I’m curious to hear opinions on how bureaucracy/inefficiency impacts day to day life. We often hear how Western Europe is horrendous with being able to get things done efficiently- but I’m curious to hear for Europe as a whole, are there any exceptions? Would like to hear about the “less popular” expat locations in Europe.

For activities such as getting internet set up in a new flat; or having the heat break and needing the repair company to come look at it- which countries in Europe would be the most efficient?

  • L6b1@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    In Italy, you need to take the folder. Government bureaucrats quail before the folder.

    Any folder will do, but it should have passport size photos, color copies of all official id documents (CdI, passport, TC, patente, CdS, etc), plus originals and copies of all official documents. The fatter and more paper filled the better. And it needs to have some type of closure to it to make the folder look more fancy.

    Just opening the folder and shuffling documents around is usually enough to help things along.

    Also, taking a baby with you gets you platinum, front of the line service.

    • chinacatlady@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      True! I work with Americans and Canadians to have their Italian citizenship by descent recognized in Sicily. I absolutely can agree with the folder 📁. We show up with a big binder filled with documents, photos, photocopies of everything and the comuni employees love it. I’ve never had trouble with the bureaucracy in Italy employing the folder method.

      And of course, making sure we are prepared by having everything they could possibly ask for in the folder. It helps to know the process and laws, but I’ve never found the Italians to be that difficult to work with.

      I praise them for their accuracy- US on the other hand, what a mess. It’s the only country I know of that will let people pick and choose their name for legal documents, it’s a mess trying to reconcile 100 years of made up names and changes just because someone decided they wanted to be called Jim instead of James on their marriage license.

      I’ll take Italian bureaucracy over the U.S. any day. And definitely over Spain - lived there for 2 years and got my driver’s license there, what a pain.