In previous posts, I explained the lengthy process to apply for a visa and then obtain a "permesso di soggiorno", or permission to stay, in Italy. Here's an update.
My original appointment of March 17 was cancelled due to the lockdown in Italy and subsequently changed three more times. This change required two additional health insurance policies- short term from July 30 to September 17, then long term for one additional year, ending July 31, 2021.
On September 17, my scheduled time to arrive at the questura was 10:40. The person who is working with me went early and arrived at 6:40am and got on line. At 7:30 she called me to ask if I could arrive by 8:00 instead of our agreed 8:30, because the police officer said there were many people working and the line was moving quickly. This was good news!
Shortly after I arrived, my number was called. I had a folder of documents about my apartment, financial resources and health insurance. I had all the back-up material from my application in New York City. The only papers that were requested were for my private health insurance, and my four passport photos. (We had filed other papers upon my arrival in Florence.) By 9:00am, the first step was finished.
The next task was to get fingerprinted. I was assured that this happened only one time, and then I would not need to be fingerprinted again in all of Europe. Since the first task went quickly, we assumed the second part would go quickly as well, especially since I had a low number and would be in the second group to be called. However, the wait was nearly three hours. Bathrooms were locked. There were a few places to sit down. The windows were open, but there were no fans and certainly no air conditioning. This is an immigration center and police headquarters in a large, cement block of a building. Since the Covid situation, people were required to line up outside instead of inside, which helped.
The fingerprinting itself took less than two minutes.
After that, we said our goodbyes. I went to have lunch and Ulrike went home to rest since she had to return with a client in the afternoon. Maybe in a month, most likely two months, I'll return to get my residence card. Hopefully, it won't already be expired, which happens in some cases.
I walked a bit before deciding to have lunch at the well-known Trattoria Sergio Gozzi, in the San Lorenzo neighborhood, near the Central Market, since 1915. They are famous for their bistecca, but I couldn't resist ravioli.
