A preccint Milan's police department has begun issuing and renewing passports within 24 hours in most of the city's police precincts, following a complete reorganization of the service. In eleven of the sixteen precincts, online scheduling now provides same-day appointments, and in the others, the wait is no more than 48 hours.
The result is evident in the numbers. By 2025, Milan will have issued 220 passports, almost double the average recorded before the pandemic, when the city produced between 130 and 140 documents per year.
About two years ago, the scenario was the opposite. People were waiting just to get an online appointment. It could last up to three months....and the passport would take another month to be ready. The regulation stipulates delivery within fifteen days of document submission, a deadline that was frequently missed.
The backlog began during the pandemic. With almost no one renewing their passports during the most critical period of Covid, a large number of pending requests accumulated. From 2022 onwards, demand skyrocketed, and many people started seeking the document even without a scheduled trip.
"Before the pandemic, we issued an average of 130 to 140 passports per year," stated Roberto Guida, head of the Administrative and Social Police division of the police headquarters.
The first measure was to create two separate schedules, one reserved for those who had trips booked within thirty days. The solution eased the queue, but proved insufficient. "But we soon realized that it wouldn't be enough," said Guida.
The turning point came with the decentralization of production. Previously, passports were printed only at the central headquarters in Cordusio. In agreement with the Ministry and the State Police, the sixteen police stations in Milan became autonomous production centers, each equipped with two printing machines.
Os Italian postal services also began collecting the documentation. and to pass it on to the authorities. Production rose from 183 passports in 2023 to 240 in 2024, and the 220 of 2025 should establish itself as the benchmark for the coming years.
(With information from Corriere della Sera)
