The settling-in chain

The codice fiscale is the Italian tax code (like an INN) needed almost everywhere: the KIT, banks, rentals, insurance. By community experience it is often requested before the move by emailing a form and a scan of the passport main page through the Italian consulate, with the number arriving in a few days; it can also be obtained or confirmed at the tax agency in Italy. Born-in-USSR names and transliteration quirks sometimes produce a mismatched generated code that must be fixed at the tax agency. Verify on esteri.it and agenziaentrate.gov.it.

Residenza is the official registration of where you live, handled by the Comune (Ufficio Anagrafe). It is a common belief you can get it on the ricevuta, but in practice that is the exception - the Comune usually registers residenza after the permesso is issued, because migration and financial checks run first. After you apply, a police officer may visit the address within a few days to confirm you live there and ask simple questions. The readiness notice can arrive by post, email, or not at all - sometimes you only learn it when applying for the Carta d Identita. Verify in your Comune and on interno.gov.it.

Tessera sanitaria is your access card to public healthcare. A temporary card (tessera sanitaria temporanea) is often issued by the ASL on the ricevuta, without waiting for the plastic. For several permit motives it can be free; for others you must check. At the ASL you fill a short form, get attached to a family doctor (medico di base), and receive a temporary policy (often ~3 months, sometimes longer). By community experience you can write barriera linguistica on the form to get a free interpreter at appointments. After the permesso arrives you return to the ASL to issue the card for the full permit term. Verify on salute.gov.it.

Once residenza is registered you can get the Carta d Identita (often the CIE chip version) and activate SPID, the national digital identity used to log in to public services. With the permesso (or a valid visa D), Carta d Identita, codice fiscale, and tessera sanitaria in hand, most banks will open an account - though by community experience one branch opens it in minutes while another refuses without explanation, even within the same bank. Many people keep two accounts: an online bank with an Italian IBAN for daily payments and a branch bank for cash and credit products. Verify document lists with each bank.