Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

EUROPE

Brexit: Why Brits in Italy are being urged to apply for the new biometric ID card now

Obtaining a new electronic ID document could save British nationals in Italy a lot of bureaucratic headaches.

Published: 18 February 2021 16:21 CET
Updated: 19 February 2021 09:38 CET
Brexit: Why Brits in Italy are being urged to apply for the new biometric ID card now
Photo: AFP

From January, a new electronic ‘tessera’ or ID card has been made available proving the rights of British nationals resident in Italy – and citizens’ rights campaigners say they “strongly urge” people to apply for it.

“If you don’t, you risk facing serious practical problems,” the British in Italy group warned on Thursday. “It is the best evidence you can get that you are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.”

READ ALSO: ‘What I learned when I applied for the Brexit residence card for Brits in Italy’

The new biometric ‘tessera’, officially called a carta di soggiorno, is available to British citizens who were legally in Italy before December 31st 2020.

While several readers told The Local they experienced problems trying to get the card last month, British in Italy said: “it seems that most Questure have got their act together, so there is no need to hold back any longer. Our advice is to apply now.”

The urgency is partly because “in some areas there are long delays in getting an appointment,” the group said.

However, some of Italy’s British residents have also reported problems with bureaucracy and in accessing certain services.

According to British in Italy, “without the new carta di soggiorno some people have not been able to:

  • Renew a tessera sanitaria;
  • Get an employment contract or enter a bando di gara for a job;
  • Get benefits;
  • Complete the purchase of a house.”

“If you leave Italy you might have your passport wrongly stamped at a border if you do not produce the carta di soggiorno,” British in Italy added.

Amid confusion about the various documents issued by Italian authorities, “the WA attestazione that many of us obtained from our Comune last year is not always being accepted as the necessary proof that we are covered by the WA.”

DEALING WITH BREXIT:

“As a matter of strict law none of these problems should be happening,” British in Italy explained. “As long as you were resident in Italy by December 31st, you are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and should have all the rights it confers.”

“But knowing that you are in the right is not much consolation if the computer (or an official) says no.”

British in Italy noted that people should however make their own decision on the timing of applications, with regards to the Covid situation and any restrictions in their local area.

How do I get the new carta di soggiorno?

You’ll need to make an appointment at your local Questura, or police headquarters. Check your local Questura‘s website for details, as the process varies from one place to another.

The Italian Interior Ministry has given full details of the application procedure in English here and Italian here.

What’s the difference between this and my existing Italian residency card?

The biometric carta di soggiorno is a new document, and it’s not the same as any other residency documents despite several of them having similar names.

You do not have to exchange your existing Italian ID card.

Is it mandatory to get the new biometric ID card?

“For those already registered in Italy there is no legal requirement to obtain the new card. It is not mandatory,” a British Embassy spokesperson stated.

However the Embassy is urging British nationals to get the card “as it provides the clearest evidence of your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement in a high-security and simple format.”

“For example, it will provide a simple way of evidencing your rights at the border or when accessing services in Italy.”

“However, if you are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement your rights do not depend on holding it and local providers cannot require you to have it.”

Anyone who faces difficulties in accessing healthcare or benefits is advised to contact the British Embassy via their Living in Italy website. You can also find more information on the British in Italy website.

See The Local’s Dealing with Brexit section for more updates.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

EES PASSPORT CHECKS

How will the new app for Europe’s EES border system work?

With Europe set to introduce its new Entry/Exit biometric border system (EES) in the autumn there has been much talk about the importance of a new app designed to help avoid delays. But how will it work and when will it be ready?

Published: 7 May 2024 10:29 CEST
How will the new app for Europe's EES border system work?

When it comes into force the EU’s new digital border system known as EES will register the millions of annual entries and exits of non-EU citizens travelling to the EU/Schengen area, which will cover 29 European countries.

Under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), non-EU residents who do not require a visa will have to register their biometric data in a database that will also capture each time they cross an external Schengen border.

Passports will no longer be manually stamped, but will be scanned. However, biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images will have to be registered in front of a guard when the non-EU traveller first crosses in to the EU/Schengen area.

Naturally there are concerns the extra time needed for this initial registration will cause long queues and tailbacks at the border.

To help alleviate those likely queues and prevent the subsequent frustration felt by travellers the EU is developing a new smartphone app.

READ ALSO: What will the EES passport system mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The importance of having a working app was summed up by Uku Särekanno, Deputy Executive Director of the EU border agency Frontex in a recent interview.

“Initially, the challenge with the EES will come down to the fact that travellers arriving in Europe will have to have their biographic and biometric data registered in the system – border guards will have to register four of their fingerprints and their facial image. This process will take time, and every second really matters at border crossing points – nobody wants to be stuck in a lengthy queue after a long trip.”

But there is confusion around what the app will actually be able to do, if it will help avoid delays and importantly when will it be available?

So here’s what we know so far.

Who is developing the app?

The EU border agency Frontex is currently developing the app. More precisely, Frontex is developing the back-end part of the app, which will be made available to Schengen countries.

“Frontex is currently developing a prototype of an app that will help speed up this process and allow travellers to share some of the information in advance. This is something we are working on to support the member states, although there is no legal requirement for us to do so,” Uku Särekanno said in the interview.

Will the 29 EES countries be forced to use the app?

No, it is understood that Frontex will make the app available on a voluntary basis. Each government will then decide if, when and where to use it, and develop the front-end part based on its own needs.

This point emerged at a meeting of the House of Commons European scrutiny committee, which is carrying out an inquiry on how EES will impact the UK.

What data will be registered via the app?

The Local asked the European Commission about this. A spokesperson however, said the Commission was not “in a position to disclose further information at this stage” but that travellers’ personal data “will be processed in compliance with the high data security and data protection standards set by EU legislation.”

According to the blog by Matthias Monroy, editor of the German civil rights journal Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP the Frontex app will collect passengers’ name, date of birth, passport number, planned destination and length of stay, reason for travelling, the amount of cash they carry, the availability of a credit card and of a travel health insurance. The app could also allow to take facial images. It will then generate a QR code that travellers can present at border control.

This, however, does not change the fact that fingerprints and facial images will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing into the Schengen area.

So given the need to register finger prints and facial images with a border guard, the question is how and if the app will help avoid those border queues?

When is the app going to be available?

The answer to perhaps the most important question is still unclear.

The Commissions spokesperson told The Local that the app “will be made available for Schengen countries as from the Entry/Exit System start of operations.” The planned launch date is currently October 6th, but there have been several delays in the past and may be another one.

The UK parliamentary committee heard that the prototype of the app should have been ready for EU member states in spring. Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the UK Department for Transport, said the app will not be available for testing until August “at best” and that the app will not be ready in time for October. The committee previously stated that the app might even be delayed until summer 2025.

Frontex’s Särekanno said in his interview: “Our aim is to have it ready by the end of the summer, so it can then be gradually integrated into national systems starting from early autumn”.

READ ALSO: How do the EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Can the system be launched if the app is not ready?

Yes. The European Commission told The Local that “the availability of the mobile application is not a condition for the Entry/Exit System entry into operation or functioning of the system. The app is only a tool for pre-registration of certain types of data and the system can operate without this pre-registration.”

In addition, “the integration of this app at national level is to be decided by each Schengen country on a voluntary basis – as there is no legal obligation to make use of the app.”

And the UK’s transport under secretary Guy Opperman sounded a note of caution saying the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

When the app will be in use, will it be mandatory for travellers?

There is no indication that the app will become mandatory for those non-EU travellers who need to register for EES. But there will probably be advantages in using it, such as getting access to faster lanes.

As a reminder, non-EU citizens who are resident in the EU are excluded from the EES, as are those with dual nationality for a country using EES. Irish nationals are also exempt even though Ireland will not be using EES because it is not in the Schengen area.

Has the app been tested anywhere yet?

Frontex says the prototype of the app will be tested at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, in Sweden. Matthias Monroy’s website said it was tested last year at Munich Airport in Germany, as well as in Bulgaria and Gibraltar.

According to the German Federal Police, the blog reports, passengers were satisfied and felt “prepared for border control”.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

 
SHOW COMMENTS