Living in Italy

Italian paperwork, explained step by step

by Alessio · teacher of Italian for foreigners, ITALS master’s in teaching Italian abroad (Ca’ Foscari University, Venice) and a master’s in teaching Italian as a second language (Giustino Fortunato University, Benevento)

Right to stay, codice fiscale, doctor, renting a home, work: five things you can’t avoid, in the order they actually come up. Each page covers both cases — EU citizens, who register at the town hall, and everyone else, who needs a permit — and ends with the Italian words you’ll really hear.

• Your right to stayEU registration or residence permit: which one applies to you.
• Codice fiscale (tax code)Where to get it, what to bring, and how your name should be written.
• Family doctor and health cardHow to register, how to choose a doctor, what an impegnativa is.
• Renting a homeWhat to ask, what the contract must say, why registration matters.
• Work contract and payslipWhat the contract must state, how to read a payslip, why contributions count.
• The B1 exam for citizenshipWhich certificates count, how the exam works and how to practise with 35 simulations.
• The A2 Italian test for your residence permitWho has to take it and who does not · How to apply · What the test looks like

How to use this section

Each page answers in the order the questions arrive: how much time you have, what to bring, what to do, what to do if you’re already late. Then come the words that are really said at the counter, an exercise, and links to the official bodies. If you’re preparing for the language exam for citizenship you need B1; for the long-term residence card, A2. These pages give you the vocabulary of real procedures, which is exactly what the exam measures.