Codice fiscale address change

In Italy the tax number assigned to each person is called a codice fiscale and is similar to an American social security number. The codice fiscale is required to open a bank account or to purchase a cell phone and is one of the easiest official documents to obtain from the Italian government.

While we were still living in the United States I applied for and received my codice fiscale via the consulate in Los Angeles, thinking it might be helpful to have this before we arrived in Italy. It was simple to obtain by mail and seemed like it had been a fine piece of planning ahead.

This year we have attempted to transfer all of our government documents to our address in Ascoli Piceno, which has become a regular source of frustration for us in dealing with the associated bureaucracy. In March I applied to the national health system, called ASUR in the Marche region, and received a receipt showing I was enrolled. Earlier this month when I went back to the ASUR office to find out why I had not received my enrollment card in the mail and I was told that there was a problem.

It appears the same government agency that issues the codice fiscale also operates the national health system and when they cross referenced my codice fiscale number to my health coverage it showed the Los Angeles Consulate address. To correct this I would need to have my address corrected on my codice fiscale. This requires a visit to yet another agency.

Today Valerie and I went to the office where we applied for her codice fiscale, the Agenzia delle Entrate. After some language issues the clerk made it clear he needed our receipt for applying for the new Permesso di Soggiorno in Ascoli Piceno, my passport and my Permesso di Soggiorno for Roma, made some copies, gave me a short form to fill out and took my codice fiscale card and tossed it into the trash (no cutting it up or shredding it). We waited a half-hour for another clerk who input our current address and printed a receipt showing it was valid and a new card is being mailed to me.

Now I will need to make another visit to the ASUR office to see if my address has been updated and I can get a card issued to me here in Ascoli Piceno and not Los Angeles.