HelpWorks Italia - Personal Experiences
Personal Experiences
If you would like to share information with regard to a specific experience you have had here in Italy, please send an email to us by completing our online form.
Codice Fiscale for married women
I thought I should write the story of my MARRIED NAME. I was born into this world under the name Sasha Sunshine Avoscan-Crowe. Three years ago I married my now husband Stephen and took on his family name Harbridge. A name which I have come to love and it feels like who I am now, I am Mrs Sasha Sunshine Harbridge.
When we initially started the process of searching for a house in Italy my husband and I obtained our CODICE FISCALE's as we were correctly advised. I had not yet changed my English Passport and therefore obtained my Codice Fiscale in my maiden name, assuming that I could update that at some time in the future. Within the 9 days of arrival to live here permanently I went to the Commune office to apply for residency, as required. Matters were complicated when the man assisting with my application realized that I had now changed my passport to my married name but had a Codice Fiscale in my maiden name. It was not clarified by my marriage certificate as it is not a recognized document here in Italy. Trying to be helpful the man suggested that I go back to the Codice Fiscale office and have it changed, which I did but have since learnt that they were not supposed to allow me to do that.
A few weeks later I chased my residency application only to find that they were having problems and that I needed to go in to the Anagrafe office. During this meeting I discovered that the only way anybody can get residency is in their birth name of which I had no supporting documents. No birth certificate and my passport was now updated to Harbridge.
Lots of discussions and meetings later the matter was resolved after changing my codice fiscal back to my maiden name and thus my residency accepted.
Moral of the story; A Codice Fiscale is the Italian equivalent of your National Insurance number and as in England it does not change because you are married. As my 'Notaio' put it what happens if you have three husbands? I dread to think of how complicated Italian residency would be in that situation!
NB When coming to Italy to purchase your home remember to bring your current passport, your marriage certificate and your birth certificate.
Dating Cheques
A word of warning! We wrote a cheque on our Italian bank account planning to transfer money to cover the amount at a later date. Unfortunately we dated the cheque with that day's date. Although the payee did not pay the cheque into their account for several weeks, by which time the funds were in place to cover it, our account was debited as if the cheque had been presented on the date written on the cheque.
We therefore were overdrawn on our account with all the horrific charges that incurs. Apparently this is standard practice in Italian banks and is why many people always leave the date blank.
