In Italy most immigration paperwork — applying for and renewing a permesso di soggiorno, family applications, social-security forms — can be done at a patronato, and a patronato does not charge you for it. Before paying a private adviser, go to a patronato and ask whether they can do the same thing for nothing.
Where to look them up
Consiglio Nazionale Forense — Consigli degli Ordini degli Avvocati
An Italian lawyer (avvocato) is entered on the roll of their local Ordine degli Avvocati. This page lists every local Ordine and how to contact it.
Ask which city's Ordine they are on, then check with that Ordine. [VERIFY] — we could not confirm a single national albo search page from our server, so we point you at the local Ordine route instead.
Free help — try this before you pay anyone
Patronato bodies provide these services without charging the individual. [VERIFY] — we could not confirm a stable official page listing the approved patronati; the link above is the Ministry of Labour's site. Phone first and ask whether they handle your particular case.
Italy has a system under which the state pays for a lawyer in court for people on low incomes. [VERIFY] — we print no conditions or income threshold here because we could not confirm them; ask your local Ordine.
Warning signs
- They offer to sell you a "place" in the nulla osta or decreto flussi.
- They offer you a contratto di lavoro in exchange for money. An employment contract is not something you buy.
- Anyone who "guarantees" you a permesso.
- They charge for work a patronato does for free, without telling you it is free there.
- They ask for cash and will not give you a ricevuta.
- They keep your original passport, or your permesso ricevuta.
What it should cost
A private lawyer's fee is not fixed. We print no figure here because we have no confirmed official schedule for one. Ask for a written preventivo with each item listed separately before any work starts. And remember: for many of these tasks a patronato charges you nothing at all.
If it has already happened to you
You can file a fraud report (denuncia) at a Carabinieri station. Take receipts, messages and transfers with you.
Polizia di Stato
[VERIFY] — we could not open the Polizia di Stato site from our server, so we are not printing a link. A report can be made at any commissariato.