What is the Questura?
The Questura is the local police headquarters that is responsible for administrative services relating to immigration matters. There is a Questura in each Italian province. The work of Questura is overseen by the office of the Ministry of Interior.
When will I encounter a Questura during the dual citizenship application process?
If you are interested in applying for citizenship by descent directly in Italy, the Questura plays a fundamental role. In fact, if you intend to make your Italian citizenship jure sanguinis application in Italy, Italian immigration law requires that you establish residence in the town where intend to make your application, and that you apply for a permit of stay (permesso di soggiorno in attesa di cittadinanza). Obtaining a permit of stay is essential as it grants you the right to stay as long as your process takes and without Schengen restrictions (90-day limit for non-EU citizens). On average it takes between 3 and 9 months for your application to be processed, but this will vary depending on the municipality.
Note that if you are traveling to Italy from a Schengen country within the EU with the intent to apply for dual citizenship, and do not have an Italian stamp in your passport, a further action is required: you must present at the Questura a “declaration of presence” (dichiarazione di presenza) upon arrival.
What is the “dichiarazione di presenza”
The “dichiarazione di presenza” (declaration of presence) is what non-EU citizens, who arrive in Italy from another EU country, are required to present at the Questura. In fact, an essential function of the Questura is to monitor your whereabouts within the EU.
If you travel from a Schengen State you must submit a dichiarazione di presenza form to the local Police headquarter (Questura) in order to report your presence within 8 days of your arrival in Italy.
How do I complete a residency application?
Once you have your rental lease/agreement, you must then establish residency at the registry office (anagrafe) of the local comune where you intend to make your application. Italian municipalities residency processes may vary, so refer to the guidelines of the comune where you plan to stay.
Your application will consist of the lease agreement, declaration of presence (dichiarazione di presenza), or the required stamp on your passport (when you travel from a Non-Schengen country the border authorities stamp your travel documents that attests to your presence), and a codice fiscale.
The property owner must notify the Questura within 48 hours of relocation into the property, and this is required in order to proceed with the process of obtaining a permit of stay. The local police (Questura) will conduct a visit to verify your presence at the registered address within 45 days from the date that the residency application was submitted.
It is only following this check that you can then apply for an Italian photo identification card (carta di identita), a health insurance card (tessera sanitaria), and officially submit your Italian citizenship application. For a complete guide of all the steps involved in the process of applying for citizenship directly in Italy please click here.
How do I apply for my permit of stay at the Questura?
Once you have submitted the vital records needed to apply for Italian citizenship at a municipality in Italy you will need to apply for a residency permit. The application is submitted through the local post office (which acts as an intermediary).
At the post office you will have to fill out a “postal kit” and you will need to include the letter from the municipality that states you have filed your application for Italian citizenship by descent. The post office will issue a temporary receipt that allows you to reside in Italy during the residency permit application process. The receipt will also indicate the date of your appointment with the Questura in which they will need to take your fingerprints.
After this appointment the Ministry of the Interior’s office (Ministero Dell’Interno) will send your permit via mail to the Questura, and you will be contacted and asked to collect it in person.
Please note that the way in which the application is submitted can vary from one Questura to another, therefore it is advised to refer to the relevant guidelines.
Why is it important to attend your appointment with the Questura?
Until you attend your appointment with the Questura your residency permit application cannot be finalized. While the receipt released by the post office is sufficient to allow you to temporarily reside in Italy during the citizenship application process, you might encounter issues when travelling internationally between the US and Europe, which is why it is best to attend your appointment without postponing it to ensure that you receive the residency permit as quickly as possible. Furthermore, several municipalities require that you hold a residency permit in order to be able to sponsor your spouse for his/her own spousal permit.
How long does it take to secure a permit from the Questura?
The timescales will depend on the Questura. Generally, applications take between 2 to 6 months to process. Once you obtain the permit, you can attend the registry office (anagrafe) in the municipality where you made your citizenship application and present them with the permit so that they can update your details.
In what cases do I need to go back to the Questura?
The permit of stay is valid for one year, and so if your citizenship application goes beyond this you will need to renew your permit, which will require repeating the same process.
Once you have been granted Italian citizenship you will need to return your permit of stay to the Questura that issued it, or the municipality where your citizenship was recognized.
How is a permesso di soggiorno different to a carta di soggiorno and a visa?
If you are not an EU citizen, there are two kinds of documents that grant legal stay in Italy: a visa and a permit to stay (permesso di soggiorno).
The visa is issued by an Italian consulate abroad and permits you to legally enter Italy. The carta di soggiorno is a residence permit (similar to the permesso di soggiorno), which must be applied for at the Questura. It has a period of validity of 5 years and is for non-EU dependents of Italian or EU citizens, or for those who have lived legally in Italy with established residency for at least five years. A carta di soggiorno is a “permanent” residency card.
Those applying for citizenship directly in Italy do not need to require a visa to enter Italy but must obtain a permesso di soggiorno directly from the Questura. Unlike a carta di sogiorno a permesso di soggiorno is valid for one year and can be renewed every year on the condition that there is a pending citizenship application process.
Obtaining a passport once you become an Italian citizen
You can obtain an Italian passport either in Italy, or if you reside abroad via an Italian consulate. If you live in Italy, once you are recognized as an Italian citizen you can apply for a passport at the passport office located in the Questura in the municipality where you reside.
The passport has a validity for 10 years (for adults) and to apply you will need to collate and gather the required documentation, such as birth certificates and citizenship status confirmation (original copies), and photos that meet requirements. You will also need your official Italian ID (carta d’identità) and codice fiscale before you can apply. For a full document checklist refer to government guidance.
You must also need the receipt of payment for €42.50 for the ordinary passport an administrative stamp worth €73.50 (can be bought from a stamp shop or tobacconist).
You will then need to request an appointment via the state police web portal to present the documents. It generally takes between 15 to 30 days from the day of the appointment with the competent authority to receive an Italian passport, and once passport has been issued it will be possible to collect passport from the passport office, or receive the passport at home using the “home passport” service offered by Poste Italiane.
For more information about the Italian passport see our related article here.
If you would like to know more about applying for Italian citizenship you can visit our homepage, or contact us directly, and one of our expert advisors will be in touch to answer your queries.
