Dealing with Italian bureaucracy

Keep the originals of important documents in one folder: passport, residence permit, codice fiscale, tessera sanitaria, residence certificate, rental and work contracts, birth and marriage certificates, insurance documents, payslips, tax and INPS letters.

• Sort them by topic, scan them and keep a safe digital copy.
• Many administrations ask for an original and a copy, so always bring both.
• Do not hand over originals unless necessary, and keep a receipt.
• And name digital files with clear dates and names.
• And keep copies of your registered applications since they are the proof of submission in time.
• And do not let your documents expire, and record renewal dates in your calendar.

By law a public administration may not ask you for certificates held by another administration, so you can submit an autocertificazione, that is a declaration on your responsibility (about residence, family status, nationality and qualifications), instead of certificates, and the administration verifies itself.

• Some cases are excepted and with non-EU foreigners in some matters.
• A marca da bollo, that is a tax stamp (about 16 euros), is sometimes required on some documents and applications, bought at tobacconists (tabaccheria) or electronically.
• Fees are today often paid via PagoPA at the bank, post office, app or website.
• Read the instructions well to know the suitable stamp and fee and avoid refusal of the application.
• And ask about exemption if your income is low.

Italian bodies request foreign documents legalised by apostille (the Hague Convention) or by the Italian consulate's legalisation in the country of issue, and translation that is giurata or asseverata, that is sworn and certified before the court or a notary, or a translation certified by the consul.

• These procedures take time and cost, so start early and take several legalised copies.
• Ask the body about the accepted form before starting, and check that your names are written in the same Latin letters on every document, since difference causes refusal.
• And some documents have a validity period, so criminal record certificates are often not accepted if six months have passed.
• For Italian documents request digital certificates instead of attending.
• And documents are accepted between EU states by simplified procedures.

When you submit an application you get a receipt stating the date and the reply period (usually thirty days unless otherwise stated).

• If the period expires without reply silenzio-assenso (silence is consent) applies in some procedures or silenzio-rifiuto (silence is refusal) in others, so check your procedure's rule.
• You are notified of the decision via PEC, IO or registered post.
• To appeal submit a ricorso before the regional administrative court (TAR) within sixty days or before the President of the Republic within 120 days, and you can request access to the file (accesso agli atti).
• Attach your reasons and evidence.
• And ask for legal advice before the deadline expires, since it is not extended.
• And free legal aid exists for those with limited income (patrocinio a spese dello Stato).

Do not give SPID or CIE details, the full codice fiscale or your card details to anyone who calls or writes claiming to be from INPS, the tax agency, the police, the post or the bank, since these are common phishing messages requesting payment of a fine or update of data.

• Do not click links and enter through the official site yourself.
• Data protection laws (GDPR) protect your data and you have the right to see and correct it. For free help go to a patronato (INCA, ACLI and ITAL) for pensions and benefits, a CAF for tax and ISEE, unions such as CGIL, CISL and UIL, associations such as ASGI, Caritas and ARCI, the comune's social services, and the ombudsman office (difensore civico).
• And the Punto Digitale Facile in libraries helps with electronic services.

What is autocertificazione?