea borders).
For 2021 the value of table Y2.2 was not correct (849 instead of 67.477 that was the real number). For previous years, the main change resides in the new template and guidelines.
For 2020, the CNs found to be illegally present at sea border were 34.154 (2020), but the template was different and no apprehension on sea was included. The same was for years before 2020.
Number of persons.
Estimations used: Details on the estimations done for EIL statistics (methodology applied and the concerned categories and tables) :Not available.
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2024’.
No public dissemination.
Normally in time.
1. Provision of data using the Eurostat EIL Technical Guidelines and exceptions applied
No exception.
2. Details on categories of Non-EU citizens difficult to be classified using the reference definitions from EIL technical guidelines and the categories excluded from these reasons (excluded from the statistics reported)
Not difficulty.
3. Description of records related to "Unknown" country of citizenship category
when the identification of the citizenship couldn't be established.
4. Description of records related to "Unknown" age category
When the age of the person couldn't be established.
5. Description of records related to "Unknown" sex category
When the sex of the person couldn't be established. The sex category wasn't mandatory and sometime the information is not given (for the past extraction).
6. Establishing the reported ground in case of “multiple grounds” for the same refusal and the impact on double counting of the person in the same dataset
In case of multiple grounds, the person is counted just one time.
There is no impact on double counting.
7. Type of "external border" applicable
Land boarder, Sea border and Air border.
8. The definition of “refused Non-EU citizens” applied
The Schengen Borders Code's refusal definition is applies for the Statistics reported to Eurostat and legislative decree 286/98.
Return handbook.
9. The correspondence between the national system of “grounds for refusal" classification and Schengen Borders Code classification.
The same as in Schengen Borders Code classification. art10 legislative decree 286/98.
10. The definition of “Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present” applied
The same as in Schengen Borders Code classification. art 13 and 14 legislative decree 286/98.
11. The definition of “Non-EU citizens ordered to leave” applied
The same as in Schengen Borders Code classification. art 13 and 14 legislative decree 286/98.
12. The definition of “Non-EU citizens returned following an order to leave” applied
The same as in Schengen Borders Code classification. Art 13 and 14 legislative decree 286/98.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2024’.
