Base guide

Aviano Air Base

5 min read

  • 8 sections
  • 12 sources
On this page
  1. Documents: the Missione visa first
  2. Housing: off base, and the 2-day rule
  3. Medical care: no emergency department on base
  4. Schools and child care
  5. Driving: the AFI license
  6. Pets
  7. Legal assistance
  8. The first two days at Aviano

Aviano Air Base sits at the foot of the Pre-Alps in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy, approximately 50 miles north of Venice and 9 miles from Pordenone, according to the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS overview of Aviano. It is home to the 31st Fighter Wing, whose mission on the Aviano MilitaryINSTALLATIONS page is to “Secure the Base, Generate Combat Airpower and be Ready to Deploy & Fight from Home”. Aviano has no on-base family housing, so families live off base, in government-leased units only if the wing commander designates them key and essential, per the housing page.

Documents: the Missione visa first

“Do not travel to Italy without proper documents”, the Aviano page warns. Active-duty family members, civilians and command-sponsored dependents must get a no-fee passport and an Italian Missione visa before arriving, dependents and civilians may not enter before the visa start date, and after arrival you apply for a permesso di soggiorno, which replaces the visa. If you have not heard from a sponsor, call your gaining unit.

All newly arrived members report to their squadron command support staff within 24 hours (one duty day) of arriving in country, per the Aviano check-in page. Military personnel and civilians must attend Wyvern Welcome, the base newcomers orientation, and spouses are encouraged to come; pre-register with the Military and Family Readiness Center, Building 1431 in Area F, at 011-39-0434-30-5407 or DSN 632-5407.

Housing: off base, and the 2-day rule

Report to the Military Housing Office within 2 days of arrival, and do not sign a lease before the office has reviewed and approved it, per the Aviano housing page. The office translates, sets up viewings and works with local landlords and agents.

  • Family housing: government-controlled leased family housing is available only to key and essential personnel identified by the 31st Fighter Wing commander, in units off base within a 15-minute commute, per the Aviano government housing page. The child care page notes that Aviano has no on-base housing. Other families find off-base rentals with the Military Housing Office’s help.
  • Dormitories: unaccompanied housing is mandatory for E-1 to E-3 and for E-4s with less than three years of service. The housing page adds that an E-3 or E-4 arriving with 30 months’ time in service will be required to move off base.
  • Mobile homes are not an option, on base or in the local community.

Budget for move-in costs. The overview says renting typically requires the first month’s rent, a standard deposit and a separate paint deposit, together up to two months’ rent; the paint deposit is reimbursable for military members, though processing may take several months. Utilities often bill every 3 to 4 months, which can mean a large bill, sometimes €3,000 or more. There is no loan locker at Aviano, but the Furnishings Management Section lends washers, dryers, refrigerators and wardrobes for your tour. Housing Office: 011-39-0434-30-2272.

On-base lodging is limited, so reserve early; reservations do not require orders. The Mountain View Lodge in Area F has 96 temporary living facility units with full kitchens, 24 of them for PCS guests with pets at an extra $10 a day, per the Aviano temporary housing page. If the pet units are full but other rooms are open, you will not get a statement of non-availability to stay off base with a pet. Lodge: 011-39-0434-30-4040.

Medical care: no emergency department on base

“The 31st Medical Group does not have an emergency medical care department”, the Aviano health care page says. For emergencies in Italy, call 112. The closest emergency room is at Pordenone Hospital, Via Monterale 24, about 15 minutes from the base, with in-person translators for TRICARE Prime beneficiaries Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The clinic provides outpatient family medicine for active-duty members, command-sponsored family members and TRICARE enrollees with a primary care manager; DoD civilians are seen on a space-available basis. Routine dental treatment for family members is space-available, and the page encourages enrolling in the TRICARE Dental Program for care from local dentists.

Schools and child care

The Aviano School Complex has two DoDEA schools in separate wings, Aviano Elementary School (pre-K to 5th grade) and Aviano Middle/High School (6th to 12th), according to the Aviano education page. Families may also choose Italian public or private schools, where instruction is primarily in Italian.

Aviano has one Child Development Center (6 weeks to 5 years) and one School Age Care program, and no Family Child Care program because there is no on-base housing, per the Aviano child care page. Request care through MilitaryChildCare.com; families PCSing in get hourly care priority during their first week of in-processing, when a full-time space is open.

Driving: the AFI license

“To legally operate a vehicle in Italy while stationed at Aviano Air Base, all personnel must obtain an AFI Driver’s License”, the Aviano motor vehicles page says. You must be at least 18 with a valid stateside or EU license, pass a 100-question online knowledge test with at least 90, and attend the Traffic Safety Briefing on Wednesdays during Wyvern Welcome. After a first failure you wait at least 24 hours to retest, 14 days after a second and 60 days after a third. Allow at least three business days for processing, and check that your stateside license will not expire during your tour. The overview suggests shipping your car 6 to 8 weeks before departure, because Aviano’s facilities are spread across several areas.

Pets

The Aviano pet shipping page lists a 15-digit microchip, a current rabies vaccine and a health certificate from a military or USDA-accredited veterinarian dated within 10 days of arrival in Italy, and recommends a full leptospirosis vaccination series, because leptospirosis is endemic to northern Italy. The page gives the wait after a first rabies vaccine as 31 days, longer than the 21-day minimum USDA APHIS lists; the APHIS rules for Italy, including the new EU certificate required from Oct. 1, 2026, are in the Caserma Ederle guide. Since Jan. 1, 2024, service members can be reimbursed up to $2,000 for one pet’s transportation on an OCONUS move.

The Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, on the second floor of the Consolidated Support Center, Building 1403, advises on notary service, powers of attorney, wills, divorce and family law, claims, tax assistance and landlord-tenant issues, per the Aviano legal assistance page: 011-39-0434-30-7843. The housing page also points renters with lease questions to base legal at that number.

The first two days at Aviano

Have the Missione visa in every family passport, report to your unit within one duty day and to the Military Housing Office within two, and do not sign any lease the office has not approved. Learn the way to Pordenone Hospital early, because the base has no emergency department.

Sources

installations.militaryonesource.mil