Our ERV's were actually issued the day after we submitted them on 8 January — Colorado Springs, CO.

Three Months! Hah!

January 13 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

Try three business days instead!

That’s how long it took for us to receive our passports back from the Italian Consulate today … the all-important Elective Residence Visa (ERV) affixed to a page near the back.

I’ll admit it … my hands were shaking when I opened the UPS envelope I found sitting on the front stoop. And even more so when I placed a video call to Mui, the camera pointed at the visa, to let him know our plans were a go.

Now, we need to figure out how to move our trip forward. No sense continuing to let the apartment sit empty since we are already paying rent for it.Read more