Goodbye to biblical waiting times: from March 11, passports can also be applied for at the Post Office
Obtaining a passport has become, by now, a mirage in most Italian cities. It is a problem that [...]
Obtaining a passport has become, by now, a mirage in most Italian cities. This is a problem that Italy has been carrying for almost two years and which, according to various consumer associations, has caused quite a few inconveniences: according to Assoviavia, between late 2022 and early 2023, Slow bureaucratic machinery has caused nearly 100,000 trips to be skipped.
In this article:
The open days
An attempt was made to remedy the problem, but without completely succeeding, with open days: these were days when anyone, without a reservation, was able to show up at their local police headquarters to apply for a passport. But not only that: many offices (in Monza and Mantua, for example). have decided to open on weekends as well, and all police headquarters in Italy have mobilized to increase the staffing of passport offices.
Because the time to obtain a passport has stretched to such an extent.
Prominent among the triggers of this long-standing problem are., evidently, The accumulation of the backlog due to Covid. Also the Brexit, however, affected in the delays for the issuance of passports: Britain, in fact, represents one of the most popular destinations for Italians - coming mainly from northern Italy-and an ID card is no longer sufficient to access it; thus, too, the wheels of the bureaucratic machine have jammed.
New Polis project could solve the problem
Now, however, we may see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Polis project trial will kick off on March 11., which will also enable Italian Post offices to issue the coveted passport.
The experiment, designed during the Covid emergency, Will initially affect about 7,000 offices in as many small towns, that is, those with a population of less than 15,000: The hope is that, in the future, the project will be extended to large cities as well.
No more reservations in the police headquarters portal, then: To obtain a valid document for expatriation, it will be sufficient to go to the post office in your municipality, hand over a valid ID, social security number and two photographs; it will then be necessary to pay the €42.50 postmark and a €73.50 revenue stamp. Finally, post office workers will collect the citizen's information and biometric data-photos and fingerprints-and will be responsible for sending the document to the police offices.
Nothing could be simpler; on paper, at least. Let's hope well.
