Figuring out the permesso di soggiorno
The long term visa gets us into Italy, but within 8 days of arriving we must apply for a residence permit or permesso di soggiorno. I'd read accounts of waiting in long lines day after day at the questura (police station) only to be have the window closed at noon for the day. Now, apparently, you can get an application kit from the post office, fill it out, attach a 14.70 euro stamp, pay a 27 euro fee and a 30 euro "registration fee" plus "80 to 200 euros for processing" and send it in via registered mail. When handing the application in to be mailed you are also fingerprinted and given an appointment to go to the questura with four photos. You are also supposed to include "documentation supporting the type of visa you are requesting." Not sure what this is, so we will bring a copy of everything we needed for the visa (on a thumb drive to save space in our suitcases). Ultimately, if successful, you are rewarded with a magnetic card with a microchip containing the details of your visa, permit, and your fingerprints, which you are supposed to carry at all times. Hello big brother! There is no explanation of how much the processing fee will be or why some are 80 euros and others 200. This has to be renewed yearly, hopefully without as many fees or as much paperwork.
The Italian government lists the requirements and additional info at http://www.poliziadistato.it/articolo/view/10717/.
The Italian government lists the requirements and additional info at http://www.poliziadistato.it/articolo/view/10717/.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Beware of ventures requiring new luggage or What to pack for an indefinite stay in Italy
We usually don't check luggage when we travel and take only what we can pack in our convertible Rick Steves bags. This time, for a stay of a year or more, we figure we might need a little more. After a little Amazon searching, I ordered my first "wheelie" bag--a rolling duffle bag that fits within the 62 linear inches allowed for a checked bag on Lufthansa. It arrived today--looks great! Sturdy, rolls smoothly, and should easily hold the 50 pounds (actually, 43 when you subtract the weight of the bag) which is the maximum weight you can check. Now--what to pack for a long term stay?
Based on our daughter's experiences the past year in France, I plan to bring a set of measuring cups and spoons because it is hard to adjust to using weight for measuring. Since they oddly do not have baking soda in Italy, I will bring some of that also. Other items are easy to decide on like a large bottle of ibuprofen (it costs a LOT in Italy), ditto for generic zyrtec from Costco, extra deoderant (not much choice there) and extra dental floss (hard to find in small villages). But planning a wardrobe for all four seasons and all foreseeable occasions and fitting it into two relatively small bags will be more of a challenge. I started by purging my closet of all work clothes--good-bye suits! good-bye boring silk shells to wear with suits! good-bye pumps and dress shoes! Looks like I will pack 3 light weight fall/summer pants, 2 pairs of capris, 3 heavier winter pants, a black dress, black skirt, dressy blouse, a black raincoat with detachable lining, 3 sweaters, 4 shirts, work-out clothes, gym shoes, black flats, black walking shoes, and black clogs, nightie, toiletries, PJs and slippers, socks & undies, bathing suit & coverup, my i-pod, kindle & laptop, and a bunch of adaptor plugs (just ordered 6 for 9.95 from Amazon). Then we'll see if there is any room left for a few additional clothing items. Perhaps I will be forced to buy some new clothes in Italy--I'll try not to be too upset over that.
If anybody has suggestions for essentials to include on the packing list--let me know.
Based on our daughter's experiences the past year in France, I plan to bring a set of measuring cups and spoons because it is hard to adjust to using weight for measuring. Since they oddly do not have baking soda in Italy, I will bring some of that also. Other items are easy to decide on like a large bottle of ibuprofen (it costs a LOT in Italy), ditto for generic zyrtec from Costco, extra deoderant (not much choice there) and extra dental floss (hard to find in small villages). But planning a wardrobe for all four seasons and all foreseeable occasions and fitting it into two relatively small bags will be more of a challenge. I started by purging my closet of all work clothes--good-bye suits! good-bye boring silk shells to wear with suits! good-bye pumps and dress shoes! Looks like I will pack 3 light weight fall/summer pants, 2 pairs of capris, 3 heavier winter pants, a black dress, black skirt, dressy blouse, a black raincoat with detachable lining, 3 sweaters, 4 shirts, work-out clothes, gym shoes, black flats, black walking shoes, and black clogs, nightie, toiletries, PJs and slippers, socks & undies, bathing suit & coverup, my i-pod, kindle & laptop, and a bunch of adaptor plugs (just ordered 6 for 9.95 from Amazon). Then we'll see if there is any room left for a few additional clothing items. Perhaps I will be forced to buy some new clothes in Italy--I'll try not to be too upset over that.
If anybody has suggestions for essentials to include on the packing list--let me know.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Countdown to Italy: getting the long term visa
Countdown: 35 days until we move to Italy!
One evening while looking at pictures of a recent trip to Italy and enjoying a bottle of Proseco, my husband Tom and I said "we should live in Italy after we retire." Well, he "retired" in the economic crisis of 2008 and I retired July 30 of this year--and we leave for Venice on September 30 for an indefinite period of time. It's hard to believe that a casual conversation 10 years ago is coming to fruition only 35 days from now! Even though we have been taking Italian classes and have travelled to Italy several more times since that conversation, I can't believe that we are actually moving to Italy next month!
The only tricky part was getting the long term visa or visa for residenza electiva. We live in Seattle, but had to go to San Francisco for an in person meeting at the consulate. You can make an appointment on the website (http://www.conssanfrancisco.esteri.it/Consolato_SanFrancisco) (not more than 90 or less than 30 days before you plan to leave), but they have only 1 appointment per week for the elective residence visa so we couldn't go to SF together. An inquiry to the consulate established that we had to have separate appointments even though the paperwork would be almost identical for the two of us. Each communication with the consulate ended up with a different list of requirements for the visa. The final, cumulative, list,was two copies of the following:
The application (on the website)
cashier's check for $146.25 (each--non-refundable)
prepaid express USPS envelope (to return passports)
Form allowing mailing of passports (on website)
Notarized statement re: health insurance (form on website)
Proof of medical insurance (we got ours through Atlas--good deal, reputable company)
Letter stating why we want to live in Italy
Proof of "suitable accomodation" in Italy (long term lease, property ownership, or invitation)
2 letters from banks or 'chartered accountants' re: financial status
FBI criminal background check
6 months of bank and brokerage statements
3 years of tax returns
copy of driver's license
copy of plane ticket to Italy
When I arrived at the consulate (after catching a 6 am flight), waited an hour for my appointment, the first thing that the substitute who was handling the applications said was "why didn't your husband come with you?" Good question--maybe because we were told we had to have separate appointments? Then she said that she didn't think our letter from a friend inviting us to use her apartment in Chioggia (near Venice) as long as we wanted was sufficient evidence of suitable lodgings, but she would leave my application for the vice consul to decide along with Tom's the following week. Naturally I worried all week and tried to think of ways to fix the problem which turned out not to be a problem at all--the vice consul spent 5 minutes looking at the documents, then said we would get the passports in a few days. True to her word, the passports, with visas, arrived on Friday, only 2 days later! The next beaurocratic hurdle will be the permesso di sogiorno, but that is not until we actually reach the apartment in Chioggia. For now, we just pack up personal belongings and get ready to go. This is really going to happen!
One evening while looking at pictures of a recent trip to Italy and enjoying a bottle of Proseco, my husband Tom and I said "we should live in Italy after we retire." Well, he "retired" in the economic crisis of 2008 and I retired July 30 of this year--and we leave for Venice on September 30 for an indefinite period of time. It's hard to believe that a casual conversation 10 years ago is coming to fruition only 35 days from now! Even though we have been taking Italian classes and have travelled to Italy several more times since that conversation, I can't believe that we are actually moving to Italy next month!
The only tricky part was getting the long term visa or visa for residenza electiva. We live in Seattle, but had to go to San Francisco for an in person meeting at the consulate. You can make an appointment on the website (http://www.conssanfrancisco.esteri.it/Consolato_SanFrancisco) (not more than 90 or less than 30 days before you plan to leave), but they have only 1 appointment per week for the elective residence visa so we couldn't go to SF together. An inquiry to the consulate established that we had to have separate appointments even though the paperwork would be almost identical for the two of us. Each communication with the consulate ended up with a different list of requirements for the visa. The final, cumulative, list,was two copies of the following:
The application (on the website)
cashier's check for $146.25 (each--non-refundable)
prepaid express USPS envelope (to return passports)
Form allowing mailing of passports (on website)
Notarized statement re: health insurance (form on website)
Proof of medical insurance (we got ours through Atlas--good deal, reputable company)
Letter stating why we want to live in Italy
Proof of "suitable accomodation" in Italy (long term lease, property ownership, or invitation)
2 letters from banks or 'chartered accountants' re: financial status
FBI criminal background check
6 months of bank and brokerage statements
3 years of tax returns
copy of driver's license
copy of plane ticket to Italy
When I arrived at the consulate (after catching a 6 am flight), waited an hour for my appointment, the first thing that the substitute who was handling the applications said was "why didn't your husband come with you?" Good question--maybe because we were told we had to have separate appointments? Then she said that she didn't think our letter from a friend inviting us to use her apartment in Chioggia (near Venice) as long as we wanted was sufficient evidence of suitable lodgings, but she would leave my application for the vice consul to decide along with Tom's the following week. Naturally I worried all week and tried to think of ways to fix the problem which turned out not to be a problem at all--the vice consul spent 5 minutes looking at the documents, then said we would get the passports in a few days. True to her word, the passports, with visas, arrived on Friday, only 2 days later! The next beaurocratic hurdle will be the permesso di sogiorno, but that is not until we actually reach the apartment in Chioggia. For now, we just pack up personal belongings and get ready to go. This is really going to happen!
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