'I feel trapped': How long waits for residency permits are affecting people in Italy

For many people living away from home in Italy, Christmas means returning to spend time with loved ones, with airports around the festive period full to the brim with people and their gifts.

But for Erika Worley, 25, Christmas this year will look different from the one she had hoped for in her US home. She won't be travelling as she has only just received her appointment to renew her Italian residency permit (permesso di soggiorno), despite applying for it eight months ago.

“It’s awful, I feel trapped. I haven’t left Italy in over a year and my trust in the system has gone completely downhill,” says Erika, a literature and philosophy Master’s student at La Sapienza University in Rome. 

“I asked during my appointment two weeks ago if I could go home for Christmas this year and the lady at the desk just looked at me and said no, because I needed to wait two months to get my residence permit.”

This isn’t the first Christmas at home Erika is missing due to not receiving her permesso di soggiorno in time: last year she missed out on a family Christmas too due to complications with her first permesso di soggiorno. She had gone to her appointment in March 2022 but did not receive her permit until February 2023. 

“It was the most frustrating experience ever, and had it not been for my Italian roommate, I highly doubt I would have received my first permesso di soggiorno,” Erika says. 

“What makes it more infuriating is that because I had applied for it in March 2022, it expired in March 2023. I had less than a month with a valid permit before having to apply again.”

READ ALSO: Can you travel abroad while waiting for an Italian residency permit renewal?

“It’s now my second Christmas away from home. I feel like a prisoner. I was devastated when they said no to going home for Christmas because my dad was recently in a bad car accident and was in hospital. It’s been really a tough time.”

Erika said a few people she knows suggested that she go home with her permesso di soggiorno receipt, which is technically legal, according to the information available on Italy's state police website.

However, she doesn’t feel comfortable travelling, mainly because the official at the immigration desk told her not to. Several other readers also report being told by officials that they couldn't travel either, leading to confusion and concern that they may have trouble at the border.

To make matters worse, Erika’s expired permit was stolen along with her bag around the time of her renewal application in March 2023. She said her only saving grace was the fact she filed a denuncia (report) with the police after it happened so when it came to her renewal appointment in November, they had a record of it.

She was also charged €130.46, the cost for a five-year permanent EC long-term residence permit, at the post office instead of €70.46 for a permit that lasts a year.

READ ALSO: How the rules on renewing Italian residency permits have changed

Erika continues: “The system is so disorganised and slow. It is frustrating that so many people have different experiences and there is no uniform with the rules. They tell me one thing, but they might tell someone else you can go home with the receipt. 

“The information is not defined or passed down regularly. Not to mention that I applied for my appointment in March and I have just received the appointment. There is no reason for it. No apology was given.

“I’m now just waiting for my second card. I have to get it and I’m sceptical it will take two months. I’ve accepted my fate: I cannot go home for Christmas again this year.”

READ ALSO: 'Arduous process': What to expect when applying for Italian permanent residency

Erika’s Rome-based friend, Karla Chávez from Mexico, has also had issues with her residency permit.

“It was terrible and I couldn't go home or anywhere for a year. It affected my mental health so much and I got depressed because I didn't get to see my family or even move inside of Europe,” Karla says.

“I sent my kit off in February of this year and got an appointment seven months later in September. The only highlight was that it took 41 days for me to get the document. I consider myself fortunate.”

Under present law, authorities should issue the new permit within 60 days of the appointment at the Questura. This is similar to the rules in other EU countries such as France and Spain. However, the main issue with the renewal of permits currently is getting the appointment in the first place, not what happens after it.

In 2023 The Local has heard from a growing number of international residents who say they face waits of eight, nine, or even ten months for the appointment.

One reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, says renewals are getting harder by the year and that for some foreigners the experience can be quite alienating.

“I presented my kit a month ago but I wasn’t given an appointment at the police station. The postal worker asked me strange questions like: are you Muslim? I asked him if it was necessary for him to know that when filling out a renewal form and his reaction was quite mean. 

“I called the police station to check the status of the appointment with the questura, but they told me that I have to wait for a letter, which has not yet arrived.

"I've been here for five years, I renew every year and every year it gets harder and harder and the wait gets longer and longer.”

The Local has contacted Italy's ministry of foreign affairs for comment.

Have you been affected by long waiting times when renewing your Italian residency permit? Do you have advice for people waiting for residency permits in Italy? Share in the comments section below or email us [email protected].