Census 2011

hi szq (interesting lable !!)............... We also received one of these ( I hated them back in the UK every ten years as well!).........but, I too went searching on their site for some clues re directions in English, and also failed. I emailed 'them' (rightly or wrongly in English, asking about the English info that they mention) and got a standard automated reply along the lines of 'we have received your email and will deal with it soon'.................by the way in Italian. I await their response and will post when I can, S ps: the census form looks HORRENDOUS !!!

What happens to people like me - non-resident but have a holiday home in Italy, and nobody will be there until probably next year?  [So no mail picked up until then

Ours has still not arrived - should it have done? If one does not turn up do you know if we are obliged to get hold of one? I too have heard its v tricky for non fluent italian speakers - I have a good friend who is fluent and offering to help people like myself complete it for a small fee - if anyone is interested pm me and I will put you in touch with him. Am

 Hi I could not find the online English Version either, but I wonder if it will not be available until 9th October, the date of the census. We will have to wait and see. Frank.

The English form and guidance notes are not yet available - assuming they will be on the 9th October when the online form is also available to complete.  It does say however that the form must be completed in Italian.  9th is census night thus details input for people in residence on that night - if not here then you will not be entered on form.  From memory I think we have until 20th November to complete the forms.  Also they are still being delivered up until 22nd October so don't worry if not yet received one.  Apparently there are 2 versions - smaller towns get the full version (red) of 84 questions but all other municipalities will have a reduced form (green) of 35 questions with just a selected sample getting the full 84 questions.  I have the full version and it doesn't look to difficult but I must confess I will be checking my understanding against the English version and guidance notes when available.

Invite yourself/family to stay with an Italian friend overnight on the 9th Oct, then you can be on their form and not bother filling in your own! or stay in a B & B. Could be a plan.

It really isn't a big issue - apart from your name and place of birth, country of origin, and where you lived in the past (which have to be written in Italian, which means you put Gran Bretagna or Stati Uniti eg rather than England or US) all the rest is just box ticking. alanh's query is not answered in the bumf, and as soon as the helplines open I will find this information because everybody is asking about it. Could I ask Karen where she found the information that the form should be returned by Nov 20? I can't find a 'scadenza' and the 'help line' remains open until the end of Feb 2012.

Hi, so just to confirm, please...  If we're not in Italy on the 9th, or in fact in October at all, we don't need to do anything (other than recycle the forms when we're next at the house!)?  Is that correct?  Thank you!

Maybe you have to enter a null return, to let them know that nobody was there on that date? I haven't looked too closely at the form yet - I'm still wondering why they think they can afford to spend the money on a census at the present - even though it's a drop in the ocean it just sends the wrong message. A bit like Cameron (aka callmedave) telling the UK to tighten the belt while spending tax money on bombing Libyans.

The 2011 English version will be available from 10/10/11 so I've heard S

so, after carefully compiling our census form I took it along to the Comune today, where I found a room (complete with beautiful historic 'quadri' created by local artists); dedicated to receiving my form, and was assisted by a charming young man who slowly and meticulously took me through the form, and explained where I had made a few errors. He also explained that; as he understood the English language to a point, that he understood also the small errors, and corrected them accordingly. The whole process was pleasant; dignified, and perfectly acceptable. Having then gone on to Lidl where most ex-pats in our area seem to congregate, I received a cellphone call from this young man, asking for clarification regarding one point in particular. Sorted, all happy, and no hassle. Works for me.

We got our neighbour round as he is a dab hand at forms etc and over a glass or 2 of my homemade Limoncello and a few crostini, he explained exactly how to answer each question and what was the 'best' information to give.....

I have tried (on-line) to obtain the English version this pm but to no avail. Does anyone know when it will be available?

Thank you, Getset, it has helped me to make sure that I did not need to complete the form as I am not a resident and I was not there on the 9th of October. Anyway, our lovely Italian neighbour will have taken care of everything on our behalf.... I hope. The filing on line, as suggested by Sprostoni, sounds like a great alternative.

Many thanks Getsett, what would we do without the Italy mag Community. I will now spend most of Saturday filling it in. Once again thanks.

If the census form has been sent to  the house owner, it must be filled in as otherwise there is a fine. The local comune will help Italian pensioners to fill in the form, so why not English. It is all very easy, until you need to translate your English degree or Higher education qualification as the subjects do not exist here! I am sure there will be no fines for mistakes, only for not filling it in, so grab your dictionaries and get filling! Good luck.

Census form filled in and handed in at the commune this morning.Much the same experience as our Andrew, designated official went through it and entered it onto the computer, the few errors that we made (it was difficult to find educational qualifications that matched the Italian system) were corrected....done and dusted.

I picked my census form up during a recent visit pre xmas and still need to submit. Has anyone encountered any penalties for late filing?