The Questura
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The Questura is the main police headquarters. It is a body of the Ministry of the Interior that performs police functions in each province and oversees public security. Its main function is to guarantee and ensure public order and public safety.
The Questura also performs administrative functions, such as:
- firearms licences;
- issuing passports;
- procedures concerning residence documents for foreigners (permesso di soggiorno, carta di soggiorno)
The Questura (or ufficio immigrazione, the immigration office) is the most important authority for migrants in Italy. It is the immigration service: the immigration department of the police headquarters.
For foreigners, the Questura performs the following main functions: - issuing and renewing residence permits (permesso di soggiorno),
- decisions on granting, losing and withdrawing refugee status,
- handling procedures for citizenship, family reunification and international protection.
The structure of the Questura, laid down by the ministerial decree of 16 March 1989, is designed to make the service protecting citizens efficient and functional, and it comprises two divisions: the anti-crime police (Polizia Anticrimine) and the administrative and social police (Polizia Amministrativa e Sociale).
