Obtaining an Italian residency permit (or permesso di soggiorno) is a necessary hurdle for non-EU nationals planning to stay in Italy for more than 90 days, and is also one of the very first things they have to deal with once in the country, as the request must be filed within eight working days of arrival.
The permesso essentially connects your visa and passport information to your biometric data and place of residence, giving you legal grounds for remaining in Italy.
The most common types of permesso come with one- or two-year validity, after which the holder must renew the document.
But permit renewals in many areas of the country have long been plagued by exceedingly long wait times, which have proved to be a major source of stress for dozens of applicants.
Several readers of The Local have recently shared their experiences on renewing their residency permits as part of a survey on Italian bureaucracy.
“Last year, my Permesso had expired by the time I received it,” William Nemir, living in Perugia (Umbria), told The Local.
Bill, living in Italy’s northern Piedmont region, also stressed the overwhelming length of the renewal process, saying that it “takes 350 days to get a permit card that is good for only ten more days”.
READ ALSO: How to check the status of your Italian residency permit application
Sejuti, writing from Venice, said that it currently “takes a year to get an appointment” in the northern city and “if a document is missing or is lost, the whole process becomes extremely complicated”.
As dozens of international residents face waits of up to a year for their permit renewals, many applicants are often left wondering whether they can travel abroad during that waiting period.
What do the rules say?
According to Italy’s interior ministry, foreign nationals who have applied for a residency permit renewal and have been issued with a ricevuta (the receipt issued by the Italian post office after filing the application) are allowed to leave and re-enter Italy – but travel is subject to major restrictions.
The ministry specifies that receipt holders can leave and re-enter the country if:
- They can produce the receipt certifying the submission of the application for renewal, the expired residency permit and their passport (or other equivalent identity document) to border authorities.
- Do not transit through other Schengen-area countries. This includes layovers at airports in such nations. Permit renewals receipts are not recognised as valid travel documents by border authorities in other Schengen member states.
This means that people waiting for a permit renewal cannot travel to or through other Schengen countries, but can legally travel to a non-Schengen country (including their home country) and return to Italy if the journey doesn't involve transiting through a Schengen country.
READ ALSO: What happens to your Italian residency permit if you lose your job?
Prior to March 11th, 2009, foreign nationals travelling on their renewal receipts were legally required to exit from and return to Italy through the same border crossing.
This was changed by an interior ministry decree, which stated that “foreigners may leave the national territory and re-enter it even through an external border different from the one used for exit”.
So can I travel with my renewal receipt?
Though reports of immigration officials telling applicants that they cannot leave and re-enter Italy until they have their permesso formally renewed are not unheard of, Italian law clearly states that this is possible, albeit under the strict conditions outlined above.
If you’ve been warned by an official that you can't travel abroad while waiting for a renewal, it’s advisable that you refer them to the following documents issued by the interior ministry: instructions released by Italy’s state police in 2016 relative to the exit and re-entry of residency permit holders and the original 2006 interior ministry directive outlining the travel conditions for people awaiting renewal.
Should you encounter further issues, you can also seek the support of a qualified immigration expert or ask your home country's consulate or embassy in Italy for additional advice.
If you’re planning on travelling abroad while awaiting your permit renewal, it is strongly advisable that you have the original versions and multiple copies of all the required documents, namely the renewal receipt from the post office, your expired residency permit and your passport (or other equivalent identity document).
Please note that the above rules only apply to people awaiting the renewal of an expired residency permit. Rules may differ for foreign nationals waiting for the issuance of their first residence permit (primo rilascio).
The Local is unable to advise on individual cases. For more information on how the Italian immigration rules may apply in your situation, seek the advice of a qualified immigration expert or your country's consulate in Italy.
Comments (2)