Getting an Italian residency permit (permesso di soggiorno) is something of a rite of passage for non-EU nationals planning to stay in Italy for more than 90 days.
It's also one of the very first things foreigners have to deal with once in the country, as the request should 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 the country.
There are several categories of Italian residency permit, covering the different reasons one may have to be in Italy – from employment to education to family reunification.
A permit's validity generally ranges from six months to two years depending on the type. After this period, the holder must apply for renewal to maintain their legal status in Italy.
Italy’s official statistics agency Istat has data showing how many new permits are issued every year, to whom and for which reasons. Here are some key takeaways.
How many people are granted residency every year?
According to the latest Istat data, Italy issued a total of 330,730 new residency permits in 2023, which marked a 26.3-percent decrease compared to 2022, when 449,118 permits were issued.
Istat said this was largely due to a significant drop in permits granted for international protection, which were a key part of Italy’s response to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
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Most residency permits issued in 2023 were for citizens of Albania (33,021), Ukraine (29,495), Bangladesh (28,546), Morocco (25,134) and Egypt (23,952).
The data shows that some 6,479 US nationals were granted a residency permit in 2023, with nearly 40 percent (2,547) of those issued for family purposes.
The number of permits issued to Brits, Australians, Canadians and South Africans was not specified.
How do people qualify for residency?
Of the 330,730 new residency permits issued in 2023, nearly 39 percent (128,862) were granted for family purposes (permessi di soggiorno per motivi familiari).
Italian family permits allow immediate relatives – barring brothers and sisters – to join a person already possessing legal residency in Italy.
Some 106,237 permits were granted for international protection (down by 47.6 percent against 2022), while the number of work permits and study permits issued stood at 38,978 and 27,468 respectively.
The United States was the fifth most common country of origin when it came to work permits, with 2,196 permessi issued to Americans.
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The US was preceded by India (5,783), Morocco (4,251), Albania (3,637), Bangladesh (3,467).
As for study permits, Iran was the most common country of origin, with 4,209 permits. The US ranked sixth, with 1,091.
Which parts of the country are most popular with international residents?
Italy’s north-west, which includes Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria and the Aosta Valley, was by far the most popular part of the country with foreign residents, as it issued some 110,257 new permits in 2023 – around a third of the total.
Of the 110,257 permits issued in the north-west, around 66 percent were granted by Lombardy alone.
Lombardy, which is home to Italy’s economic powerhouse of Milan, was also the Italian region with the highest number of permits issued for work, study and family purposes.
Over 78,000 new permits were issued in the north-east, which includes Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia, while the central regions of Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria and Marche granted 66,991 permits.
Southern regions and major islands Sicily and Sardinia had significantly lower numbers of new international residents in 2023.
Southern regions (Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, Molise, Abruzzo and Calabria) issued 52,930 permits. Sicily and Sardinia only issued 22,338.
How many residency permit holders are there in Italy?
The above Istat data refers exclusively to new permits (primi rilasci). It doesn’t include permit renewals.
When taking permit renewals into account, over 3.7 million people held a valid Italian residency permit in 2023.
Morocco was the country with the highest number of permit holders, with 399,146. It was followed by Albania (389,646) and Ukraine (383,511).
Some 36,031 US nationals held a permit (either short- or long-term) in 2023.
The number of permits held by Brits, Australians, Canadians and South Africans was not specified.
You can find more information and practical advice about residency permits in Italy here.
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