Last Sunday (26/01/25), the Italianism showed the example of the Italian Embassy in Lisbon, where the applicant automatically receives a notice with their position in the queue. This transparency has proven to be simple and effective in improving service.
Today, our gaze turns to the Consulate General of Italy in London, the largest in number of Italians in the world.
Starting May 1, 2025, new time slots will be available in the Prenot@Mi system for scheduling Italian citizenship appointments. jure sanguinis. The calendar opens on Mondays and Wednesdays at 17pm, allowing reservations up to 12 months in advance.
If the reservation is not confirmed within 3 days of the selected date, the appointment will be automatically canceled and made available to other users.
This confirmation a few days before the scheduled date avoids wasting places.
Improved scheduling in São Paulo
In Brazil, the Italian Consulate General in São Paulo made adjustments to the passport appointment system, resulting in some improvement for the Italian-Brazilian community.
However, it is still necessary to increase the number of vacancies according to Daniel Taddone, sociologist, genealogist and advisor at CGIE (Consiglio Generale degli Italiani all'Estero).
“The Consulate General in São Paulo has made some recent changes to the passport appointment system that seem to have brought some improvement to the community. This in itself is commendable and this effort needs to be recognized. However, it is necessary to make more appointments available, as the supply is far below the demand,” he says.
Appointment confirmation to avoid “no-shows”
The lack of vacancies is one of the main complaints of those seeking consular services. Confirming your presence a few days before the scheduled date, as in Lisbon and London, reduces the number of absences and frees up time slots for more people.
“Several consulates, such as the Consulate General of Italy in London, operate with the requirement for confirmation in order for the appointment to be kept. I consider this to be a very useful tool to avoid so-called ‘no-shows’ and to reuse the slots for other people. The consulate in São Paulo could adopt this practice, making the maintenance of the appointment conditional on a confirmation between the 10th and 3rd day of the appointment. If the person cancels or does not confirm, the slot is made available. 'last minute' for users”, adds Taddone.
Paths to more efficient service
The experience of Lisbon, where queue position is informed, and of London, where confirmation is mandatory, shows that simple solutions yield great results. If adopted in Brazil, these measures would generate:
- Absence reduction
- Increase in vacancies effectively used
- More transparency and trust in the process
- Better internal organization at the consulate
With the use of technological tools and good management strategies, the Italian-Brazilian community tends to gain speed, clarity and efficiency in consular services.
FOLLOW ITALIANISM
