Italian residency: Who needs to apply for a permesso di soggiorno?
Applying for residency in Italy doesn't have to be too painful - but you will need to prepare yourself.
Most people who holiday in Italy have also no doubt thought of living here full-time. But of course making the dream into reality comes with more than a bit of paperwork.
If you’re coming over regularly for a couple of weeks here and there, it's not necessary to apply for residency. But if you're planning to stay for longer than three months in total, you will need to apply.
READ ALSO: Visas and residency permits: How to move to Italy (and stay here)
Hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals apply for residence permits in Italy every year, which can often become a long, complicated process involving lots of paperwork.
Here's an overview of who needs the 'permesso' and where to get started with the application process.
Photo: AFP
EU nationals
- Short-term residency (up to three months)
All citizens of European Union member states plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland have the right to live, work and travel in Italy for a period of up to 90 days without registering with the Italian authorities.
Under the EU’s freedom of movement policy, EU nationals do not need a permesso di soggiorno (permit of stay). All they need is a valid travel document, such as an identity card or passport.
READ ALSO: Can second-home owners get an Italian residence permit?
But those staying less than three months can present a dichiarazione di presenza sul territorio nazionale (declaration of presence in Italy) at a police station if they wish, although this is not obligatory.
- Longer-term residency (more than three months)
Although EU citizens can travel freely around European member states, anyone staying longer than three months in Italy is required to apply for a certificato di residenza (residence certificate) at their local Anagrafe (registry office).
Requests for the certificato must include evidence of employment, study or training in Italy, or proof that you have sufficient economic means to support yourself and any dependants. You will also need to get your personal codice fiscale (Italian tax code) from the agenzia dell’entrate, which will allow you to open an Italian bank account.
For EU citizens, applying for the certificato di residenza is something of a formality. The registration document costs €27.50 plus tax. But once you have it, it is valid for five years from the date of issue.
- Permanent right of residence
Under EU law, citizens from European Union member states can apply for permanent residency after they have lived in Italy for a continuous five-year period.
The application must be submitted before the expiry date of your existing residency permit to the Questura (police headquarters) in your place of residence.
But remember that if you later move outside Italy for a continuous two-year period, you will lose your permanent resident status.
For Brits: post-Brexit residency
British nationals who obtained (or started the application process for) residency by December 31st 2020 have their rights covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.
Anyone moving from the UK to Italy and starting the process after that date will now be subject to visa rules, as the end of freedom of movement between the UK and the EU effectively ends any long stays without a visa.
UK citizens wishing to move to Italy for the first time from 2021 have to apply for a new long-stay visa. The application should be made before they leave for Italy. They would then need to apply to the Italian authorities for permission to stay in Italy for longer than 90 days.
Read more about post-Brexit Italian visas for UK nationals here.
READER QUESTION: Can Brits stay more than 90 days in the EU if they have a European spouse?
Photo: AFP
Non-EU citizens
- Short-term residency (up to three months)
If you live outside the EU you are not entitled to the same privileges awarded to European Union citizens. However, if you come from Canada, the USA, New Zealand or Australia, you do not need a visa to stay in Italy for up to three months as a tourist.
If you plan to stay more than a week in Italy, the law states that you should register with the local Questura (police headquarters) and apply for a permesso di soggiorno per turismo (permit to stay for the purposes of tourism) within eight working days. In practice, however, most short-term visitors do not.
- Longer-term residency (more than three months)
If you are planning to remain for more than three months, you will need a visa (visto). You should apply for it at the Italian embassy or consulate in your home country, as the process may take a while.
You will need a long-stay or 'type D' visa if you want to stay in Italy longer than 90 days - there are different long-stay visas available depending on your personal circumstances, eg. if you are moving here for study, work, family reasons, or retirement.
Remember that a long-stay visa allows you to enter Italy. After that, you will also have to get an Italian residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) in order to be allowed to stay for longer than 90 days.
Find more information about the most commonly-used types of Italian long-stay visas here.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to apply for an elective residency visa to move to Italy
Photo: DepositPhotos
Nulla osta
Along with your other documents, several visa applications also require you to provide a nulla osta (certificate of no impediment) to prove your eligibility. Procedures vary, but the application can often be made online.
What to do once you have your visa
When you arrive in Italy, you must follow the same process of registering with the Questura and applying for a permesso di soggiorno.
Different types of residency permit
There are a few different types of permit to stay in Italy, depending whether you’re there for work, study, family reasons or simply leisure (lucky you). The permit must correlate with the intentions of the permit holder and with the conditions of your visa.
Types of permit include:
- Permesso di soggiorno per studio: for students.
- Permesso di soggiorno per lavoro: work permit for employees.
- Permesso di soggiorno per lavoro autonomo/indipendente: for self-employed foreigners.
- Permesso di soggiorno per per motivi familiari: for the foreign spouse, children or relatives of an Italian citizen or foreigner residing legally in Italy.
When applying for a residence permit, further documentation may be required such as a declaration from a current or prospective employer, evidence of your enrolment on a programme of study, or details of spouses and dependents in the case of those who intend to stay in Italy for family reasons.
The permesso di soggiorno is usually processed in about three to six months, and the duration varies according to the type. The permit must be renewed at least a month in advance of the date of expiry.
READ ALSO: When and how should I renew my Italian residence permit?
Having the permit will give you full access to public healthcare, social assistance and education.
Applying involves paying around €100-200 in fees and processing charges. You'll need to submit the documents at a post office, go for an interview at the Questura where police will check your documents and take your fingerprints, then finally pick up your permit at your local police station.
NB: Make sure to carry your receipt of application (assicurata) with you while you're waiting for your permesso to arrive, as it serves as proof that you're in Italy legally.
Long-term residency permit
After five years of residence in Italy a non-EU expat can apply for a permesso di soggiorno per soggiornanti di lungo periodo (permission to stay for a long period), which can be renewed less frequently.
Applicants must demonstrate continuous legal residency, as well as taking a language test to demonstrate at least A2 level (elementary) competency in Italian.
For non-EU nationals with long-term residency in another EU country
People from outside the EU who have long-term residency in a different member state still have to apply for a residence permit in Italy, but the process is slightly easier.
You don't need a visa to enter the country and you'll have up to three months after arriving to submit your application for a permesso di soggiorno. If you have dependents in your country of residence, they'll be able to enter Italy on the same terms as you.
You can apply for a resident's permit in order to work for an employer or yourself (though be aware that quotas apply), to study, or for another purpose so long as you can demonstrate that you have enough income or savings to support yourself.
And you're planning on staying less than three months, all you have to do is register at the local police headquarters (called la dichiarazione di presenza, or declaration of presence).
Note: The names of some of the documents listed above may sometimes vary from one Italian region or comune to another.
Please note that The Local is unable to advise on specific cases. For more information, contact your town's Questura or your embassy.
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See Also
Most people who holiday in Italy have also no doubt thought of living here full-time. But of course making the dream into reality comes with more than a bit of paperwork.
If you’re coming over regularly for a couple of weeks here and there, it's not necessary to apply for residency. But if you're planning to stay for longer than three months in total, you will need to apply.
READ ALSO: Visas and residency permits: How to move to Italy (and stay here)
Hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals apply for residence permits in Italy every year, which can often become a long, complicated process involving lots of paperwork.
Here's an overview of who needs the 'permesso' and where to get started with the application process.
Photo: AFP
EU nationals
- Short-term residency (up to three months)
All citizens of European Union member states plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland have the right to live, work and travel in Italy for a period of up to 90 days without registering with the Italian authorities.
Under the EU’s freedom of movement policy, EU nationals do not need a permesso di soggiorno (permit of stay). All they need is a valid travel document, such as an identity card or passport.
READ ALSO: Can second-home owners get an Italian residence permit?
But those staying less than three months can present a dichiarazione di presenza sul territorio nazionale (declaration of presence in Italy) at a police station if they wish, although this is not obligatory.
- Longer-term residency (more than three months)
Although EU citizens can travel freely around European member states, anyone staying longer than three months in Italy is required to apply for a certificato di residenza (residence certificate) at their local Anagrafe (registry office).
Requests for the certificato must include evidence of employment, study or training in Italy, or proof that you have sufficient economic means to support yourself and any dependants. You will also need to get your personal codice fiscale (Italian tax code) from the agenzia dell’entrate, which will allow you to open an Italian bank account.
For EU citizens, applying for the certificato di residenza is something of a formality. The registration document costs €27.50 plus tax. But once you have it, it is valid for five years from the date of issue.
- Permanent right of residence
Under EU law, citizens from European Union member states can apply for permanent residency after they have lived in Italy for a continuous five-year period.
The application must be submitted before the expiry date of your existing residency permit to the Questura (police headquarters) in your place of residence.
But remember that if you later move outside Italy for a continuous two-year period, you will lose your permanent resident status.
For Brits: post-Brexit residency
British nationals who obtained (or started the application process for) residency by December 31st 2020 have their rights covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.
Anyone moving from the UK to Italy and starting the process after that date will now be subject to visa rules, as the end of freedom of movement between the UK and the EU effectively ends any long stays without a visa.
UK citizens wishing to move to Italy for the first time from 2021 have to apply for a new long-stay visa. The application should be made before they leave for Italy. They would then need to apply to the Italian authorities for permission to stay in Italy for longer than 90 days.
Read more about post-Brexit Italian visas for UK nationals here.
READER QUESTION: Can Brits stay more than 90 days in the EU if they have a European spouse?
Photo: AFP
Non-EU citizens
- Short-term residency (up to three months)
If you live outside the EU you are not entitled to the same privileges awarded to European Union citizens. However, if you come from Canada, the USA, New Zealand or Australia, you do not need a visa to stay in Italy for up to three months as a tourist.
If you plan to stay more than a week in Italy, the law states that you should register with the local Questura (police headquarters) and apply for a permesso di soggiorno per turismo (permit to stay for the purposes of tourism) within eight working days. In practice, however, most short-term visitors do not.
- Longer-term residency (more than three months)
If you are planning to remain for more than three months, you will need a visa (visto). You should apply for it at the Italian embassy or consulate in your home country, as the process may take a while.
You will need a long-stay or 'type D' visa if you want to stay in Italy longer than 90 days - there are different long-stay visas available depending on your personal circumstances, eg. if you are moving here for study, work, family reasons, or retirement.
Remember that a long-stay visa allows you to enter Italy. After that, you will also have to get an Italian residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) in order to be allowed to stay for longer than 90 days.
Find more information about the most commonly-used types of Italian long-stay visas here.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to apply for an elective residency visa to move to Italy
Photo: DepositPhotos
Nulla osta
Along with your other documents, several visa applications also require you to provide a nulla osta (certificate of no impediment) to prove your eligibility. Procedures vary, but the application can often be made online.
What to do once you have your visa
When you arrive in Italy, you must follow the same process of registering with the Questura and applying for a permesso di soggiorno.
Different types of residency permit
There are a few different types of permit to stay in Italy, depending whether you’re there for work, study, family reasons or simply leisure (lucky you). The permit must correlate with the intentions of the permit holder and with the conditions of your visa.
Types of permit include:
- Permesso di soggiorno per studio: for students.
- Permesso di soggiorno per lavoro: work permit for employees.
- Permesso di soggiorno per lavoro autonomo/indipendente: for self-employed foreigners.
- Permesso di soggiorno per per motivi familiari: for the foreign spouse, children or relatives of an Italian citizen or foreigner residing legally in Italy.
When applying for a residence permit, further documentation may be required such as a declaration from a current or prospective employer, evidence of your enrolment on a programme of study, or details of spouses and dependents in the case of those who intend to stay in Italy for family reasons.
The permesso di soggiorno is usually processed in about three to six months, and the duration varies according to the type. The permit must be renewed at least a month in advance of the date of expiry.
READ ALSO: When and how should I renew my Italian residence permit?
Having the permit will give you full access to public healthcare, social assistance and education.
Applying involves paying around €100-200 in fees and processing charges. You'll need to submit the documents at a post office, go for an interview at the Questura where police will check your documents and take your fingerprints, then finally pick up your permit at your local police station.
NB: Make sure to carry your receipt of application (assicurata) with you while you're waiting for your permesso to arrive, as it serves as proof that you're in Italy legally.
Long-term residency permit
After five years of residence in Italy a non-EU expat can apply for a permesso di soggiorno per soggiornanti di lungo periodo (permission to stay for a long period), which can be renewed less frequently.
Applicants must demonstrate continuous legal residency, as well as taking a language test to demonstrate at least A2 level (elementary) competency in Italian.
For non-EU nationals with long-term residency in another EU country
People from outside the EU who have long-term residency in a different member state still have to apply for a residence permit in Italy, but the process is slightly easier.
You don't need a visa to enter the country and you'll have up to three months after arriving to submit your application for a permesso di soggiorno. If you have dependents in your country of residence, they'll be able to enter Italy on the same terms as you.
You can apply for a resident's permit in order to work for an employer or yourself (though be aware that quotas apply), to study, or for another purpose so long as you can demonstrate that you have enough income or savings to support yourself.
And you're planning on staying less than three months, all you have to do is register at the local police headquarters (called la dichiarazione di presenza, or declaration of presence).
Note: The names of some of the documents listed above may sometimes vary from one Italian region or comune to another.
Please note that The Local is unable to advise on specific cases. For more information, contact your town's Questura or your embassy.
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