passport cost

[bmilazzo]

ANyone know what the current passport cost is?

Annual fee?

[johnnyonthespot]

See http://www.consnewyork.esteri.it/Consol ... assaporti/

The current cost for a new passport is $112.20. The actual cost is €42,50 plus the cost of the initial tax stamp ("marca da bollo") of €40,29. The rate in dollars is set once every 3 months.

The passport itself is good for 10 years, the marca da bollo is good for one year from the date of issue. You must have a current marca da bollo in your passport any time you present it when leaving or entering Italy; if the marca is expired, there can be a hefty fine to pay.

More info here: http://www.esteri.it/MAE/IT/Italiani_ne ... aporti.htm

Google translattion of same: http://translate.google.com/translate?u ... 1&ie=utf-8

[johnnyonthespot]

Within Italy, marca da bollo can be purchased in all sorts of places, notably "tabacchi" - small shops which sell tobacco products (duh!), bus tickets, lotto tickets, magazines, snacks, and so on.

Here in the US, the annual marca da bollo can be purchased only at an Italian embassy or consulate. The NYC consulate refuses to sell them by mail, I don't know about others. It is a pain for me because I have to drive 40 minutes to a suitable train station than take a 90 minute or so train to Manhattan and walk another 15 minutes to the consulate. Of course, I shouldn't complain; there are many for whom the nearest consulate is 500 or more miles distant.

[Steverino3006]

Within Italy, marca da bollo can be purchased in all sorts of places, notably "tabacchi" - small shops which sell tobacco products (duh!), bus tickets, lotto tickets, magazines, snacks, and so on.

Here in the US, the annual marca da bollo can be purchased only at an Italian embassy or consulate. The NYC consulate refuses to sell them by mail, I don't know about others. It is a pain for me because I have to drive 40 minutes to a suitable train station than take a 90 minute or so train to Manhattan and walk another 15 minutes to the consulate. Of course, I shouldn't complain; there are many for whom the nearest consulate is 500 or more miles distant.

Can you buy it from ANY consulate (like one that might mail it to you), or do you have to buy it from YOUR consulate?

[johnnyonthespot]

Can you buy it from ANY consulate (like one that might mail it to you), or do you have to buy it from YOUR consulate?

I believe, but am not certain, that you must apply at the consulate which has jurisdiction over your place of legal residence (and thus the consulate wherein you are registered with A.I.R.E. - Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad), or in Italy.

There was a time when you could get passports at some vice consulates and some consulates even allowed mail-in passport requests. However, current EU passports require electronic fingerprinting and for this you must travel to a properly equipped consulate.

[johnnyonthespot]

Sorry; I just realized that you were referring to the annual marca da bollo. I suspect that you can buy this at any consulate - can't imagine why not as it is simply proof that you paid the required tax.

[johnnyonthespot]

Marca da bollo sticker affixed to a page within my passport. This one was issued January 5, 2009 and expired January 4, 2010. The smudged-out area contained my full name.


image upload

To be clear, you do not need to buy a marca da bollo (after the initial one, anyway) unless you plan to actually enter or leave Italy on your Italian passport. You can allow the marca to expire and then wait months or years to get a new one if and only if you plan to visit Italy.

[jennabet]

The Bollo is required if you are leaving the European Union with your Italian passport. If you have been gone long enough for the Bollo to have expired, you can still re-enter Italy with your Italian passport because you must depart from the USA with your American passport. There is no requirement to buy a new Bollo from a Consulate before you go back to Italy if you are departing from the USA. But the next time you depart from the European Union with your Italian passport, you must have a valid Bollo.

[bmilazzo]

So I leave the US with my US passport, enter Italy with my Italian passport, then use my US passport when leaving Italy? This can be done without a current Bollo?
When does the penalty come into play?
How much is the penalty?

[jennabet]

The Bollo is an Italian tax imposed on Italian citizens living permanently in Italy. It's also imposed on an Italian citizen living in the USA if he is not an American citizen and does not have an American passport.

But an American citizen living in the USA who also has an Italian passport does not pay Italian taxes.

When you get your Italian passport, if the Consulate does not mention anything to you about a Bollo, it's because you don't have to worry about it when going back and forth between Italy and the USA.

If you decide to live permanently in Italy and travel solely with your Italian passport, then you will have to buy the Bollo.

[jennabet]

By the way, when you get your passport, the cost does include a fee for the Bollo. This is because for all new passports and everytime the passport is renewed, the Bollo tax is included in the fee.

[jcat]

In Miami,the cost, I believe is $116...too bad......used to be you could just send for your passport,Since last April,i think, you now must appear for fingerprinting when getting your passport....

[jennabet]

The biometric passport became obligatory for all Italian citizens January 2010.