Hi all,

this is (of course) addressed to all the Italian people who have been living here in the States and they had to
contact the closest Italian Embassy where they live in order to get a new Italian passport.
Is any body who could give me any idea by his/her own experience how long it took to get a new Italian passport, especially if you had to deal with the Italian Embassy in S. Francisco?

Thanks alot to any who might give me a reply!!!!!

I actually have to renew the passport myself and they told me around a month (at the chicago consulate though). Do you know how much is the new fee for the 5year renewal?I cant find it anywhere and they never answer their phone at the chicago consulate!!!

Unfortunately they dont say anything about fees in the website of the italian embassy in S.francisco, can you call them again in Chicago or send them again and again emails until they dont give you an answer................come al solito dobbiamo farci riconoscere anche all'estero per la ns super organizzazione...............oops...mi e' scappata ma quando ci vuole.....ci vuole...........

This is the email I just received from the Ufficio Passaporti of the Italian Consulate in Philly, which is the one I have to deal with:



Hope it helps

yeah but $ 51,50 is for one year renewal...So that means that for 5 years is $ 51,50 times 5. I sent my passport reneval application 2 weeks ago to chicago and I didnt hear nothing from them yet...I am sure its gonna take at least 1 or 2 months!!

Hi everybody,
and thank you Daphne for opening this topic! I was wondering the same thing...my passport expires in a couple of months, but last year I went to the "Questura" and got it renewed for another 5 years, so now on the third page it says: "Passport Extended until 2012"...do you guys think that is enough???

I want to go back to Italy for Easter, but I'm a little scared of leaving with the passport like that, even though it's extended. I don't know if I can still go to the Questura once in italy, because I am a US resident now. Also, I would like to add my married name on it (I read that according to the Italian law you can't change your name, but you can add your married name on the fourth page of the passport). Has any of you done this?
One last thing, are you guys registered to AIRE???

Sorry, I know it's a lot of questions, but as Daphne said, anche all'estero noi italiani siamo sempre quelli meno organizzati e non ci si capisce mai niente!
Grazie a tutti/e!

I think that your passport is fine until 2012, mine says the same on the third page, but it is extended until 2008.
Now it looks that any italian consulate in USA dont give info, or at least they give always info very late, I dont know if when we are in Italy for exemple for 1 month, although we live in USA, it is possible to have done the passport in Italy, but I guess it is not possible, because I would do that!!!! Regarding the married name to add in the passport, I dont know but since they are SCANDALOUS for the very easy things, I don't even try to ask them about a very diffficult question. Ancora una volta l'Italia all'estero si deve fare riconoscere, ma e' mai possibile, eppure il ns paese e' un bel paese, ma perche' mai quando si tratta di avere delle risposte burocratiche fanno CAGARE!!!!!!!

I have tried today to ask to the Italian consulate in S. Francisco what happened to my docs sent last october to them regarding AIRE, if they sent my docs to Italy and when I'm expected to know something about it................well......they told me that they can't give me any reply since the employee taking care of the AIRE docs is sick for 3 months, so they can't give me a reply.....................ALLUCINANTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tra qualche giorno torno alla carica, perche' voglio sapere che fine hanno fatto i miei documenti.
The saddest thing is that I read somewhere that if you are not registered with AIRE, you can't ask for a renewal or for a new passport here in USA, if you, of course live in USA.

If any italian has succeded in having a new passport in a short time through an italian consulate here in USA, or has been very lucky to have received a satisfying reply by one of the Italian consulate, pls let us know.

Grazie e good luck!!!!

No, they renew your passport for 5 years. IF you really want a marca da bollo for each of the 5 years then you have to pay 51,50 x 5, otherwise you pay the amount one time only. But just remember you need to buy a marca da bollo only for the calendar year you actually use the passport, if you don't use it to travel your passport is still valid until the year it's been renewed, but you don't need to pay the tax on it. I hope I made sense. ex. you renew your passport in february 2007, your 51,50 is good until february 2008. If you travel, after february 2008 then you need another marca da bollo for that amount, if you don't travel you don't have to have it. And honestly...they never stamp the marca da bollo anyway lol I stopped putting one on my passport like 4 years ago....




I renewed my passport at the Questura until 2008 as well, I travelled on it several time. You're good to go until 2012.

I forgot to add about the spouse name...I added my husband's name to my passport, but in order to be able to do so at the Consulate you need to register your marriage in Italy. This is something that needs to be done at the Consulate as well, you can register your marriage and ask to add your spouse to the passport at the same time. All they do is handwrite the full name and then put an official stamp of the consulate. I was still instructed to carry my marriage license with me when I travel regardless though, because they supposedly could still cause problems. Not sure it's true though.
About the AIRE thing...I believe you can't do any of the above unless you are registered to it. It is only a form to fill out if I remember well, just keep in mind that to complete the actual registration it takes a long time, about 6 months or so.
OH one last thing...I think someone asked something about this somewhere...if you are not registered to AIRE you can still have your passport renewed/released but this is what the uffici passaporti of Philly wrote me :



Hope it helped

OK!! That make sense!!Since i will be travelling at least once at year I sent the right amount to the counsulate and i can forget about it for 5 years!!
Now my question is where is my passport!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I sent it almost a month ago!!!! Every time i call I get the answering machine saying: " L'ufficio passaporti e' chiuso, richiamare dal lunedi al venerdi dalle 14 alle 16" E io ho chiamato alle 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!vabbe' ridiamoci sopra che e' meglio!!

Daphne and Churipu:
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You have been sooo much help! I feel better now, I guess I can start sleeping at night again!
I registered my marriage in Italy last year (it took forever!), but I don't know if I'm registered to AIRE already or not, because I never received any answer about it...I guess it takes a while. But if my passport is good until 2012 I won't worry about it anymore, they can take as long as they want!
Since I'll be in Italy in a little over a month I guess I'll try and go to the Questura and see if they can add my married name on the passport there, I'll bring along my marriage certificate, etc. I don't trust sending it to the consulate via mail, in case it gets lost, so I hope they can do it in Italy!
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Paola:
Hai ragione, ridiamoci sopra che e' meglio! I'd better not even talk about how long it took to register my marriage in Italy! I got married in 2005, mailed the papers right away, and it wasn't registered until the end of 2006!!! Ah well!

yes it is a good idea to go to the Questura when you are in Italy because you never know what they do at the consulate............more than 1 year in order to be registered?!!!..............che tristezza. Enjoy yr trip in Italy!!!!!

Well after about a month I had my passport back from the consulate. Guess what? I didnt get a new passport or anything, just a stamp that says IN ITALIAN valid til 2012. Now COME LO CAPISCONO CHE C'E' SCRITTO VALIDO FINO AL 2012 QUI NEGLI STATES se e' scritto in italiano????

When you renew your passport you never get an actual new one, but a stamp with the date it's going to be valid until. Mine was renewed in Italy so it is all in Italian as well...but it is on page 2 where also the residence/color of eyes/signature are , under the "PROROGHE/EXTENTION OF THE PASSPORT/LA VALIDITE' blah blah blah" section...which of course makes it clear since it is in 3 languages. Where did they stamp yours? BTW even if it wasn't in the second page, I don't think you'd have problems travelling if they did it that way.

Ciao!