Codice fiscale and residenza: the order

After submitting the kit and receiving the ricevuta, three more steps usually follow: the codice fiscale (tax number), residenza (registration) and the tessera sanitaria (health insurance). Codice fiscale and residenza after arrival are the foundation without which you cannot open a Partita IVA, a bank account or arrange a Carta d'Identita. This is not legal advice but an overview based on community experience; the order depends on the comune and the type of permit, so verify the details on official sources.

What a codice fiscale is, how to get one (including without a residence permit) and how to decode its 16 characters is covered in the separate codice fiscale explainer; this article is the practical order of steps together with residenza.

Submitting the kit is described separately - see the kit postale for the permesso. And you can estimate your codice fiscale by the algorithm (and understand what it is made of) in the tool:

What the codice fiscale is and why you need it

The codice fiscale is the Italian tax number (the analogue of a TIN), a 16-character code of letters and digits generated from your surname, first name, date of birth, sex and country of birth. It is required almost everywhere: for the kit, the bank, renting, insurance, registering a Partita IVA, signing up with a doctor. In essence it is the first Italian identifier set up for every family member, including children.

The codice fiscale is not permission to live in Italy and not confirmation of legal status. It is simply your tax identifier. Having it decides nothing about the residence permit, but without it you literally cannot take a single next step - no account, no rental, no Partita IVA.

How to get a codice fiscale before arrival

According to the community the codice fiscale is often requested before the move: you send a form and a scan of the main page of your passport by email through the Italian consulate, and the reply with the number comes within a few days. Some consulates also issue it as a plastic card, sometimes even without a visa. This greatly speeds up matters on the ground. Verify the current procedure and addresses on esteri.it.

I arranged the codice fiscale by letter before the flight - and it greatly sped up all the steps on the ground. Without it almost nothing can be done: you cannot properly close out the kit, nor approach the bank.

A nuance about the consular code: according to the community the code obtained by letter from the consulate works for school, for submitting for the permesso and in some places, but it sometimes states "place of issue - consulate", and for the tessera sanitaria you have to go to the Agenzia delle Entrate to have the place of issue changed to the local tax office (the number itself usually does not change). So the consular code is good, but it does not always fully close the question on the ground.

The consul sent me the codice by email, and with it we got into the school and were issued the permesso. But for the tessera sanitaria it was not accepted as is - I had to re-register it at the tax office so that the place of issue was their inspectorate, not the consulate. The number itself stayed the same.

Can you get a codice fiscale on a D visa without the permesso

Yes, according to the community this is a working path, although the tax office sometimes digs in. The legal basis is art. 6 DPR 605/1973: you can request a codice fiscale if you have a justification and legal documents (the D visa and the ricevuta confirm exactly your lawful presence). Technically the Agenzia delle Entrate has the ability.

Based on community experience the Agenzia delle Entrate takes: the AA4/8 form, the passport, the D visa, the ricevuta and an application referring to art. 6 DPR 605/1973. If they refuse verbally, it is useful to ask for a reasoned (that is, written, with a reference to the law) refusal - after that the question is often resolved. Verify the current procedure on agenziaentrate.gov.it.

At first they refused at the window and sent me to the questura. I calmly asked for a written refusal with a reference to the rule. A couple of days later a tax office employee wrote to me - said he had consulted with colleagues, and the codice can be made, come in. In the end they issued everything.

The tax office always has the technical ability to issue a codice fiscale on a D visa and the ricevuta. When they refuse, it is more about reluctance than about the law. Calmly cite DPR 605/1973 and do not argue: half the cases are resolved with one polite letter.

A separate typical scene according to the community: the guard at the entrance to the Agenzia delle Entrate may turn foreigners away, saying the code should be obtained at the questura or prefecture, not here. In practice, if you politely ask which law says this, and explain that you need precisely the paper certificate (not a "new" code), the question is usually resolved - you are let in and issued the certificate.

If you plan to leave Italy on that same ricevuta before the plastic card arrives, first read about travel on the ricevuta: you must re-enter Schengen through Italy.

The "paper" codice fiscale: the certificate for the bank and through a CAF

According to the community a frequent snag: you already have the code (for example the consular one, sent by letter), but the bank asks for a "physical" / "plastic" codice fiscale. In reality it is usually enough to have not the plastic but the Certificato di attribuzione del codice fiscale - a printout with a signature and stamp made at the Agenzia delle Entrate. Many banks and apps (according to the community, Revolut among them) accept a photo of such a certificate instead of the tessera sanitaria: during registration, if the app demands the tessera, you write in the support chat that you do not have the tessera yet and ask to be allowed to upload the CF certificate - and they open the account.

You can obtain or print the codice fiscale not only at the tax office itself but also through a CAF/patronato (according to the community - often quickly, by appointment): there they make a copy of the passport, fill in a form and send the request to the Agenzia delle Entrate. In Sicily and a number of regions such services at a CAF can be free.

The bank dug in: a physical codice was needed. It turned out the plastic was not required - the certificato attribuzione with a stamp from the tax office was enough. In the bank's app I replaced the photo of the tessera with a photo of this certificate, wrote to support - and they opened the account without the tessera.

Codice fiscale 154 and 135: the error for those born in the USSR

This is one of the most frequent and unpleasant problems according to the community, and it is better to know about it in advance. For those born in the USSR the country-of-birth code is embedded in the codice fiscale, and here two variants are possible:

• 135 - the correct code for "those born in the USSR";
• 154 - the code for Russia, which is entered by mistake by employees who do not know the nuance.

Why code 154 is dangerous: according to the community, when the questura's software is updated, the issuance of a permesso with such a code may hang. The case goes to Rome for printing, Rome sees the mismatch, blocks it and writes to the comune - and the person waits months for the plastic. It must be corrected along the chain: the comune updates the code to 135 (it has priority), the tax office follows the comune's decision, and the questura must update the record before the next fingerprinting.

I struggled with this code: first they gave 154, I changed it to 135, at the fingerprinting they confirmed it - I get the permit, and there it is 154 again. I went to the tax office, the third time they entered 135, I refused the permit, they reprinted it - and again 154 in the database. The storico printout shows the code was rewritten about five times. You have to go to the comune, not the questura.

Advice at the start: when submitting the kit, in the codice stato nascita field for those born in the USSR enter SUN, not USSR and not RUS. This reduces the risk that you will be generated code 154 and the case will hang in Rome. Check your code in the printout and keep it under control at every fingerprinting.

According to the community, those born in the USSR or with transliteration peculiarities may also have other discrepancies in the generated code. If the codice fiscale in your documents does not match or raises questions, check its correctness and fix it at the tax authority - details on agenziaentrate.gov.it.

What the "letterless" codice fiscale is and how it gets in the way

A separate storyline according to the community is the so-called "letterless" codice fiscale: when there is not yet a normal code, the questura sometimes generates a purely numeric code (of the form 632...) so that the case goes to Rome for printing at all. This is a workaround of the system, but it creates problems further on:

• banks (according to the community n26, BBVA were mentioned) may refuse to open an account;
• you cannot properly open a Partita IVA with such a code;
• if you do not keep an eye on it, the next permesso will also be issued with the "letterless" one.

The questura entered a numeric code without letters - it turned out that otherwise the case would not go to Rome for printing. And then the bank turned me away with the account. I went to the Agenzia delle Entrate, asked to merge the letterless one with the normal one and make the normal one primary. And most importantly - I checked at the next fingerprinting that the correct one was in the system.

The solution according to the community: go to the Agenzia delle Entrate and ask to merge the letterless code with the normal one, keeping the normal one primary. Then be sure to recheck at the next fingerprinting. Verify the procedure on agenziaentrate.gov.it.

How to arrange residenza (registration) in the comune

Residenza is the official registration at your place of residence, arranged by the comune (the Ufficio Anagrafe window). According to the community there is a widespread belief that residenza can be obtained right away on the ricevuta, but in practice this is rather the exception: more often the comune arranges registration after the permesso is issued, because first the checks against the immigration and financial databases take place. Verify the procedure in your comune and on interno.gov.it.

At the same time, according to the community, everything depends heavily on the region: for some motives (lavoro subordinato, family reunification, renewal, refugees) registration on the ricevuta is directly allowed by various rules, but for lavoro autonomo a single act is hard to find, and comuni interpret it differently. In practice participants separately note Tuscany as a region where they readily register on the ricevuta even for lavoro autonomo, whereas elsewhere they send you to wait for the plastic. So before counting on residenza on the ricevuta, it makes sense to clarify the position of your specific comune.

I looked for a law that would directly allow registration on the ricevuta for lavoro autonomo, and I did not find a single one - it is all scattered across different acts and for other motives. In the end in Tuscany they calmly registered me on the ricevuta, while acquaintances in another region with the same motive were refused. It is a matter of local interpretation.

Based on community experience you bring with you: the permessi of all family members and copies, passports and copies, the printed codici fiscali, the rental contract and a copy, as well as the papers on the registration of the rental contract with the Agenzia delle Entrate. The application is usually submitted by the main applicant. After submission the comune starts the procedure, and within a few days a police officer (vigili) may come to the address - to make sure you actually live there and to ask simple questions. The comune verifies that you really reside at the indicated address, so it makes sense to put your surname on the doorbell and the mailbox in advance (in practice, check this in your comune).

According to the community the notification that the residenza is ready comes in different ways: by letter in the mailbox, by email, and sometimes not at all - and then you find out it is ready already when arranging the Carta d'Identita. The timing is time-dependent: somewhere it is a couple of weeks, and somewhere it takes a long time. Verify the current details at the comune.

At a large questura of one of the Rome municipalities we waited half a year for residenza - queues, chaos, they send you back and forth. At a small comune acquaintances had everything done in a couple of weeks. So a lot depends on where exactly you register, not only on the documents.

Why hurry with residenza at all: it is needed for the Carta d'Identita, for many subsidies and the ISEE calculation, as well as for a proper Partita IVA. An important nuance according to the community: the 5-year period for the permesso di lungo periodo (permanent residence) is counted from the date of the first permesso, not from registration, and long absence from Italy affects it - more details in the article on renewal and the 183-day rule.

The basis of occupancy for the anagrafe is usually a registered rental contract (contratto di locazione): without registration with the Agenzia delle Entrate it may not be accepted. The full list of address papers is easy to check against the cambio residenza checklist (Mod. APR/4).

Tessera sanitaria through the ASL: how to get it and who gets it free

The tessera sanitaria is the access card to public healthcare (the SSN). The temporary insurance (tessera sanitaria temporanea) is, according to the community, arranged at the ASL (the local health service) already on the ricevuta, without waiting for the plastic. For a number of permit types it can be free (according to the community - for example for lavoro autonomo, where healthcare goes through INPS contributions); for other grounds the conditions are clarified locally. Verify the current details on salute.gov.it and at your local ASL.

Based on community experience you bring with you the original passport and ricevuta, a copy of the first page of the passport, a copy of the codice fiscale and a copy of the ricevuta with the payment receipt (you need exactly the part where the payment is visible). At the ASL you fill in a short form, are signed up with a doctor (medico di base) and issued a temporary policy (often for around 3 months, sometimes for six months). Until the plastic card arrives you can use the printed policy certified by the ASL.

An important warning according to the community: do not agree if, instead of a normal tessera sanitaria, they try to arrange a six-month STP (Straniero Temporaneamente Presente) for you. STP is for those who are in the country irregularly; with a legal D visa and the ricevuta you are entitled to a normal tessera, and the substitution can "surface" at the most inconvenient moment - in a hospital. If one ASL refuses or makes a fuss, according to the community it is easier to go to another ASL or find a more competent employee.

A couple more working hacks from the chats (observations, not a rule):

• if going to the ASL in person keeps hitting refusals, sometimes an email to the ASL with the same documents helps (passport, codice fiscale, ricevuta) - people describe the tessera being sent by mail literally within a day;
• in the form you can state barriera linguistica ("language barrier") - then at the doctor's appointment the ASL will provide an interpreter for free (mediatore linguistico interculturale). This removes the fear of going to the doctor without Italian.

At the ASL they refused us about five times under various pretexts. I found their email, sent the passport, codice and ricevuta - and the tessera was sent by mail within a day. Sometimes correspondence works where the live queue stalls.

If at the ASL they offer STP instead of the tessera - politely decline and ask specifically for the tessera sanitaria on the ricevuta: with a legal entry it is your right. STP is meant for irregular migrants, and later there can be problems with it. Did not work at one office - go to another, this is normal practice.

It came out funny: I found out my permesso was ready precisely at the ASL, when I came to change the tessera. The SMS from the questura never came, but the plastic was already there. So an extra visit to the ASL can be useful not only for healthcare.

After receiving the permesso you turn to the ASL again to arrange the tessera now for the duration of the permit. Signing up with a medico di base and choosing a doctor is a separate topic; for a breakdown of SSN enrollment see the article on tessera sanitaria and SSN, and on the family doctor - medico di base.

While you have no tessera yet, emergency care is still provided: the ambulance number 118 and pronto soccorso work for everyone, and those without status can get an STP code.

Carta d'Identita and the order of steps

When the residenza is ready, you arrange the Carta d'Identita Elettronica (CIE) - the Italian identity card. According to the community in some cities the CIE can be started even on the ricevuta (for example, in Milan certain service centers were mentioned), but usually it is tied to the completed registration. The CIE will later come in handy for logging into public services - more details in the articles on PEC and CIE and SPID.

The final practical order according to the community (the details depend on the comune and the motive):

1. codice fiscale - ideally even before arrival or right away on the D visa and the ricevuta;
2. the kit at the post office and the ricevuta - see the kit postale for the permesso;
3. tessera sanitaria temporanea at the ASL - on the ricevuta;
4. fingerprinting at the questura and waiting for the plastic - for status checks and travel see the section on status, travel and renewal;
5. residenza in the comune - more often after the permesso is issued;
6. Carta d'Identita (CIE) - after the completed registration;
7. the full tessera sanitaria for the duration of the permit and, if needed, a Partita IVA.

Where you are on this path is convenient to mark in the after-arrival checklist (the post-arrival track), and the timeline will help you estimate the timing of the stages.

Related articles

• The kit postale for the permesso - submission and the ricevuta after arrival.
• Status, travel and renewal - checking the status of the case and the rules on leaving.
• Lavoro autonomo permit: the steps - where the codice fiscale is needed from the very start.
• Tessera sanitaria and SSN - enrolling in healthcare through the ASL.
• PEC and CIE - the electronic ID and access to public services.
• Renewal and the 183-day rule - why residenza and the qualifying period matter.
• Travel on the ricevuta: can you return - trips while the permesso is in progress.
• Rental contract for a residence permit - a registered contratto di locazione as the basis for residenza.
• Booking the anagrafe and residenza - how to book the appointment and file the registration request.
• Carta d'identita (CIE) for a foreigner - the electronic ID card and how to get it.

Official sources

• Agenzia delle Entrate - codice fiscale and taxes
• Ministero degli Affari Esteri - consulates and requesting a codice fiscale
• Ministero dell'Interno - anagrafe and residenza
• Portale Immigrazione - submission and case status
• Ministero della Salute - public healthcare and the ASL
• Polizia di Stato - questure - checking the permesso status

Frequently asked questions

Can you get a codice fiscale before arrival?

According to the community - yes, it is often requested in advance by email through the Italian consulate, and in some consulates it is issued as a plastic card even without a visa. Verify the exact procedure and addresses on esteri.it and agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

Can you get a codice fiscale on a D visa and the ricevuta, still without the permesso?

According to the community - yes, through the Agenzia delle Entrate: they take the passport, the D visa, the ricevuta and an application referring to art. 6 DPR 605/1973; sometimes they ask for a reasoned (written) refusal, and this helps. The tax office does have the technical ability. Verify the current details on agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

What are codice fiscale 154 and 135 and why does it matter?

According to the community, 135 is the correct code for those born in the USSR, while 154 (Russia) is entered by mistake, and because of it the questura may block the issuance of the permesso and send the case to Rome. It is corrected through the comune (which has priority), then checked at the next fingerprinting. This is not legal advice.

Can you arrange residenza right away on the ricevuta?

According to the community this is rather the exception - more often the comune arranges residenza after you receive the permesso. Verify the current details in your comune and on interno.gov.it.

How much does the tessera sanitaria cost?

According to the community a temporary tessera sanitaria through the ASL can be free for a number of permit types (for example lavoro autonomo). Verify the current details on salute.gov.it and at your local ASL - this is not legal advice.

How does STP differ from the tessera sanitaria and is it worth taking?

According to the community STP (Straniero Temporaneamente Presente) is a policy for those who are in the country irregularly, whereas with a legal D visa and the ricevuta you are entitled to a normal tessera sanitaria. You should not agree to STP instead of the tessera: the substitution can surface in a hospital. If one ASL refuses, according to the community it is easier to turn to another. Verify the current details on salute.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

The bank asks for a physical codice fiscale, but I only have a letter from the consulate - what do I do?

According to the community it is usually enough to have not the plastic but the Certificato di attribuzione del codice fiscale - a printout with a stamp and signature from the Agenzia delle Entrate; many banks and apps accept a photo of it instead of the tessera sanitaria. You can print the certificate at the tax office or through a CAF/patronato. Verify the current details on agenziaentrate.gov.it - this is not legal advice.

Related materials - After arrival

• Kit permesso: how to file within 8 days
• Questura in Italy: what it is and why
• Cambio residenza: changing registration
• Booking the anagrafe and residenza

Next stepPrintable modulesFill a short form and print a ready Italian document: autocertificazione, ospitalita, conto di base.

Documents for this topic

• Mod. APR/4 and APR057: residenza change checklist
• Mod. APR057: owner's declaration of consent to a residenza change (Turin)
• Certificate of Tax Residency in Italy (Attestato di Residenza Fiscale - Agenzia delle Entrate)