ononno

Ciao meph, and welcome to the club. Having you running round in circles is how Italian government offices justify their existance, and insistence on useless documents. I don't know if it can be done now, but a few years ago for me the British Consulate in Naples issued me a letter (which I still have) stating all the obvious re married status etc. in Italian, which the anagrafe here accepted at the time.
ciao for now,
'o nonno

meph

We ended up having all of the certificates translated English to Italian by the local approved translator, they have now been certified and stamped in front of a local judge, the cost was 390 euros.

Now all that I need to do is get someone who speaks Italian to come along with me to the local comune and I can get the wife and kids registered as residents!

This has taken over six weeks, so far, what a laff.

PAT M

Dear meph, you deserve a medal, welcome to Italy.

giodafa

Sorry i don't live near, I love a good old fight down at the comune it gives them something to do Welcome to Italy apart from all the hassle I'm sure you're going to love it here

meph

So having paid 400 Euros to have our documents officially translated into Italian and stamped by a local judge, we happily telephone the local comune and asked if we needed an appointment, the chap on the phone say’s no, no appointment is necessary just come on down which we duly did.

It was a tad concerning that after arriving at the office and having sat in line for 30 minutes, the chap at the desk then explained that we would need an appointment, because it would take him an hour to do this computer entry. My translator explained that we had phoned earlier and we had been told that no appointment would be necessary, so, imagine my surprise when the chap said that he was the person that we had spoken to on the phone, and that he had changed his mind and we would need an appointment after all, because it would take him an hour to do this and because we were English he would have to ensure that he didn’t make any mistakes (eh?)......

A very loud woman with very big hair makes us an appointment for the following week, writing it in big book of appointments, and we leave.

We were on time for our appointment the following week (Monday gone), bright and early. We get in, go to the office and find out that said 'chap' is on vacation all week and there is no record of us having ever made an appointment, much page turning in the big book of appointments and considerable shoulder shrugging seems to indicate that I must have imagined we had made an appointment.

We get in line for and stand for 40 minutes to speak with the office manager. After much arm waving, shrugging and raised (babbling) voices we are sent to a different office where a very nice man says that he'll take care of it.

After a 3 second glance at the 1st page of 400 Euros worth of carefully translated and officially stamped documents he enters my wife’s and kids names and dates of births into the computer using the photo copied passport pages (not translated or stamped) which I’ve just given him. It takes him 10 minutes, but that’s only because he was interrupted 5 times by a variety on people walking into his office and asking him questions, waving their arms about and shrugging their shoulders.

He says, OK it’s done and we leave.

I’m sure that there is a moral to this story but I can’t figure out what it is.

indiebird

The moral of this story is that we must go with the flow when we live in Italy... and we are wrong except when we get the right official person to inform us that they are right. Capisci? (no... me either)

37100

That's life in Italy. If a first you don't succeed, try again until you find someone willing to do what they are paid for - work! And a bit of shouting often helps if only to make you feel better.

meph

It's done.... about 8 different trips to the commune over the last four months, a huge pile of documentation and eventually me, the wife, and the kids are registered as residents, we have ID cards (me, the wife and the 16 year old son) and the only thing left to do is register with a doctor, unfortunately this involves yet another trip to the commune for one last certificate to hand to the health office. But it's close... oh so close!

Feels good man

37100

Well done! You don't need a cert. from the comune to sign up for health care. An 'autocertificazione' is enough. Though going the cert. route might be easier for you.

meph

Yeah we tried that, went to the health centre offices but they we're having none of it, they insisted that I needed the certificate issued from the commune along with six 16 euro insurance certificates (?) which I need to buy from the tobacconist shop.

Seems that anyone who works in a local government office is a law unto themselves, nver mind it's nearly done.... hopefully.

ononno

well done and Merry Christmas to you all. Now chill out with a big glass of whatever; and tell them that autocertificazione is all they should need. Shout it and wave your arms about; after Boxing Day.
ciao for now,
'o nonno