This is my personal experience attending my partner’s Permesso di Soggiorno appointment for his Digital Nomad Visa.
I can only speak about our experience at the Rome Questura and not any other Italian city. Our appointment was in late June (5 months after turning in our yellow packet).
Here is a quick synopsis of what you can expect.
What We Brought To Our Questura Appointment:
- Everything you brought to the post office
- Updated bank statements showing you still have money
- Updated income streams, proving you have been working
- 4 passport photos
- Module 2 (the post office handed this back to my partner)
What Was Actually Requested:
- Updated bank statement
- 1 passport photo
The Questura Building Logistics and Experience
Address: Via Teofilo Patini, 23, 00155 Roma RM
When you first arrive, you will see people lined up in tents along the southern wall. Walk past them, past the security booth, and on your left will be a separate line to have security check that you have an appointment. Have your paper out and ready to go.
Once inside (and if you are here for your Permesso di Sorgiorno appointment), go to the white tent to the right. You will see people lining up and waiting to get through a roped-off area.
The guard will begin to call out (softly) time slots. If you have a 9 am appointment, get there by 8:30 am. There is no need to get there any earlier.
If you want to get in right at your appointment time, begin to wait at 8:30 and stand shoulder to shoulder to people (without any airflow) so you can get as close as you can to the rope.
Why you ask? Because the guard only lets in 2-3 people at a time. If your appointment is at 9 am, expect to be inside by 9:45 am. You can also violently push past people (as many of them did) or you can be patient and just wait until you are up to the rope, your call.
While you wait, there are vending machines, outdoor and indoor seats (with a little bit of air conditioning), a photo booth, and a printer. There are also 4 filthy porta johns to use. Bring your own toilet paper, as well as hand sanitizer.
Once you are inside the building (past the rope of death), you go through security and then wait in another room. Stare at the screen while you wait for your name and number to appear. While waiting, there is a little bit of air conditioning, as well as a bathroom.
The appointment was pretty straightforward. They asked for updated income, did not ask for the “missing” module 2” and only wanted 1 photograph.
You then wait to get fingerprinted. You hand in your document with your fresh new photo attached to it, which they then promptly throw into the trash (in front of you).
Once you are fingerprinted, you can then leave.
Rome is processing PDS cards with a one year backlog at the time of writing (July 2026).
Until then you cannot leave the country unless you need to go to your home country.
After You Receive Your Permesso di Soggiorno (PDS)
Once you physically receive your Permesso di Soggiorno card, your next step is registering residency with your local comune (anagrafe). This officially places you into the Italian resident system.
1. Get a PEC Email
Before contacting the commune, set up a PEC (certified email) account. Most comuni require residency requests to come from a PEC address.
I personally use Aruba PEC:https://www.pec.it/. Mine costs around €5/month.
2. Contact Your Comune
Use ChatGPT or Google to find the PEC email address for your local commune/anagrafe office.
Send them a PEC email requesting residency registration (“richiesta di residenza”) and include: Full name, Codice fiscale, Italian address, Copy of passport, Copy of your Permesso di Soggiorno, Rental contract or housing declaration, Phone number.
3. Wait for Verification
After submitting your request, the commune has 45 days to process your residency registration. During this period, local police may come verify that you actually live at your address.
4. Apply for Your CIE (Carta d’Identità Elettronica)
Once either:the police verification is completed, or the 45 days have passed you can move forward with your CIE (Italian electronic ID card).
Check appointment availability here: https://www.prenotazionicie.interno.gov.it/
If the system allows you to book, your residency is usually active in ANPR. In Rome, Municipio II (Via Dire Daua 11) is one office that can issue the CIE.
Bring: Passport or Italian ID, Codice fiscale, Passport photo, €22–27, Phone number and email
At the appointment, they’ll verify your identity, confirm your address take fingerprints, have you sign digitally
You’ll receive a temporary paper receipt, and the physical CIE card is usually mailed to your home within 6–10 working days.
Why the CIE Matters
Once you have your CIE, life in Italy becomes much easier. You can use it to activate: SPID, ANPR access, Healthcare services, Italian government portals. The CIE becomes your strongest digital identity credential in Italy.
