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Recognition and residence of a stateless person

ItalyHumanitarian protection

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

Official link

What exactly is this: asylum, temporary protection, humanitarian admission, resettlement or another protection mechanism?

Recognition (ascertainment) of statelessness status: a protection mechanism based on the 1954 New York Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, obtainable through two routes, an administrative procedure or a judicial procedure; persons recognised through a formal procedure are entitled to a residence permit for statelessness.

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Which population, circumstances or geographic group does the mechanism cover?

Stateless persons: under the 1954 New York Convention, a person whom no State considers as its national. Statelessness may be original (from birth) or subsequent (loss of a previous citizenship without acquiring another).

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Where can protection be requested, and is this a direct application, border/in-country request, referral or other process?

In-country request. Administrative route: a form is sent to the Ministry of the Interior asking to be recognised as stateless, attaching a residence certificate and an authenticated copy of the residence permit, plus any document proving statelessness (e.g. a consular statement from the country of origin or last residence that the person does not hold that citizenship). If rejected, the person can go to court; court proceedings can also be used as an alternative without first applying to the Ministry.

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What happens after the request: registration, family handling, major support and rights where officially stated?

Recognition normally takes on average two years. During the procedure, a residence permit 'awaiting statelessness' (attesa apolidia) is expressly provided only for a foreigner who already holds a residence permit for other reasons, for the duration of the procedure; the applicant is exempted from showing a valid passport and proof of means of subsistence, suitable accommodation and means of return. The official source does not state support or reception rights during the procedure.

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Limits of the record
  • Persons without any residence permit are not covered by the attesa apolidia permit; support/reception rights during the procedure are not stated.

Which competent authority, UN body or official assistance channel should the person use?

The administrative certification of statelessness (art. 17 of D.P.R. 572/93) is the competence of the Ministry of the Interior – Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration; the residence permit for statelessness status is requested directly at the Questura.

See recorded sources

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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