Facing Italian Bureaucracy (again)

For returning readers (or can click here, here and here) with recolletion about my experiences with Italian bureaucracy, you understand how daunting it is.

Yesterday I went to Immigration Office in Siena to renew my resident permit. I arrived last week but somehow they closed all this week except Friday and Saturday. The announcement on office wall said that the allotted time to submit application for non European is between 8.30-11 every Monday, Tuesday and Friday. The queuing number will be distributed at 8.15.

So I thought, I just need to be there when the number are distributed right? Wrong!! It meant ALL the number will be distributed at 8.15. I arrived at 8.20 at the office and the official told me that no more numbers and I must come back another day.

But amidst the annoyance and sleepiness (not sleep again after sahur), I feel something is not quite correct. Yes, the announcement is not clear about what to expect at 8.15 but if that what suppose to happen they actually did it on time. (If you don’t know any Italian, their schedule is as flexible as Indonesia’s rubber watch). On the way back, I met a senior student from department that said he waited from 5 in the morning to get the top number.

So this morning I left my room at 7 in the morning to make sure I am in the front part of the queue (no number on Saturday, it supposed only to receive the permit but student can submit). But when I arrived there, the door is already open and the official was already taking people receipt and checked if they resident permit already issued. The official opening time is 8, last year I came at 7 to get ahead on the queue and by opening time the line already more than 50 m long (with some old ladies freezing in January weather).

At 8.05 all the queuing people was already served and either get their permit or told it was not ready. I was just reading a book while waiting when the officer call for me (in Italian, I did not notice in the beginning until other people called me). I said (in Italian) I am a student and want to renew resident permit. To my amazement she told me to go inside and start the processing. As the cherry on the pudding, after giving all the paper she told me confidently in English that it will be ready in two month. I am off in 10 minutes.

Now it is beginning to seem unreal. Last year none spoke English and it took me more than 4 months to get the permit.. Of course the second part still need to be proven but the increase of efficiency is apparent. I talked to my class mate and he attributed it change of government where Prodi with centre left coalition replace Berlusconi’s rightist coalition.

Nonetheless, it is definitely improvement of public service in the most unlikely place. If Italy can do it, maybe Indonesia can too.