The first form that you will fill out at the questura to formalize your asylum request is the C3 form.
However, some questuras will ask you to fill in a form called a “foglio notizie” before filling out a C3 form.
The foglio notizie form is generally given to people who have been rescued at sea and brought to a hotspot. Learn more about hotspots:
What to know when you arrive in Italy
If you are made to fill out the foglio notizie, you will have to include your personal information and the reasons why you came to Italy. Here are two examples of the document:
It is crucial that on the foglio notizie form you check the boxes for “asylum” or “international protection” and never the words “study,” “job,” “work” or similar.
If there are no boxes to cross with the words “asylum” or “international protection,” if you can, write that you have come to Italy to “request asylum” or “request international protection.”
If you do not understand what to write on the form, or if an official is telling you to fill out something you do not agree with, you are permitted to not sign the form.
The questura uses this form to try to distinguish “economic migrants” from asylum-seekers.
If the authorities consider you to be an economic migrant, they will not formalize your request for asylum in Italy and they will give you an expulsion order.
If you receive an expulsion order, you can appeal this decision within 20 days. To do so, you may contact a lawyer.
If you apply for International Protection but come from a safe country of origin
If you arrive in Italy from the 19 countries designated as 'safe countries of origin' by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (as of the 23 October 2024 decree) - including Albania, Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia - you may still apply for International Protection. However, if you are not considered vulnerable, do not possess a passport, and are unable to contribute economically to the asylum process, you risk being placed in a fast-track (accelerated) border procedure with detention.
This fast-track procedure is based on the assumption that individuals from these countries do not generally face persecution or serious harm at home. While the law guarantees the right to asylum for all, if you come from on of these countries, you must provide strong evidence that you face real and individual danger in your country of origin. Without such evidence, your application is likely to be rejected as 'manifestly unfounded' (manifestamente infondata in Italian).
Learn more about: Safe countries of origin
Can I appeal if my application is considered manifestamente infondata?
If you do not agree with the Territorial Commission's decision, you may ask a judge to re-examine it. For this you will need the support of a lawyer.
Please note that you have a maximum 30 days to appeal the decision. The deadlines (30 or 15 days, based on the case), are normally specified at the bottom of the decision.
If you decide not to appeal the decision within the deadline, the Italian authorities may ask you to leave the country.
Learn more about the expulsion order: Expulsion Order
Financial guarantee to avoid detention in a fast-track procedure
If your application is examined under fast-track procedure and you risk facing detention, keep in mind that detention must be confirmed by a judge and can last up to 4 weeks.
A financial guarantee between €2,000 and €5,000 (also from third parties) can prevent detention. A June 2024 decree allows the Questura to set the precise amount.
This measure has been applied to few people so far, and some judges have released applicants. Also notice that the police are not detaining asylum seekers in reception centers to demand money or repatriate them.
If you are affected, contact a lawyer.