All foreign citizens regularly staying in Italy need to register at the Anagrafe (Registry Office) of the municipality they are living in. This procedure is called ”iscrizione anagrafica”.

Everyone must comply with it, since it’s essential for accessing many public and private services.

What is iscrizione anagrafica?

Iscrizione anagrafica is the administrative procedure to choose a place as your residenza, and is a right for all foreign citizens regularly staying in Italy. Including asylum-seekers.

Residenza is the place where you have your usual home.

Iscrizione anagrafica is necessary to issue certificato di residenza (residence certificate in English) and carta d’identità.

Registering at the Anagrafe and holding a carta d’identità is fundamental to enjoy essential services and rights such as, but not limited to:

• Opening a bank account
• Accessing public housing – if you meet the requirements
• Accessing bonuses – if you meet the requirements
• Accessing social services

Note: Iscrizione anagrafica is important if you want to apply for Italian citizenship too. Being consistently registered at the Anagrafe will also allow you to prove that you have been living in Italy regularly.

Learn more about: Italian citizenship

Who can apply?

All foreign citizens regularly staying in Italy have the right and the duty to apply for iscrizione anagrafica. This holds true for all the people who:

• Have a valid permesso di soggiorno or have applied to renew their permesso di soggiorno
• Live in camps and reception centers, on their own or are homeless

What if you don’t have a fixed address? Residenza fittizia

If you do not have a stable home, live in informal or precarious housing, or are temporarily without accommodation, you may still be able to register your residence through residenza per persone senza fissa dimora (also informally called “residenza fittizia”). This is a form of registration to anagrafe intended for people who genuinely cannot declare a usual residence. In these cases, some municipalities assign a virtual administrative address (for example, Via della Casa Comunale).

Residenza fittizia grants the same fundamental rights as ordinary residence, since it is a basic individual right essential for social inclusion and access to services, but practical barriers may exist. In fact not all municipalities offer this service, and procedures and requirements differ from one Comune to another. 

To apply, you must generally show that you are regularly staying in Italy, that you are present and have a real connection with the municipality, and that you intend to remain there. If you already have a place where you usually live, you must register your residence at that address instead.

If you encounter difficulties or need legal guidance, you may also seek support from Avvocato di Strada, a volunteer-based organization that provides free legal assistance to people without a fixed residence, including help with residence registration and related documentation. Local offices are available in many Italian cities. Check the following link: https://www.avvocatodistrada.it/sedi-locali/.

How to apply

The procedure varies depending on whether you live in a center or on your own. In any case, the procedure is free of charge.

• If you live in a camp or reception center: you can register at the Anagrafe and get the carta d’identità after 3 months. Generally, the operators of your center will help you with the procedure.

Once you leave the camp or the reception center, the operators will delete you from the resident lists within 20 days.

Here below you can find more information on how to register for iscrizione anagrafica when you move out from the center.

• If you live on your own: you should file a request to the Anagrafe of the comune (municipality) where you usually live.

You must follow this procedure everytime you change your municipality of residence in Italy. When you move to another city, you must register at the Anagrafe of your new comune within 20 days. This is important in order to obtain a new certificato di residenza.

Which documents do I need to apply for iscrizione anagrafica?

The documentation to apply may vary depending on your personal situation.

For instance, you will need some additional documents, in case you have applied either for your first Permesso di Soggiorno per Lavoro Subordinato, or your first Permesso di Soggiorno per Motivi Familiari after joining your family in Italy.

As a general rule, you will need to present the following documents:

• Permesso di soggiorno – If your permit is under renewal, you have to include a copy of the expired permesso along with the renewal receipt
• Passport or travel document – In the (absolute) absence of a passport, your permit of stay may also be considered as a valid equivalent document. This is valid in the case of asylum-seekers and international protection holders
• Codice fiscale
• The composition of your family – If you live with your family, or you want to register dependent family members moving to Italy, you also need to present the marriage certificate and the family status (“stato di famiglia” in Italian). Mind that if you come from another country the documentation must be translated and legalized.
• Declaration of residence form – In this form you will have to declare the exact address where you live and that you want to register as your address of residenza. You can find this form on the website of your Comune. Here an example from the municipality of Rome here.

To complete the declaration of residence, you will have to attach a copy of the deed of ownership (or “atto di proprietà” in Italian), or a copy of the rental or loan agreement regularly registered at Italian fiscal authority (Agenzia delle Entrate), or the declaration of hospitality (”dichiarazione di ospitalità” in Italian).

Please mind that if you have a rental or a loan agreement, the landlord must sign an agreement to authorize you to get the residenza at that address, attaching a copy of his/her identity document.

We’ve heard that many landlords request to pay a fee to allow people to get residenza – which is not a legal thing to do. If your landlord asks you for money to do the procedure, we recommend you to contact your lawyer or get in contact with a local association. Drop us a private message in case you need help finding one.

If you have applied for your first Permesso di Soggiorno per Lavoro Subordinato

Besides the documents listed above, you will need to present:

• A copy of the contract of stay (“contratto di soggiorno” in Italian) issued by the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione
• Receipt issued by the post office to prove that you have applied for the permesso di soggiorno
• Application for the Permesso per Lavoro Subordinato submitted to the Sportello Unico

If you have applied for your first Permesso di Soggiorno per Motivi Familiari after the family reunification procedure:

• Original and a copy of the entry visa (“visto d’ingresso” in Italian)
• Receipt issued by the post office to prove that you have applied for the permesso di soggiorno
• A copy of the nulla osta for the family reunification procedure issued by the Sportello Unico. You don’t need a legalized version of this document.

What happens after I submit my application?

If you submit the application via email, mail or fax, the registry office of your comune will proceed to the iscrizione anagrafica within 2 working days.

If you submit the application in person, the effects of the iscrizione anagrafica are immediate, meaning you can request and obtain the certificato di residenza and carta di identità right after the registration.

However, the registration must be confirmed. This means that the Anagrafe will have 45 days to examine the documents you have submitted and to check that you actually live where you have declared.

How will the Comune check that I actually live at the address I have declared?

In order to verify that you actually live where you have declared, someone from the Anagrafe will visit you at the address you gave when you applied for residenza.

In some Comuni, they will give you an appointment to make sure that you are at home, in others they will visit you without prior notice.

Make sure that you put your name on the bell, so that the officer of the Anagrafe will know where to ring.

Can the Comune reject my application?

If the Anagrafe notices that your documents are not valid or you do not live where you have declared, it will send you a rejection notice (“preavviso di rigetto” in Italian).

When you receive a preavviso di rigetto you have 10 days to respond to the reasons given by the Anagrafe in support of its rejection.

Your registration will be cancelled if you decide not to respond, or if the Anagrafe finds that you do not meet the required conditions.

If you do not agree with the Anagrafe's decision, you may ask a judge to re-examine it. For this you will need the support of a lawyer.

Learn more about: Legal assistance in Italy 

How long is it valid for?

The iscrizione anagrafica does not have a time limit, but you can be cancelled from the lists of the Registry Office of your comune in case of:

• Death
• If you move your residence to another municipality or abroad
• For proven untraceability (“irreperibilità” in Italian) following repeated checks from the Anagrafe
• If you forget to renew your declaration of residenza. Learn more in the section below.

How to renew it?

You must renew your declaration of residenza at the Anagrafe of your municipality within 60 days after you obtained your new permesso di soggiorno.

To renew your declaration of residenza, you will just need to go in person to the Anagrafe with the original and a copy of the renewed permesso di soggiorno to the Anagrafe.

Please check if you should book an appointment with the Anagrafe to renew your declaration of residenza.

If you fail to renew your declaration of residenza, 6 months after the expiry of your permesso di soggiorno, you will receive a 30-day notice to comply with the renewal.

If you do not comply with the renewal by 30 days, the Anagrafe will cancel you from the registry.

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Written by Refugee.info Italy team