I was granted international protection; now I need to apply at the Questura for a 5-year residence permit, and for that I need a domicilio/ospitalità. All dormitories in Bergamo are full — I only know Via Galgario and one in Sorisole, and the waiting lists there are endless. Caritas shrugs, CISL too. I only need that paper; it can be without actual residence — just an address for the Questura. Has anyone dealt with this?
Ospitalità is handled at the local police (polizia locale), not at the questura — otherwise they’ll turn you away.
3 Likes
International protection approved
Tanyush, thanks, but wait — I have international protection specifically, not refugee status, and I’m applying for residency at the Questura (police headquarters); they’ve already accepted the documents there. Where exactly did you get the “ospitalità” (Оспиталиту) done — at the local police station for the address? And did it work without actually living there, or do they check?
3 Likes
They do it with the owner or tenant — without an actual residence, there’s no one to sign there.
3 Likes
Have you tried asking through acquaintances? A dormitory is one option, but an “ospitalità” can be arranged by anyone who rents or owns their home — they just go together to the local police (polizia locale) and that’s it. The document is called communicazione di ospitalità (notification of hospitality); the host files it there personally. If there’s anyone in Bergamo with an apartment for rent who’s willing to help, that’s more realistic than the waiting list in Galgario.
3 Likes
At the CAF (tax assistance centre) they said you need both a dichiarazione di ospitalità (declaration of hospitality) from the police and a contract from the agency confirming free accommodation, called a comodato d’uso gratuito (free loan-for-use agreement). My friend thought it would be enough to just go together to the police, but it turned out two documents are required. In Bergamo they may require the same, so it’s better to check with the local CAF first before going to someone’s flat.
3 Likes
Airbnb hosts also have a dichiarazione d’ospitalità (declaration of hospitality), but that’s for tourists — the Questura (police headquarters) won’t accept it for a five-year permesso di soggiorno (residence permit). You specifically need a comodato d’uso gratuito (gratuitous loan agreement). You should ask in the Russian-speaking community in Bergamo — there have definitely been such requests there; someone local can advise or even provide accompaniment and help find a person with an apartment.
3 Likes
I arranged it through an acquaintance who handles rentals — he provided the ospitalità (hospitality declaration), copies of the property owners’ passports and the tenant’s passport, the lease agreement, and a ricevuta (receipt) showing that the contract was registered. The ospitalità wasn’t certified at the questura; they just filled it out by hand — they accepted it without questions.
3 Likes
By law the apartment owner is required to notify the kvestura (квестура) — maybe that’s why people don’t agree.
3 Likes
People got things like that for money — try contacting Russian speakers in Bergamo; there were requests.
3 Likes
It’s still unclear whether ospitalità is currently accepted at the Questura under the new rules or not - I’ve heard this from people who applied earlier this year in Milan. So before you start looking for someone with an apartment under comodato d’uso, it’s better to call the Questura in Bergamo directly and ask what they require specifically for international protection - they sometimes have a separate counter for those statuses.
3 Likes
By the way, the registration issue is key here — the period for permanent residency (PR) is counted from the date of registration at the comune (municipality), not from the date of the permesso (permesso di soggiorno / residence permit). I was told that first you get an ospitalità at the polizia locale (local police), then with that document you go to the comune to register — and that date is when the clock starts. So it makes sense not to delay finding someone for a comodato d’uso (comodato d’uso — loan-for-use agreement).
3 Likes
Each questura has its own rules about this status — there’s no point in going there without calling first.
3 Likes
Call the questura first; as far as I know, the requirements for “ospitalità” vary between cities.
3 Likes
Residenza and ospitalità are different things — ospitalità is filed by the host with the local police, while residenza (the registration with the comune) is the actual municipality registration. The period that counts toward permanent residency is calculated from the date of registration at the comune, not from the permesso (residence permit) — so if an asylum seeker waited three years, every month without residenza is a loss.
3 Likes