caridimondo wrote:Kontessa,
Will I be able to set up a permanent residence without any sort of visa? I plan on moving to Rome, not my ancestral commune in Abruzzo. So if I were able to rent an apartment there, would that suffice? I will definitely do some research on expatsinitaly, but thanks everyone for all the solid information thus far.
You do NOT need a visa if you are going to move to Italy and apply for citizenship. You do NOT need the permission of a consulate in the US to do so.
First, you need a plan. This plan must include a legal place to reside in the comune that you wish to live. There are different types of contracts available in order to establish a legal residence, and you must investigate these carefully and choose wisely. I do not know enough about the different types of contracts available, but ask about this on expatsinitaly. I read that some contracts are for one year, and also that there is some sort of transitory contract, but I don't know anything about these. What I DO know, is that you MUST have a place that is registered with the comune - meaning LEGAL - if you are in Italy to apply for citizenship.
There is a 21+ page thread 'applying in italy' that contains a lot of helpful information. Put this in the search field and choose the citizenship subforum, and you will find plenty to read. Also search for a recent thread by traci, and from belindalagasi, sonnolenta, and many others to see what they have or are currently experiencing.
There is also a thread from a poster who arrived in Italy (via cruise ship?) with the intention of applying for citizenship. The comune that he chose was not well-versed in processing applications, so he chose to go elsewhere. He had problems in the second comune as well, but for different reasons - NONE of which, btw, had anything to do with not having a visa. (
He did NOT have a visa, but obtained a declaration of presence from the Questura.) From what he posted, it appears that residency was one of his major problems. Do your homework and have a plan is the best advice I could give someone wanting to apply for citizenship in Italy.