Filing the dichiarazione di residenza online with SPID, uploading the contract and my documents, took ten minutes. The real obstacle comes afterwards.
The home check
Within 45 days of filing, the municipal police — the vigili — come round to confirm you actually live at that address. They do not book, and they do not phone.
My first visit was marked as a failure, for a very plain reason: my surname was on neither the doorbell nor the letterbox. My landlord's name was still up there, the officer rang, a neighbour said they had never heard of me, and it went down as "not resident".
Putting it right
- I went to the Municipio counter, explained, and had a second check opened — you do not start over, but you do wait.
- First thing I did when I got home: stuck a handwritten strip of paper with my name on the doorbell and the letterbox. Ugly, but it works.
- The second check passed. All told, it dragged on for a little over two months.
What I would do in advance
- Put your name on the doorbell and the letterbox the day you move in.
- Tell your flatmates, so that nobody answers the bell with "never heard of them".
- Try to have someone home during the day. They will come back if they miss you, but it costs weeks.
Settle that line about being allowed to register your residenza before you sign. I know two people who were stuck on this for a whole year, because the landlord agreed out loud and never in writing.
Only once the certificato di residenza is in your hands can you get the ISEE discount on the ATM annual pass and apply for the CIE, the electronic ID card.