Official letters from Italy, explained in English

Italian offices often send important letters by registered mail (raccomandata) or by certified email (PEC). Deadlines usually start when the letter counts as delivered (notifica), so collect registered letters quickly and keep the envelope.

Offices that write to you

Agenzia delle Entrate — Tax agency. The national tax office. It handles income tax, your codice fiscale and the registration of rental contracts.
Agenzia delle entrate-Riscossione — Tax collection agency. Collects unpaid taxes, fines and contributions for other offices. It sends payment demands called cartelle di pagamento.
Concessionario della riscossione — Local tax collector. A company that collects local taxes and fines for some cities, for example unpaid TARI or parking fines.
INPS — Social security institute. Pays pensions, unemployment benefit (NASpI), child benefit (Assegno unico) and other benefits. It also collects social security contributions.
INAIL — Work accident insurance. Insures workers against accidents at work and work-related illness. It pays you if you are hurt at work.
Comune — Town hall. Your city or town council. It handles residence (anagrafe), ID cards, the waste tax (TARI) and property tax (IMU).
Polizia Locale / Municipale — Local police. The city police. They send traffic and parking fines (verbali) and check that people live at their registered address.
Questura (Ufficio Immigrazione) — Police immigration office. The state police office that issues and renews your residence permit (permesso di soggiorno).
Prefettura – Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione — Prefecture (immigration desk). The state office in each province. Its immigration desk handles work permits (nulla osta), family reunion and the integration agreement.
ASL (Azienda sanitaria locale) — Local health authority. Runs public health care in your area. You register here with the national health service and choose a family doctor (medico di base).
Tribunale / Giudice di pace — Court. A court. Letters from a court are always important — never ignore them.
Ufficiale giudiziario (UNEP) — Court bailiff. A court officer who delivers court papers and carries out seizures and evictions.
Locatore / Agenzia immobiliare — Landlord or letting agency. The owner of your flat, or the agency or building manager (amministratore di condominio) that works for them.
Fornitore di luce, gas o acqua — Energy or water supplier. The company that sells you electricity, gas or water, for example Enel, A2A, Hera, Iren or Acea.
Società di recupero crediti — Debt collection agency. A company that collects money for someone else, for example a phone or energy company. Check that the debt is real before you pay.
Poste Italiane — Post office. The national post. If you miss a registered letter, they leave a notice (avviso di giacenza) so you can collect it.

Common kinds of letters

Cartella di pagamento — Payment demand from the tax collector. A demand to pay an unpaid tax, fine or contribution. You usually have 60 days from when you receive it to pay. After that, interest is added and they can start enforcement.
Intimazione di pagamento — Final demand before enforcement. A last demand for a debt from an older cartella. You usually have only 5 days to pay. After that, they can take money or goods by force.
Fermo / Pignoramento — Enforcement notice. They are taking steps to collect a debt by force, for example by blocking your car (fermo amministrativo) or taking money from your bank account or wages (pignoramento).
Avviso bonario / Comunicazione di irregolarità — Tax notice after a check. The tax office checked your tax return and thinks you owe more. If you pay within the deadline in the letter, the penalty is reduced.
Avviso di accertamento — Tax assessment. A formal tax demand after a check. If you don’t pay or appeal in time — usually 60 days — it goes to the tax collector.
Verbale / Multa — Fine. An official fine, for example for parking or speeding. The letter shows the amount, how to pay and how to appeal.
Convocazione — Appointment. They ask you to come to an appointment. Missing it without a good reason can delay or harm your application.
Richiesta di documentazione / Integrazione — Request for documents. They need more papers or information from you before they can decide.
Preavviso di rigetto — Notice before refusal. They plan to refuse your application and tell you why. You can send written comments (osservazioni) and documents first — usually within 10 days.
Rigetto / Diniego — Refusal. Your application was refused. You can usually appeal if you think this is wrong — the letter says where and by when.
Accoglimento — Approval. Your application was approved. The letter shows what you get and from when.
Indebito / Recupero — Request to pay money back. They believe they paid you too much, for example a benefit, and want the money back.
Sollecito / Messa in mora / Diffida — Payment reminder or formal warning. You have not paid something on time, or they formally warn you to do something. If you wait, they can add costs or go to court.
Disdetta / Sfratto — Notice to end a contract or eviction. A contract is being ended, for example your rental contract or a supply contract. An eviction (sfratto) always goes through a court.

Italian office words

Codice fiscale, Partita IVA, Permesso di soggiorno, Residenza, Anagrafe, Carta d’identità, Tessera sanitaria, SPID, Cartella di pagamento, Avviso di accertamento, Avviso bonario, Ente creditore, Sanzione, Interessi, Rateizzazione, F24, PagoPA, Codice avviso — see all 50 words.

Reply templates in Italian

Questions

How long do I have to answer an official letter in Italy?

It depends on the letter. Look for words like “termine”, “entro il”, “scadenza” — they mark the deadline. In Italy, deadlines usually run from the day the letter counts as delivered (notifica). For registered mail, that is the day you sign for it — or, if you don’t collect it, a set time after the post office leaves a notice. Our estimate adds 3 days to the date on the letter, so check the real date. To object, the letter usually names the way to do it (“ricorso”, “opposizione”, “istanza di autotutela”, “reclamo”).

Can I understand a Italian letter without speaking Italian?

Yes. Take a photo of the letter with Briefly. It reads the Italian text on your device, explains it in plain English, finds deadlines and amounts, and can translate the whole letter.

Is my letter uploaded anywhere?

No. Briefly runs completely in your browser. The letter never leaves your device, there is no account, and it works offline after the first visit.