Residence Permit

This section covers how to obtain permanent residency in Italy. To do this, you need to know how to apply for a temporary residence permit, which will eventually lead to you becoming a permanent resident. Your residence permit in Italy is not granted with your visa. When you first enter the country, you have eight days to apply for a residence permit to avoid being in Italy illegally.

Holders of a work and residence permit have the following rights: - Coverage by the Italian Healthcare System, the SSN (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale) - Access to public housing measures, lease, and subsidized credit for their first home - Access to education, on equal grounds as Italian citizens - Request family reunification, if their residence permit has a minimum duration of one year - Freedom to perform work activities other than the one originally authorized, provided they sign a new residence contract for work - Freedom to carry out self-employment activities, provided they have the necessary authorizations and meet all the requirements - Access to patronage services.

Citizens of the European Union who wish to stay longer than three months don’t need to apply for a residence permit. Instead, they must register at the Anagrafe (register office) of the Comune (town council) where they live. There, they will be given a receipt proving their registration. Non-EU citizens must apply for a residence permit within eight days after they enter Italy. Applications for a residence permit for work or family reasons must be done with the SUI. You can apply at a Post Office with the symbol of the Sportello Amico, at your municipality (commune), or with Patronati (benevolent institutions).

You will need the residence permit “kit” available at Italian post offices. This kit consists of an envelope with two application forms—the first is mandatory for everyone, while the second must be filled out by citizens who have a work permit. Here are the requirements to apply for a resident permit for Italy:

• The application form or forms
• Your passport or travel documents with the appropriate visa, and a copy
• Four recent and identical passport-size photographs
• The residence contract you signed with your Italian employer.

After submitting your application, you will be given a slip with the date at which you have to report to a police station (Questura) with the photographs. If this is your first time in Italy, you are also asked for your fingerprints.