Making the Move to Italy

When planning a move to Italy, the first thing to pack is patience. Navigating the local culture is going to take time. The good news from the bureaucratic front, however, is that recent laws have streamlined at least part of the paperwork. For example, Italian employees no longer need to have what was known as a libretto di lavoro (work card) to be hired. It was deemed redundant as of January 2003, and is now a thing of the past. The bad news is that those same laws, drawn up in part by the immigrant-unfriendly Northern League, have tightened restrictions on foreigners. For example, Italy now requires fingerprints for all non-EU citizens—Americans, Senegalese, Norwegians, etc.—when they sign up for a stay permit. Especially after the events of September 11, 2001, authorities have become more serious about stamping out illegals. One of the latest suggestions to hit the streets is an ID card with a magnetic strip that houses all kinds of personal information, from criminal records to residency status.
  Once upon a time, lots of Americans lived in Italy for long periods of time without ever announcing their presence. It’s illegal, but it happens, and in all candor, Italians are much less worried about Americans overstaying their welcome then other nationals from outside the EU. Don’t take this as an open-ended invitation. I have seen at least one American forcibly sent packing after her illegally procured job as a tour leader in Rome marched her past a group of policemen, who were paying unusually close attention to immigration laws that day. The penalties for overstaying your visa have become harsher, and you’d only be doing yourself a disservice by ignoring them in the long run. Once you’ve hacked through the bureaucracy, including multiple trips to the consulate, you will have many more freedoms and benefits than those who preferred to risk it and lived their lives in near-paranoia.
  If you think it would be a lot more convenient just to become an Italian citizen, you are in luck if you have an Italian grandfather and you were born after 1947. Otherwise, you can qualify are if you are married to an Italian, have Italian parents, or have lived in Italy legally for more than 10 years.
  In the end, remember that mastering Italian bureaucracy is a lifelong pursuit. (Many have even turned it into a career.) You will constantly have questions about the fine print of laws on permits, visas, and residency, and will need to keep abreast of changes. There are a number of resources that can help you. The best one I have found to date is The Informer website, www.informer.it.

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Overview	"Italy now requires fingerprints for all non-EU citizens—Americans, Senegalese, Norwegians, etc.—when they sign up for a stay permit. Especially after the events of September 11, 2001, authorities have become more serious about stamping out illegals. One of the latest suggestions to hit the streets is an ID card with a magnetic strip that houses all kinds of personal information, from criminal records to residency status."
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When planning a move to Italy, the first thing to pack is patience. Navigating the local culture is going to take time. The good news from the bureaucratic front, however, is that recent laws have streamlined at least part of the paperwork. For example, Italian employees no longer need to have what was known as a libretto di lavoro (work card) to be hired. It was deemed redundant as of January 2003, and is now a thing of the past. The bad news is that those same laws, drawn up in part by the immigrant-unfriendly Northern League, have tightened restrictions on foreigners. For example, Italy now requires fingerprints for all non-EU citizens—Americans, Senegalese, Norwegians, etc.—when they sign up for a stay permit. Especially after the events of September 11, 2001, authorities have become more serious about stamping out illegals. One of the latest suggestions to hit the streets is an ID card with a magnetic strip that houses all kinds of personal information, from criminal records to residency status. Once upon a time, lots of Americans lived in Italy for long periods of time without ever announcing their presence. It’s illegal, but it happens, and in all candor, Italians are much less worried about Americans overstaying their welcome then other nationals from outside the EU. Don’t take this as an open-ended invitation. I have seen at least one American forcibly sent packing after her illegally procured job as a tour leader in Rome marched her past a group of policemen, who were paying unusually close attention to immigration laws that day. The penalties for overstaying your visa have become harsher, and you’d only be doing yourself a disservice by ignoring them in the long run. Once you’ve hacked through the bureaucracy, including multiple trips to the consulate, you will have many more freedoms and benefits than those who preferred to risk it and lived their lives in near-paranoia. If you think it would be a lot more convenient just to become an Italian citizen, you are in luck if you have an Italian grandfather and you were born after 1947. Otherwise, you can qualify are if you are married to an Italian, have Italian parents, or have lived in Italy legally for more than 10 years. In the end, remember that mastering Italian bureaucracy is a lifelong pursuit. (Many have even turned it into a career.) You will constantly have questions about the fine print of laws on permits, visas, and residency, and will need to keep abreast of changes. There are a number of resources that can help you. The best one I have found to date is The Informer website, www.informer.it.