I have my interview with the Italian Consulate on Monday, July 23, at 11:23. (Yes, 11:23.) I am applying for a Type D National Visa that will allow me to retire in Italy. I will not be working.
Does anyone have any words of wisdom to share that will help me prepare for the interview?
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I intended to mention it's the Consulate in Houston.
Thanks!
Hi Susan!
No real words of wisdom...just relax and pack lots of patience. I think the Visa will get you into Italy, but if you want to stay for a longer length of time than is stipulated on the Visa, then you may require a Permesso di Soggiorno of some kind relating to your circumstances.
In Bocca al Lupo
That's not correct -- visas are not residence permits. Per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
National visas. A national visa is an authorisation to enter Italian territory. One you have crossed the border and entered Italy your visa no longer has a function. To demonstrate that you are legally entitled to stay on Italian territory you should obtain a residence permit. This will be issued for the reason and duration indicated on your visa.
"Type D" simply means a national visa. (There are many subtypes within that, such as elective residency.) A visa only provides permission to enter, subject to review for admissibility at the border. A visa holder then must obtain a Permesso di Soggiorno (PdS) to stay.
I got my visa in Miami.
I have absolutely no proof of this, but I believe that based on human nature the agents at the consulates would prefer that "nice" people be allowed to move to Italy rather than someone who is ............... let's say "unsavory". Some people report being denied a visa for "no reason". Could it be their initial impression wasn't good? Does the clerk actually conduct an interview and does he/she have some discretion, or is it simply a matter of submitting the documents and letting them speak for themselves? Who knows, but why take a chance?
I didn't wear a tie to my interview, but I did put on sport coat over a clean shirt with a collar. I wore slacks and clean shoes. My wife wore a conservative outfit. The clerk was better dressed than I and although he was very polite and courteous he certainly gave us the once over and asked us a number of questions not directly related to the documents we handed him.
I also imagine they appreciate a well organized applicant. I followed the instructions EXACTLY and had EVERY document ready. I used a high quality color copier for things like copies of my passport. I downloaded and used an appropriate computer program to "type" in the various entries on the documents which I than printed out on a good printer so that the only hand written entries were our signatures; i.e. the clerks weren't required to decode my bad handwriting. I also included a cover letter addressed to the head of the consulate (find his/her name on the Internet) explaining why I wanted to move to Italy and what I intended to do there.
I had the entire package in a nice clean envelope and I prepared an identical separate package for my wife. I had exact change for the fees.
We were in and out in 10 or 15 minutes. The door guard assumed were being tossed out on our ears. When I told him our interview was complete, he was astounded. He said most people require several visits and many people leave in tears. He couldn't recall anyone being successful on the first try and especially so quickly.
I had our visas in hand, via FedEx, in three days, so the processing time must have been not much more than 24 hours..
Was all this overkill? I don't know.
Bob
America seems like a dream to me now.
Thanks to everyone for the advice.
I'm especially grateful to Mozella for comments on how to present myself to the Consulate in Houston. I took your advice about organizing every document required on the Website and bound the docs with a handsome metal clip.
The Proof of Residence I provided was a voucher from my landlord in Florence. This was not acceptable. The clerk wanted a contract, so I had to get that from the landlord and fax it to the Consulate.
The Proof of Subsistence I provided was my pension, SS, a small savings account, and the most recent tax appraisal of my home in Austin, which I'm renting until property values recover here. The clerk was surprised that there was no proof of my having $70,000 in cash, a requirement that is unfortunately not provided on the Website. I faxed that proof to him along with the rental contract.
The clerk telephoned me to say I need to sign the application when I come in to pick up my passport. He said he thinks the Visa will be granted.
Sure hope he's right!
Susan
Hope everything worked out for you!
I know a few people who went through the Houston consulate and they say they were very nice there. I have had no personal experience with them, but I can attest to the fact that some Consular workers *cough cough* New York *cough cough* can be NIGHTMARES to deal with. I haven't personally had horrible experiences with the workers at the NY consulate except for them having an issue with a change of one letter in my last name (other than that, they weirdly refused to believe I was American and kept asking me, "are you SURE you're not Italian?"
, but I actually did hear people screaming/see people leaving in tears. It was scary! Not a good vibe in that place at all--you could say that the workers there "se la tirano un po'..."
But off my tangent... in bocca al lupo! Do let us know how it goes. Where do you plan on retiring?
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Ciao Susan, Please keep us posted about your new journey! I've been dreaming and planning of my retirement to Italy now for almost 4 years and in less than a year, andro' in pensione e traslocho in Italia! Looks like you've got all your ducks in a row. SF Consulate will be my point of contact. Again, good luck on la Sua nuova vita in Italia!
Cordiali saluti, Giovanni
"il mio corpo e' qui negli stati uniti, ma il mio Spirito e' ancora la' nella mia Amata Italia" Giovanni
@Riccolina and Orbetellissimo: Thanks for your good wishes! The people in Houston WERE very nice, although I heard some America voices being raised in that office, too. One woman stormed out and slammed the door behind her while I was there.
Lucky me, I was the American who had to follow her into the interview room. Following Ladolcevita's and Mozella's advice, I stayed calm, smiled a lot, and spoke only when spoken to. The officer was a bit impatient at first but seemed to respond to my energy, so we had a nice exchange. I very much appreciated his letting me know what documents I was missing and his letting me fax in the missing pieces rather than having to start the process over from the beginning.
I'm arriving in Florence at the end of September, where I'll stay for 6-7 months while I attend language classes at Lorenza de'Medici in Via Faenza. After that, I'll find a permanent home somewhere in Tuscany or Umbria (an apartment--I don't plan to buy).
Susan