Getting an appointment on Prenot@mi is a race against the clock, and the people who show up prepared have the edge. This guide explains, in the order things happen, what to do before, during and after the slots are released. It works for any consulate and any service.

Before you start: this guide was written for people who will do everything manually. If you use Windows, GrabMyTurn takes care of a good part of the steps below on its own (filling in the form, choosing the service and the day, completing the booking, faster browsing and error handling) and is the most practical path. If you cannot install it (for example, because you do not use Windows), follow this guide: it gathers everything you can do without the app.

No tip guarantees a slot, because the number of appointments released depends on the consulate. What you control is your preparation, and it matters more than it seems.

First of all: a good connection

Your connection matters more than it seems, especially if you do not use GrabMyTurn, which makes browsing much faster. Without it, your internet makes all the difference:

  • Use a good provider. What matters is not only speed, but how stable the connection is.
  • Do not use a VPN. It adds a detour on the way to the portal and usually makes response times worse.
  • Close all other tabs and sites, plus downloads, music and any program that uses the internet.
  • Make sure the computer is not updating anything on its own (Windows, browser, apps).

Get ready before the time

All of this preparation takes about 30 minutes and should be done about 30 minutes before the slots open. There are four things:

  1. Make your files light.
  2. Put together a “cheat sheet” with the file paths and the form data.
  3. Set up your browser.
  4. Set up GrabMyOTP, which will let you know when the OTP code arrives (see the subsection below).

Light PDF files

The portal accepts files up to 1 MB, but that does not mean you should use that size. Heavy files take a long time to upload exactly when every second counts. Compress your PDFs with an online tool, such as iLovePDF, down to the point where the document is still readable. Ideally they end up between 100 and 300 KB, as small as possible.

The file cheat sheet

Many people waste time browsing through folders when it is time to attach. Avoid that:

  1. Open Notepad and create a file, for example cheatsheet.txt.
  2. On each line, write the full path of one file, in the order the form asks for them:
C:\Users\Your Name\Documents\residence.pdf
C:\Users\Your Name\Documents\identity.pdf
  1. To find the path, right-click the file, choose Properties and copy the Location field, adding the file name at the end.

Keep the file open next to the browser.

The data cheat sheet

In the same file, write line by line the information the form will ask for, such as address, the name of the reference relative or document numbers. Each service asks for different data. When the time comes, you just copy and paste.

Set up GrabMyOTP

Even if you do not want to use our booking assistant software, GrabMyTurn, it is essential to install GrabMyOTP. Some services ask for an OTP code, sent by email, to release the booking. Switching between the portal window and the email window to see whether the code has arrived makes you lose focus and precious seconds on the form. GrabMyOTP captures the code in your email for you and lets you know on the form screen, so you do not have to leave it. Before the opening time, do this preparation:

  1. Open your email (webmail, in your computer’s browser) and leave the window neither maximized nor minimized. It must stay open with a small part visible on the screen.

    Do you usually open your email on your phone? Avoid it. Using the computer and following these instructions, you save an enormous amount of time and eliminate the chance of error.

  2. Open GrabMyOTP and choose your email window from its list.

  3. Open the Prenot@mi site in front. It will cover almost the entire screen, but it must leave that small part of the email showing.

  4. Check the GrabMyOTP indicator. If it stays green, all is well. If it turns yellow, the email was covered in some way: adjust the position of the windows until it goes back to green.

Do this test calmly, before the opening time, and check the indicator again when you get organized for the time the slots are released.

The browser

Use the browser you are already used to. Between Chrome and Edge the practical difference is minimal. Do not use your phone. What really matters:

  • Turn off all extensions, including ad blockers and security tools.
  • Turn off automatic translation. If the portal is in Italian, change the language with Prenot@mi’s own option, in the upper right corner. Never ask the browser to translate the page.

Extensions and automatic translation are known causes of the “Booking Failed” error at the moment of confirming.

One tab, one window, one browser

Do not open several tabs or several windows, and do not log in to the portal from two browsers at the same time. The tip of opening many tabs and clicking in all of them worked on the old system, Prenota Online. On Prenot@mi it gets in the way.

The reason is a matter of queueing. Imagine that the browser is a head chef, that each page is a recipe and that the connections to the portal are the helpers who go fetch the ingredients. On the old system, the recipe had about 4 ingredients. On Prenot@mi, each page has dozens of “ingredients” (files to download), and the browser only has about 6 helpers per site.

With a single tab, the 6 helpers work for a single chef, and the page appears as fast as possible. With a second tab open, it is like putting a second chef in the same kitchen: the same 6 helpers now serve both, and both wait longer. The result is that the page that really matters takes longer to load.

Opening the portal in another browser or in an incognito window does not solve it. You get more helpers, but the server also limits connections per person and puts the excess in a queue. That is why the best approach is one tab, in a single browser.

Log in at the right time

Do not log in to the portal too early. In our experience, the session expires 30 minutes after login, even if you are browsing, unlike most sites, which only end a session on inactivity. Log in between 10 and 5 minutes before the slots open, not earlier and not later.

On the services screen: the moment of the click

About 5 minutes to go. GrabMyOTP is green, the cheat sheet is next to it and Prenot@mi takes up the rest of the screen. Now comes the main point: when to click “Book” (it may show as “Reservar” or “Prenota”, depending on the language of the portal).

Whoever reaches the form first has a better chance of getting the slot. Today the system responds faster than in the past, so the rule is simple: click a little before the clock turns. If the slots open at 4:00 PM, for example, click at around 3:59:59 PM. But not much earlier: clicking too early makes you waste the opportunity.

To orient yourself, use the clock in the GrabMyOTP window, in the corner of the screen, and not your computer’s or phone’s clock.

Careful with F5. Do not keep pressing F5. Refreshing several times per second delays loading and can be read as non-human use of the portal.

Is the service button not enabled yet?

Some consulates do not enable the service button before the time. This forces you to refresh the screen at opening time and only then click the service you need, and that delay costs a lot of time. It is a situation that ends up benefiting only the professionals.

GrabMyTurn shows all the services, including the hidden ones, so you do not lose that enormous amount of time. If you do not use GrabMyTurn and the button for your service (for example passport, citizenship, visa, etc.) is not available to click, see this article and save a big chunk of time at this step.

Mind Italy’s daylight saving time

Slots open on Rome time. Italy changes its clocks twice a year (on the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October) and Brazil has no daylight saving time. So the difference between the two countries alternates between 4 hours (European winter) and 5 hours (European summer). If you are in another country, do the same check against your own time zone. Many people miss the opening because they forget about this change, so check Rome time before every attempt.

The form

You clicked and the form started loading. The rule here is simple: do not click anything until the page finishes appearing. In general, the other fields only show up after the field with the appointment type loads.

If the service requires an OTP, request the code as soon as you enter the form, before filling in any field. After that, just start filling in and do not worry about looking at the email window: when the code arrives, GrabMyOTP lets you know on the screen itself, at the right field, and all you have to do is paste the OTP there.

While the code does not arrive, keep going:

  • Use the cheat sheet: copy and paste the data instead of typing.
  • In date fields, such as the passport expiration date, do not open the calendar. Click the field and type the date.

Attach files without losing time

Double-click the first line of the cheat sheet to select it and press Ctrl+C. Click the attach button, do not browse through folders and go straight to the “File name” field in the window that opened. Press Ctrl+V and Enter. Repeat for each file.

Quick confirmation

After filling in everything, check the privacy policy box and click Next (called “Avançar” in the Portuguese interface). A small confirmation window appears, which you can confirm with the space bar, without moving the mouse. That saves from half a second to a second.

Not to sound repetitive, but we have to mention it: GrabMyTurn fills in the entire form for you, attaching the files as well. That time is probably the most valuable in the whole flow.

Service Unavailable

Sooner or later you will see this message, especially when submitting the form: “Service Unavailable”. It is the moment the server stops responding for a few moments. It happens throughout the portal and is a chronic problem of the portal, not a mistake of yours.

When it happens:

  1. Right-click the page and choose Reload.
  2. When the browser asks, confirm resubmitting the form.
  3. Do not click “Back” or anything else.
  4. If the error shows up again, wait a few seconds and repeat. Keep trying until it goes through.

The worst is when the problem happens inside the page, with no warning at all. For example: you are waiting for the form to load, you have already filled in everything, but you cannot choose the eye color, the marital status or any other selection field. That happens because, sometimes, those fields fail to load and you never find out. You wait forever.

Back to the kitchen: it is as if one of the chef’s helpers had run off to fetch more Parmesan, slipped on the way, got hurt and never came back. The chef saw nothing and keeps waiting for him.

GrabMyTurn has an advanced mechanism, developed precisely for this: it notices when one of those responses does not arrive and fixes the problem automatically.

If the error happens in the main window, we can even try to solve it with F5. But when it happens internally, there is not much to do, because we never find out. In that case, the chance of booking is wasted.

The calendar

After the form comes the calendar. Know in advance which month and, if possible, which day the slots will be released. Look for the opening announcements on your consulate’s website.

  • Slots in another month: as soon as the calendar opens, move quickly to the right month and wait.
  • Slots in the current month: the calendar loads all in red. Do not switch months. Wait for the day to turn green and click it right away. If you already know the day, keep the mouse over it.

After clicking the day, wait for the times to appear on the right side and keep the mouse there. When they show up, click a time, scroll down and confirm (also with the space bar). Do not try to guess which time will last longer: the screen you see is already in the past. Click on impulse.

Some consulates ask for another OTP after you choose the time. The procedure is the same as on the form: request the code and wait for the GrabMyOTP notice to paste it.

If the server returns an error, follow what is in the “Service Unavailable” section, especially on the last screen.

After choosing the time, confirm the booking with the button at the bottom of the screen. At first it looks like the site is doing nothing, but confirmation takes a while. Wait: do not click anything else and do not press F5.

If everything went well, you will see a screen confirming the appointment. The same data will arrive by email, but it is worth printing that screen to PDF right away.

Warning!

All of Prenot@mi has a system to prevent automated robots. But, strange as it may sound, the biggest victims of this security are not the robots, but you, the ordinary user who was trying to book, suddenly lost the connection and had your account blocked. The famous “Account Bloccato”.

If your account is blocked, it may be released automatically after a few days, but this varies from consulate to consulate. So go to your consulate’s website immediately, find the email of the person in charge of Prenot@mi and let them know the account was blocked. They will unblock it. It is the only way to fix this: there is no way to unblock the account on your own, and it is no use creating another one either because, even if you manage to, that violates the Prenot@mi terms of use.

How to avoid being blocked?

There are several reasons for an account to be blocked, but the main one is too many clicks or F5 presses in a short space of time. Especially while waiting for the slots to open: pressing F5 on the Services screen or clicking unnecessarily will probably get your account blocked. Be careful and spare yourself that extra stress.

After booking

  • Confirmation: some services require the appointment to be confirmed later, between 10 and 3 days before the scheduled date, within the portal itself, on the screen of booked services. If you do not confirm, the slot is canceled and goes back into the system. If the final screen already says “Confirmed”, you do not need to do anything.
  • Reminders: put the date and the confirmation deadline on your phone’s calendar.

Summary to print

  1. Light PDFs, between 100 and 300 KB. Heavy files take a long time to upload exactly when every second counts. Compress them down to the limit of legibility.
  2. A cheat sheet with paths and data. A notepad file with the path of each file and the form data lets you copy and paste instead of searching through folders and typing.
  3. A browser with no extensions and no automatic translation. Both are known causes of the “Booking Failed” error. If you need to change the language, use the portal’s own option.
  4. One tab, one window. Every extra tab splits the browser’s few connections to the portal and slows down the page that matters.
  5. GrabMyOTP ready. Keep the email visible in a window that is neither maximized nor minimized and check that the indicator is green. On the form, request the OTP as soon as you enter and paste the code when the app lets you know.
  6. Log in between 10 and 5 minutes before opening. The session expires 30 minutes after login, so not earlier and not later.
  7. Click a little before the clock turns (for example, 3:59:59 PM), following the GrabMyOTP clock. Much earlier, and you waste the opportunity.
  8. Do not click before the form finishes loading. The fields only appear after the appointment type loads.
  9. Copy, paste and confirm with the space bar. Small gains of half a second add up across the form.
  10. Know the opening month and day. That way you go straight to the point on the calendar, without hesitating.
  11. After confirming, wait and do not press F5. Print the confirmation screen to PDF and avoid excessive clicks and F5 presses, so your account does not get blocked.

Following all of this does not guarantee the slot, but it removes the mistakes that make people lose the most. And if you can, leave the heavy lifting to GrabMyTurn, which fills in, moves through the steps, speeds up browsing and fixes errors on its own, together with GrabMyOTP.