After Arrival in Italy: Residence Permit, Enrolment, First Weeks

Your first weeks in Italy have one fixed deadline and several linked tasks. Italian rules require you to apply for the residence permit for study within eight working days of arrival, using the kit from a post office with a Sportello Amico counter or a university help desk; the receipt you are given proves your legal presence until the permit is issued. Around that you will obtain a tax code, complete enrolment at the university, open a bank account, settle your health cover, register locally and connect with student services. This guide takes each in order and ends with a summary of the permit renewal rules. Where a step depends on an office whose practice varies, we tell you whom to ask.

The first weeks at a glance

1. Days 1–8 (working days). Submit the residence permit application kit at a Sportello Amico post office or your university’s help desk; keep the receipt.
2. First week. Obtain the codice fiscale if you do not already have it (often through the university; ask the international office).
3. First one to two weeks. Attend your enrolment appointment, pay the first fee instalment, collect your student credentials.
4. First month. Open a bank account; decide on health cover; register your address where required; attend orientation; apply for the canteen and transport student rates.
5. When convened. Attend the Questura appointment for photographs and fingerprints; later collect the permit card.
6. By 31 January. Be enrolled on Universitaly, or the visa is revoked (Laurea, Laurea Magistrale, AFAM).
7. 60 days before the permit expires. Apply for renewal.

Residence permit: kit, receipt and Questura appointment

The permesso di soggiorno per studio is the residence permit that allows you to stay in Italy for your course after the visa has let you in. The Questura is the provincial police headquarters that issues it. The steps are:

1. Get the kit. Within eight working days of arrival, collect the application kit from a post office with a Sportello Amico counter, or use your university’s help desk where the institution offers one. The kit contains the form, instructions and the envelope.
2. Complete it with your documents. Typically your passport and visa, the validated pre-enrolment summary or enrolment certificate, health insurance meeting the required conditions, proof of accommodation, evidence of financial means, and photographs. The kit instructions and Portale Immigrazione give the exact list and the photocopies required. The Dichiarazione di Valore is no longer compulsory for the permit.
3. Submit and pay. Hand the sealed kit in at the Sportello Amico counter and pay the fees (electronic permit cost, postal charge and stamp duty; current amounts on Portale Immigrazione).
4. Keep the receipt. The post-office receipt (ricevuta) proves your legal presence in Italy while the application is processed. Carry it with your passport; you will need it for enrolment, banking and travel documents.
5. Attend the Questura appointment. You receive a convocation letter with a date for photographs and fingerprints; bring the original documents. Processing times vary by Questura and are not published centrally; do not plan travel outside Italy around an assumed date.
6. Collect the permit card when notified, and check that the details and expiry date are correct.

Free help with the kit is available from Patronati (welfare assistance offices run by trade unions and associations) and from some Comuni (municipalities), and on the toll-free number 803160. The Portale Immigrazione shows the status of your application once it is lodged, and poliziadistato.it explains the procedure. If you entered on a short-stay Schengen visa (for example to sit a test), you file a dichiarazione di presenza instead and apply for the study permit only after re-entering with the 365-day visa.

Codice fiscale

The codice fiscale is the Italian tax identification code issued by the Agenzia delle Entrate. You need it to enrol, pay fees, sign a lease, open a bank account, register a SIM, receive a scholarship and register for health cover. If you did not obtain it before departure, there are generally three routes: many universities request it on behalf of international students at or before enrolment; some Italian consulates issue it before departure; and it can be requested in person at a local tax office with your passport and, usually, your permit receipt or visa. Ask your university’s international office which route it recommends and what documents the local office requires, because practice differs between cities. Keep the certificate or card safe; the code itself is what you will be asked for.

Complete your enrolment

Enrolment (immatricolazione) is completed at the university after arrival, usually at an appointment with the international office or student secretariat. Bring your passport and visa, the permit receipt, the original academic documents with CIMEA statements or the Dichiarazione di Valore and translations, your language certificate or test result, and the tax code. Tuition is normally paid before completing enrolment, so expect to pay the first instalment at this point (see tuition fees). Three rules to keep in mind:

• The institution verifies the authenticity of your academic documents; a visa does not by itself give a right to complete enrolment.
• If you do not yet hold a valid residence document, you are enrolled “con riserva” (conditionally) until June of the following year, by which time you must show the permit.
• Laurea, Laurea Magistrale and AFAM candidates who are not enrolled on Universitaly by 31 January have their visa revoked and the Questura is informed.

After enrolment you receive your student number, institutional email and access to the online services used for exam registration and fee payment. The full sequence from pre-enrolment to enrolment is in the admission process guide.

Open a bank account

An Italian account is useful for paying rent and fees, receiving a scholarship and avoiding foreign-card charges. Banks set their own requirements, but in general you will be asked for your passport, codice fiscale, proof of Italian address and evidence of your status as a student (enrolment certificate) and of your legal presence (permit or receipt). Some banks offer student accounts with low or no fees; several digital banks and the postal bank are also commonly used by students. Compare monthly fees, card costs and whether the account supports international transfers from your family. Scholarship-paying bodies usually require an Italian IBAN in your name, so open the account before any scholarship payment date. Ask your university’s international office which banks nearby are used to dealing with international students; the bank you choose will give you its exact document list.

Health cover: private insurance or voluntary SSN registration

The insurance you showed for the visa and the permit must remain valid for the period of your permit. You have, in general, two ways to be covered during your studies:

• Keep private insurance meeting the permit conditions (coverage of medical treatment and hospitalisation, with no limits or exceptions on urgent hospitalisation). You renew it each year and present it at each permit renewal.
• Register voluntarily with the Italian National Health Service (SSN). Non-EU students holding a study permit may generally register voluntarily with the SSN by paying an annual contribution, which gives access to a family doctor and public healthcare on the same basis as residents. Registration is done at the local health authority (ASL) with your permit or receipt, codice fiscale and proof of address, and is valid for the calendar year. Check the current contribution amount, the documents required and whether your Questura accepts SSN registration in place of private insurance at renewal, with the ASL and your university’s international office; the amounts and practice differ locally.

In an emergency, public hospital emergency departments (pronto soccorso) treat everyone; the number for emergencies in Italy is 112. The visa-stage rules are in health insurance.

Local registration and your address

Your address matters for the permit, the university and the health service. Make sure your lease or hosting declaration is in a form that can be used as proof of address, and inform the Questura through the procedure it specifies if you move, since the convocation letter and the permit card are tied to the address on file. Registering as a resident with the municipality (iscrizione anagrafica) is a separate step that some students take once they hold the permit and a stable address; it has advantages for some services but also obligations, so ask your university’s international office whether it is appropriate for your situation and what the local Comune requires. Landlords are required to report the hosting of a non-EU national to the authorities; make sure yours does, and keep a copy.

Student services worth using

• International office. Your first point of contact for the permit, tax code, enrolment and most administrative problems.
• Regional right-to-study body. Scholarships, residences, canteen cards and subsidised meals; see scholarships.
• Italian language courses. Many universities offer free or subsidised courses for international students; even on an English-taught programme, Italian helps with everything outside the classroom.
• Transport student pass. Reduced rates for enrolled students in most cities; apply with your enrolment certificate.
• Tutoring, counselling and disability services. Available at most institutions and under-used by international students.
• Student associations and buddy programmes. The quickest route to practical knowledge about your city and course.
• Careers and internship office. Useful early, because internship and work rules for study-permit holders have limits that you should understand before accepting anything.

Residence permit renewal rules

The study permit is issued for the first year and must be renewed. The conditions are:

• Apply for renewal at least 60 days before the permit expires, showing the university’s enrolment certificate and the same conditions as for the visa and permit (funds, accommodation, insurance).
• Renewal is granted to students who have passed at least one exam in the first year and at least two in each subsequent year, as defined by the university in credits; exceptions are allowed for serious health reasons or force majeure.
• The permit cannot be renewed for more than three years beyond the legal duration of the course.
• It can be renewed for a different degree course if the academic authorities approve, provided you have not renounced your studies. Renouncing your studies leads to revocation of the permit.
• For a subsequent specialisation or PhD course the study permit can be renewed for the duration of the course plus one year.

The practical consequence is that exam progress is a legal matter, not only an academic one: plan to pass exams in each session and keep the enrolment certificate and transcript ready for each renewal. The renewal procedure and the rules on travel while the permit is being processed are explained in after visa approval. For the rest of the journey, return to the Study in Italy hub; if you would like help preparing for arrival, our pre-departure guidance service covers the steps on this page.

Frequently asked questions