This is Part II of my experience navigating the bureaucracy in Italy after relocating to Milan in 2000 on a corporate expat assignment.
See Part I, How Can I Work Legally in Italy? This is not intended to be a step-by-step guide, rather is a description of my own experience. Any errors or omissions regarding the process are my own.
Having recovered from the bureaucratic ordeal of obtaining my Italian work visa and permesso di soggiorno, I decided it would be useful to have an Italian bank account.
After a 20-minute drive to the bank, a 20-minute wait in line, and a 20-minute explanation about the different types of accounts, the bank rep asks:
Do you have an ID card? Unfortunately I didn't.
The bank will charge you millions (of lire, since this was pre-Euro), he said, with no ID card. Go get an ID card and come back when you have one.
I called the Comune to find out what I needed to apply for an ID card: bring your permesso di soggiorno, 3 properly-sized photos, and come any weekday between 2.30 and 3.30 pm, they said.
At exactly 2.30 pm the next day, I arrived at the Comune to apply for my ID card, and they asked:
Do you have residency? Unfortunately, I didn't.
In that case, I had to apply for residency from the main Comune first. I ran out of the building, jumped on the Metro, and arrived at the main Comune at 3 pm. By 3.15 pm my number was called.
What do I need in order to apply for residency? I asked the woman behind the counter. Permesso di soggiorno, passport, and a photocopy of each. Excellent. I had my passport and permesso di soggiorno in hand, and there was a photocopier right behind her.
But she said she couldn't make the two copies for me. She gave me directions to the closest photocopier I could use: go outside, and around the corner, there's a store where you can pay for copies, she said. It was a short walk, and I made it back quickly. I was lucky that she recognized me, took pity, and let me jump the queue so I could submit my application before the office closed at 3.30 pm.
Only 4 months processing time for the residency.
Then I could apply for an ID card.
Then I could apply for a bank account.
Unbelievably, it all got done, and before the 1-year anniversary of my relocation to Italy.
So set expectations accordingly. In Italy, any bureaucratic transaction happens during regular work hours, thus requires time off work. Government offices in general are not open over your lunch hour, before work, after work, or on weekends.
When I talked to my Italian boss about all the time off I'd need to get myself set up in Italy, he didn't enjoy hearing about it, but he just shrugged and said pazienza, (translation: there's nothing you can do about it), so go do what you need to do. The Italians are used to it.
Photo from La Repubblica
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