Five trips to 3 different municipal offices and 10 hours of civics class later, I finally have my legal standing in Italy. I have stood in line for hours, been finger printed, produced documents including my college diploma and original wedding certificate and have had the assistance of a consultant provided by David's company. So it seemed a little anti-climatic when on my most recent trip to the Questura (police station), they just handed me my card.
The Permsso di Soggiorno (Permit to Stay) is the equivalent of a Green Card in the United States.
It gives me legal permission to stay in Italy for two years and then I will need to apply to have it renewed. The type of permit that I have is for "motive familiari" which means for family reasons. After we had had applied for our Permit to Stay, we were able to register as residents of the city of Como. A city official actually showed up unannounced at our apartment to inspect it and make sure we really did live there.
The last step in the process was to apply and receive my Italian Identity Card which also has a photo and identifying information. It includes my height (170 cm) and my eye and hair color which were determined by the official behind the desk. David was amused to notice that in Italy, I am considered to be blonde. Now that I understand the system a little better, it is not so intimidating, but this journey has only made me more empathetic for the millions of immigrants and temporary workers in the U.S and other countries who do not have the advantages that I have had. Following complicated and confusing directions given in a language you do not yet speak fluently is difficult and frustrating. I am very happy to close this chapter for now.
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