Every foreigner in Italy for more than 90 days must have a residence permit.

ECONOMIST: Italian immigration

If the Shaans want a driving licence or residence permit issued by machine, they have to change their name.

BBC: Chinese jettison rare surname unrecognised by computer

To get a residence permit, both partners must be 24 or over.

ECONOMIST: One consequence of Europe's toughest immigration laws

Materi, along with his wife and their three children, have now been granted a 12-month residence permit in the Seychelles, according to its immigration department.

BBC: Tunisia Ben Ali son-in-law granted asylum in Seychelles

All children born in Germany will be automatically granted citizenship at birth, provided at least one parent was born in Germany, or arrived before the age of 14 and has a residence permit.

ECONOMIST: Germany

Last week a foreign student in Cambridge showed me his residence permit for the UK, the bit of plastic, plus biometric chip, that was to be the prototype for the ID cards that everyone was threatened with - but is now issued only to visa holders.

BBC: A Point of View: The euro's strange stories