If you are planning on living in Italy full-time, it is very important to register at the Town Hall as a resident where you live, in order to be able to benefit from the following:

• Italian ID Card: can be applied for only after registering at the Town Hall and obtaining a residence license

• Health Care Registration (ASL): it’s not possible to register for the Italian Health Care Service until you  are registered as a resident in Italy
• Driving License: it’s not possible to exchange a license, or get an Italian one, until you are a resident
• Italian Citizenship: accumulating years spent as an Italian resident will contribute to your right to request Italian citizenship

Local residence registration is only available after a residence permit is obtained.

The set of documents to be presented for local residence registration varies according to nationality, work conditions and specific circumstances for each applicant. As a consequence, it is essential to carefully check the list of all documents requested by the Town Hall where the application is going to be submitted.

However, the following documents are generally requested by every Town Hall in Italy:

• an application form
• a copy of a valid passport
• a copy of a valid permit to stay, or an appointment receipt  from the post office or the police headquarters (if you are renewing your permit)
• a copy of a valid Codice Fiscale (Italian tax code) issued by the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian revenue agency)
• a self-declaration of your residence or place of abode 
• a civil status certificate. If such certificates are issued in foreign countries, they will have to be apostilled and translated (also the translation has to be apostilled) before they can be accepted by the local municipality.

Once the local residence registration application is submitted, the competent office issues a formal receipt called “Comunicazione di avvio del procedimento anagrafico”.  

Be aware that this document does not confirm the conclusion of the process; it only notifies you that the verification process has started.

The Town Hall has a period of 45 days after the process has started to notify applicants if there is any need to add documents, or if the application cannot be processed. 

In the meantime (45 days), the local police will do a random visit to the applicant’s home address to check and see if you are actually living at the declared address.