It hardly seems possible, but we’ve been here nearly 5 months now. During that time, we’ve managed to:
- Convert our extended-stay visa into a renewable “permesso di soggiorno”
- Register as residents of the community, and get a “carta d’identita” (photo ID)
- Establish a local bank account
- Buy a (used) car
- Enroll in the national health care system
Most of these tasks had to be done in a particular order — you needed a permesso before you could register as a resident, and you needed a residency card before you could buy a car or enroll in the national health care system. They required interacting with the much-maligned Italian bureaucracy (typically referred to as “purgatory on earth,” even by Italians). We had some frustrations, but for the most part things went much better than we had anticipate. It helped immeasurably that we were often accompanied by a local resident to do many of these things, which gave us a certain credibility. Personal relationships count for a lot in Italy.
I was amazed, though, at the amount of paperwork required for even the simplest transactions. If you want to buy a car in the US, you go to the dealer, pick out your car, haggle a bit, plop down your credit card and drive off the lot. In Italy, buying a car required three trips. On the first trip, we identified the car we wanted to buy, which as it turned out was at a different location and had to be delivered. On the second trip, we inspected and test drove the car, and signed a purchase contract. After the second visit, we paid for the car by wire transfer (they don’t take credit cards, and checks aren’t used here), and purchased insurance. (Wire transfers have to be done physically at the bank if they’re over €5000, and only in the morning.) Only then, on the third visit, were we able to take possession of the car.
Getting into the medical care system, on the other hand, was a lot easier than in the US. Italy allows immigrants with long-term residency permits to buy into the national health system. Once you’ve paid your money, you go to the appropriate office, select a primary care doctor from a list, and you are enrolled. We were able to see our primary care doctor within a couple of days. Arranging specialist consultations takes a bit longer (1-3 months); but we’ve been told that urgent needs can be addressed more quickly. So far, it’s a success story.
Overall, we’ve been pleased with how easy it has been to adapt here. As I’ve noted before, people in Ascoli are remarkably welcoming, and are very forgiving of our rudimentary Italian. In addition to socializing with the tiny expat community here, we’ve made some local friends, who have been very helpful in suggesting things to do. We consider ourselves very fortunate.
Linda's Trip Tips 